Riverbend's energy efficiency earns state honor

Environmental conservation is taking place inside, outside and above the classrooms at Riverbend Elementary School.

Light sensors turn empty rooms dark and recycling bins are everywhere. Sheets of cerulean blue solar panels stretch across rooftops to provide up to half the school's energy needs.

And its efforts have not gone unnoticed.

Riverbend received the top honor among public schools and school districts in the state as the first Grid Neutral Distinguished Campus. Steve Plaxco, director of maintenance and facilities for Yuba City Unified School District, could not be more proud of the state award.

"It's like, 'OK, let's do this. Let's put us on the map," he said.

The state designation recognizes Riverbend for being 40 percent "grid neutral," which is the concept of generating as much electrical energy as used in a year.

"It's pretty cool that we're not killing the earth like everyone else is," eighth-grader Jagreet Sekhon said Wednesday, pausing to throw her lunch wrappers away.

Teachers always remind students not to litter and to turn off lights when not in use, she said. Even so, Jagreet is amazed her school could gain statewide recognition for its efforts.

"It makes me feel proud that I go here," she said.

The Yuba City school is the first in California to receive the designation, after Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed his Green Building Executive Order in 2004. In 2008, the division of the state architect teamed with government agencies and school districts to help schools with onsite electricity generation and improved energy efficiency.

Riverbend is also commended for using innovative funding to become energy efficient, notably local bonds for new construction and Pacific Gas & Electric rebates of $750,000.

The solar panels have been a dominant influence.

Since Riverbend opened in July 2008, the 300-kilowatt photovoltaic system has offset electrical costs by $70,000 to $100,000 a year, depending on weather conditions.

Other green efforts include water conservation with drought-tolerant vegetation and low-flow sinks and toilets. The school was constructed from recycled materials, including the structural steel, fiberglass insulation and plastic playground equipment.

Ninety percent of Riverbend's students live less than one mile away, so district officials encourage walking, biking or riding scooters to campus.

"There are 1,200 students here every day that are leaving a small carbon footprint," said Assistant Principal Jevan Bains.

It's not easy to squeeze environmental education in amid math and English language requirements, but teachers take advantage when possible, he said.

The interactive display usually stationed in the library is out for repairs, but librarian Staycee Berg said it was always popular with students and teachers. They could monitor the school's energy input and output in real time on a color touch-screen and interact with the data.

"It was definitely a utilized tool on campus and it was fun," she said. "It was nice to have them come in here and see technology as something interesting instead of a task."

As seventh-grader Mark Graziano ate his lunch on the drought-tolerant lawn Wednesday, he said he is all for the solar panels and other eco-minded measures.

"I think it's pretty smart," he said. "That way we're not using gasoline as energy ... We don't have anything that pollutes the area."

Schools are a great place to begin environmental education, he said.

"That way, we when get older we're more aware of our surroundings and what's good for the earth and what's not," Mark said.

All of Yuba City Unified School District is committed to conservation, Plaxco said. Its efforts are now aided by an energy education specialist who works to increase awareness and change behaviors.

"No matter what we do to automate the buildings and try to be energy efficient ... one of the biggest savings when it comes to energy is the human factor," Plaxco said.

Even small changes — such as turning off lights during recess and lunch breaks — can make a difference, he said. If the district could reduce energy usage by just $1 per day per classroom for the entire year, it would free up almost $500,000 annually for direct educational program needs.

"The state budget is in the red and it's having a huge impact on school budgets," Plaxco said. "You need to keep those cuts out of the classroom."

He said the next step is collaborating with the California Energy Commission to try to install 20 kilowatts of small wind generators on the roof of Riverbend's multipurpose building.

"In perfect condition in a year's time, it could provide the energy for four or five classrooms," he said. "It will be very visual and it will be one more thing the community can see."

CONTACT reporter Ashley Gebb at 749-4724 or agebb@appealdemocrat.com.