Schools Designated as ENERGY STAR Schools

Sixteen schools in the Des Moines Independent School District have been designated as ENERGY STAR® schools and are participating in the joint program of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Energy to reduce energy consumption.

District schools qualifying for the ENERGY STAR designation are Brubaker Elementary, Capitol View Elementary, Carver Community School, Cattell Elementary, Goodrell Middle, Greenwood Elementary, Hanawalt Elementary, Howe Elementary, Morris Elementary, Perkins Elementary, Pleasant Hill Elementary, Oak Park Elementary, South Union Elementary, Stowe Elementary, Windsor Elementary and Wright Elementary.

To qualify as an ENERGY STAR school, each building must meet strict energy-performance standards set by the EPA, use less energy, be less expensive to operate, and cause fewer greenhouse gas emissions than its peers. Schools also must score in the top 25 percent based upon EPA’s national rating performance system.

Des Moines Public Schools became an ENERGY STAR Partner in May 2009 and committed to adopting the ENERGY STAR strategy by measuring and tracking energy performance, developing and implementing a plan to improve energy performance, and educating staff and public about the DMPS partnership and achievements with ENERGY STAR.

“Though these initial ENERGY STAR designations provide formal recognition of our efforts, our district is committed to energy strategies in all schools,” said Bill Good, chief operations officer for Des Moines Public Schools. “Not only is saving energy the right thing to do from a financial standpoint, it is an environmentally sound practice.”

Ten additional schools in the district are in the process of obtaining the ENERGY STAR designation.