We are proud to share the ongoing efforts in sustainability in Bellingham Public Schools.聽 With the five-year Climate Action Plan (CAP) as our blueprint, we have three areas of focus: facilities and operations, teaching and learning, and habits and culture. 聽You can follow progress on the sustainability webpage.
District awarded $2.7 million grant for solar arrays on five schools
In summer 2024, Bellingham Public Schools (BPS) was awarded $2.7 million in a grant from the Washington state Department of Commerce. Called the DOC Community Decarbonization Grant, it will cover the installation of Washington-made solar arrays on five schools: Options High School, Shuksan Middle School, and Alderwood, Happy Valley and Sunnyland elementaries. (Updated: Sunnyland Elementary School, not Cordata, is now one of the locations for solar arrays.)
This five-school project will yield approximately 1 megawatt (MW) of solar energy for an estimated cost saving of $132,000. For context,聽the array on Sehome High School鈥檚 roof is a 100 kilowatt (kW) array. The new project will yield 10 times the energy of Sehome鈥檚 array.
This project is supported with funding from (CCA). Read the full release about the project here.
EPA Wildfire Preparedness and Resilient Schools grant
This fall, schools have begun to install Attune monitors purchased with a grant of $364,400 from the Environmental Protection Agency. Two monitors will be installed at each of our schools, one inside and one outside, and will monitor indoor and outdoor air quality.
As of this fall, 10 schools have them installed. The grant also covers HVAC assessment at all of our schools. In recent years, the district has relied on air quality information to assess whether it was safe to send students outside for recess or whether to hold outdoor sports activities. .
Reducing carbon footprint through planned and continual improvements in our facilities
The district continues to take an inventory of energy use at all facilities and to base improvements on findings. This year, facilities upgrades have been made across the district, including:
- The installation of high efficiency boilers at both Bellingham High School and Wade King Elementary School.
- A swap to LED lighting in district buildings. In 2024, the second floor of Shuksan Middle School moved to 100% LED lighting, while Wade King Elementary School and the Facilities building converted to virtually 100% LED. These lighting retrofits were conducted by district electricians resulting in better light quality with significant energy and cost savings. Future installs will continue at Shuksan Middle School and Cordata Elementary, in 2025.
- The selection of a new vendor/supplier Waxie in 2024 increased our use of products that meet green specifications. The district is currently at 85% green products. Waxie also impacts our carbon footprint through consolidation of orders and intentional purchasing, reducing associated transportation costs for small and special orders. We continue to use our purchasing power to find partners in climate action.
- Electric Vehicle (EV) charging stations expand into a total of three locations in Bellingham Public Schools: Sunnyland Elementary School, Sehome High School, the new District Office.
- An energy use dashboard has been added to our sustainability website under Facilities & Operations.
Transportation update: Propane buses on order, routes added to encourage ridership
The district has purchased three propane school buses to upgrade the efficiency of the fleet. Propane buses are an alternative to electric and emit fewer emissions with comparable pricing to diesel buses. Unlike electric buses, propane buses use the same maintenance set up as regular buses so no retrofit of shop needed. According to the Propane Education and Research Council, propane buses are 90% cleaner than the strictest EPA federal emissions standard.
In other efforts, Transportation staff work to reduce emissions by increasing and re-mapping routes to encourage bus ridership. This school year, the program runs 147 routes compared to 115 previously. Every bus run takes approximately 40 cars off the roads if students ride. Bus staff also regularly review their start and end of trips to reduce idling whenever and wherever possible.
Sustainability initiatives thrive thanks to BPS staff member Gretchen Pflueger
The development of the Climate Action Plan and the securing of funding for our recent EPA and state grants mentioned above are due to the impactful work of grant writer and special projects manager Gretchen Pflueger. With her dedication and grant writing skills, she has laid the foundation for district sustainability initiatives.
In recent years, she has presented to the Center for Green Schools, the Department of Ecology鈥檚 Environmental Youth Summit, the Department of Energy鈥檚 Efficient and Healthy Schools, and the Green Schools Conference, to name a few. Alongside chief operation office Jessica Sankey and facilities and sustainability director Mark Peterson, she is our point person on climate action in Bellingham Public Schools.
鈥淕retchen has been integral to our work in sustainability in Bellingham Public Schools,鈥 chief operations officer Jessica Sankey says. 鈥淣ot only has she secured early funding through to our multi-million dollar grant for solar arrays,鈥 Sankey continues, 鈥渟he has also led our sustainability committees through to the development of the Climate Action Plan with its important tactical goals and measures of success.鈥
鈥淲e are so grateful for Gretchen and her passion for the work.鈥
Rep. Larsen visits new District Office and talks sustainability
U.S. Representative Rick Larsen visited the new District Office this fall for a tour of the facility and conversation focused on sustainability, clean energy technologies and school funding.
Some of the key sustainability features of the new building were shared during the tour, including the use of cross-laminated timber and a dedicated outdoor air supply, as well it being fully electric and solar ready, with water conservation and fully programmable LED lighting. To learn more about other sustainability features of the new District Office, click here.
Rep. Larsen was also briefed on the district鈥檚 newly launched Climate Action Plan and how BPS is using grant dollars to achieve our sustainability goals.
The visit also included conversation about implications of the聽聽and what it means for schools. This is an unprecedented time for schools to invest in infrastructure, specifically in clean energy technologies. Schools are eligible for investment tax credits (ITC) up to 30+% of eligible project costs. Read the full story on Larsen visit
District Climate Action Plan (CAP) wins statewide award
Our publication received an Award of Excellence from the Washington State School Public Relations Association (WSPRA) this fall. Judged by school public relations professionals in other states, the district CAP won in the Special Purpose Publication category. Congratulations to our sustainability-focused task force and committees in recent years who helped lay the groundwork for this publication.
