Fossil Ridge High School is currently ranked third in a ReNew Our Schools energy conservation competition against the other main high schools in the Poudre School District. The competition kicked off on September 25 and will end on Wednesday, October 25, and has a $10,000 prize at stake. Designed to teach students about their impact on the environment and the simple ways they can save energy, the competition seeks to measure the amount schools can reduce their energy consumption by within a month. There are also different school and home actions students, teachers, and parents can take to give Fossil more points. As explained by science teacher Veronica Castillo, “The school that can achieve the highest in these overall categories will win money to apply to technology or something sustainable in the building to help us reduce energy.”

If all students and teachers are conscious of simple energy saving measures throughout the school on a daily basis, Fossil will have a better chance of getting ahead in the competition. FRESH Club has been going through classrooms and conducting audits to give teachers suggestions on how they can save energy. “We have a kit of tools that we take to a classroom and we measure how many watts these appliances are using. If levels are too high, we can take actions beyond that,” said Castillo. While the lights in the hallways and bathrooms are motion-sensitive and do shut themselves off, lights in the classrooms can also be turned off during class when not completely necessary, and especially between classes during the lunch period, along with before and after school. Students should take advantage of the sunny days that are still left in October, and try to use natural light instead of artificial light. If teachers have extra lamps in their classrooms, they can also unplug those, or at least take out unnecessary bulbs. Computers and other electronic devices reduce energy use when they are shut down, and the same thing is applicable when other appliances such as computer charges, smartboards, and microwaves are unplugged. For FRESH Club, Castillo said, “It’s really creating some awareness [for us] as a club of where our energy drains are coming from.”

Extra actions the school can take to earn more points in the competition also include many quick, simple to complete tasks. Fossil has already received points for having an environmental club (FRESH Club) established, and if Fossil art students make posters with fun, unique designs about saving energy, those can be submitted to the competition for points as well. Two other creative options include creating a video about reducing energy in the school, and forming a lesson plan about energy conservation for science classes. If the school conducts an energy audit to determine five areas of the school where energy could be reduced, but cannot within the time of the competition due to required funding or renovation, the school will receive a full 40 points.

FRESH Club already has a vague plan of what they would do with the prize money if Fossil wins the competition. Possibilities include adding more greenery to the courtyard and the other outdoor spaces that students congregate in, or creating habitat space for owls that were recently displaced due to the construction of Twin Silos Park. After the competition, Fossil would also be able to conduct a school survey to locate areas of the building where energy conservation can improve.

At home, students can grab their parents and fill out a home energy audit to give suggestions on how they can reduce energy usage in their own homes. Fossil will also benefit when more students fill out this form, and FRESH Club is holding their own competition between advisories to encourage students to complete the audit. Through ReNew Our Schools, FRESH Club hopes not to just win a prize, but make a lasting impact on the school, ”so that once this competition is over, we’re even greener than before,” said Castillo.