Overview
The Climate Change & Energy category focuses on a school's efforts to reduce its carbon emissions and energy use. Efforts we look for include:
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Specific commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions
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Emissions reductions that schools have already achieved
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Conducting a carbon emissions inventory
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Initiatives to improve energy efficiency and conservation by retrofitting appliances or power plants
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Efforts to obtain energy from renewable resources
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Implementation of conservation campaigns that offer incentives to monitor and reduce one’s energy consumption
Key Findings
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Two-thirds of the schools have made a carbon reduction commitment.
Increased attention to climate change is reflected at an impressive 66 percent of the schools through a commitment to carbon reduction. Fifty percent of the schools have signed the Presidents' Climate Commitment, while another 16 percent independently developed their own reduction commitments.
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More than half of the schools produce renewable energy on campus.
Facilities for producing solar, wind, bio, or geothermal energy are in operation at 52 percent of the schools.
Leading by Example
Grade Breakdown
66 percent of schools have made a commitment to reducing their carbon emissions.