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Gresham-Barlow School District

Partner of the Year — Energy Management
Gresham-Barlow School District
Gresham, Oregon

Gresham-Barlow School District is one of the largest districts in Oregon, serving approximately 12,000 students across 11 elementary schools, five middle schools, and three high schools. Thanks to visionaries at the top, Gresham-Barlow is the first district to receive the ENERGY STAR Award twice. Key accomplishments include:

  • Being the first organization to be recognized by EPA as an ENERGY STAR Leader for achieving 30 percent savings across its entire portfolio of buildings.
  • Saving more than $1.3 million in utility costs in 2007 alone, which is the equivalent of 24 full-time teachers' salaries.
  • Earning the ENERGY STAR label for superior energy performance for five more schools in 2007, for a total of 17 out of its 19 schools.

Gresham-Barlow has set a goal for 2008 of having all of its schools earn the ENERGY STAR and is also working toward a goal of 50 percent savings in energy use compared to the current 46 percent.

Gresham-Barlow School District management and staff have successfully grown an energy and resource conservation culture throughout the district using ENERGY STAR strategies to directly support their efforts. The district integrates technology and empowers each school's Energy Champion by providing energy management information to help make better decisions. One elementary school saves an average of $800 a month through its "Watt Watchers" program, in which students patrol the school and hand out red tickets for empty classrooms where lights remained on.

The school district is also partnering with the Gresham Chamber of Commerce to promote its energy management model to the surrounding community through programs such as on-the-job training for local vocational school students who want to study energy management. The students help perform energy audits and equipment installations at low cost to community businesses in exchange for school credit and on-the-job experience. Through programs like these, Gresham-Barlow School District hopes to lead the community toward the goal of earning the ENERGY STAR for as many public and private facilities as possible.