FHS students spend time at green summit
Posted on Saturday, October 11, 2008
Hoping to learn about things going on around the world and locally that will improve the environment and make better use of sustainable resources, members of the Fayetteville High School's Green Team attended the city's Sustainability Conference on Friday.
Dana Krementz, an FHS student, said one of the things she found at the conference, which was held at the Fayetteville Town Center, was "more assurance that there is hope to expand the green idea."
The district's Green Teams were first started in the 2007-2008 school year. The clubs were initiated by Assistant Superintendent Dick Johnson as a way to develop student involvement in projects that benefit the environment.
All of the district schools have a Green Team, although FHS was the only school that officially sent students to the conference.
During the morning portion of the conference, the students heard a presentation from John Mogge Jr., senior vice-president of CH 2 M Hill in Colorado, on the development of Masdar City in the United Arab Emirates.
Masdar City is a prototype development of a carbonneutral city, he said, that is scheduled to be developed over eight years at a cost of $ 24 billion.
Some of the features of the city include getting most of its electricity from solar panels, buildings designed to generate more energy than they use and using 60 percent recycled water, Mogge said.
"There is nowhere in the United States that recycles (water ) even half of this amount," he said.
Also, one of the goals is that less than nearly all waste generated by the citizens will be recycled with less than 2 percent going to landfills.
"What can't be recycled is taken to turn waste into energy," he said.
The city covers about 6 square kilometers and is designed for a population of 40, 000 residents and 50, 000 commuters.
"It is very dense," he said.
The city will have car parks on its edges where commuters can park fossil-fuel powered vehicles. Transportation in the city will be by foot and bicycle. The city will also utilize a mobility grid with a sophisticated light rail and public transit system.
"Who would imagine that a city like this could be built in the desert," Mogge said. "The future is living within our means as a society."
One woman in the audience asked what the cost of living might be for residing in the city. Mogge said it would be designed to include people from all income levels but couldn't give specific salaries.
Will Meadows, an FHS student, said he was impressed with what he learned about Masdar City. Will Harmon, another student, said it was interesting to hear about a city so futuristic being built right now.
One thing the school has started doing to raise awareness about the environment is a "Green Tip of the Week"during the school's announcements.
The students said changes in the way vending machines are stocked at the school has resulted in less waste from plastic bottles.
"We can focus more on (recycling ) paper," Harmon said.
Krementz said a project she is trying to get under way is more recycling of used batteries.
At the conference, the students were able to visit several of the vendors selling energy-efficient and sustainable products.
Harmon said he picked up a reusable water bottle and energy-efficient light bulbs from a vendor at the event.
The students also hope that when the high school is redesigned, it will be developed as a certified green building. The school board is scheduled to review options to redesign the campus in the coming months.
"We need to make sure when we redo that high school that it's green," Connie Crisp, Green Team faculty sponsor, said.
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