Today we see a lot of publicity in support of green initiatives and being as environmentally friendly as possible. Among multiple organizations, schools have begun to take action to be more green. So how does Einstein step up to the plate on its green initiatives? And how green is Einstein compared to other MCPS schools?

Before getting into anything, it is worth mentioning the School Energy and Recycling Team (SERT), an MCPS based organization that focuses on increasing recycling and energy efficiency among schools. Each year the team gives SERT awards to MCPS schools that have shown the most energy efficiency within the year. “SERT awards are based on… (1) verifiable energy savings and (2) observed energy efficient behaviors,” said Jim Stufft, the SERT facilitator for Einstein.

As a baseline I compared Einstein’s recycling and energy usage data (provided by the MCPS website) with that of Blair’s, which won a SERT award last school year. (Note: the data will also be from last school year).

As far as energy consumption, Blair saw a decrease between first and fourth quarter from 900,000kWh to 700,000kWh; roughly 150,000kWh lower than the average baseline. Einstein, on the other hand, saw an increase from 700,000kWh in the first quarter to nearly 850,000kWh in the fourth quarter; nearly 100,000 above the average baseline. That being said “AEHS over the last 10 years has earned thousands of dollars for conservation,” said Stufft, totaling at a cumulative $10,150. However, only $750 total of that amount was gained over the last four years, indicating a significant decrease in energy conservation.

So Einstein doesn’t appear to be doing too hot in the energy saving department but there is some promise based on our recycling report. According to the data, the average amount of paper recycled in the 2018-19 school year is 2.79 pounds per person. Within that year Blair dipped below the average with 2.68 pounds per person while Einstein exceeded the average with 3.69 pounds per person.

But that doesn’t necessarily make our school squeaky clean. “You can walk by recycling bins throughout the school and observe non-recyclable items. At the end of the day, dozens of ‘extra’ papers and forgotten pencils can be found throughout the building,” said science teacher and sponsor of the environmental club Steven Fenchel.

Fortunately the environmental club has been making excellent strides lately. “The Club is producing several short videos to help us [staff and students] become more mindful of the material use in the building,” Fenchel said, “[and] the solar panel installation was a big achievement for the school.”

Although Einstein has perhaps not been the most green in the past, there are certainly steps being made in the right direction for the future and some big projects laid out to improve the schools energy conservation. Even plans directly connected to SERT. “Next month, we will have a guest from SERT to help conduct and energy audit with infrared thermometers and infrared imaging cameras. This will be used to evaluate and adjust the heating/cooling of each individual room of the school. This will make the learning environments more comfortable and more energy efficient,” Fenchel said.

With all of these great prospects maybe this year will be the year that Einstein is recognized and awarded for its environmental improvements.