Local Teens Attend Sustainable High School Summit

Teenagers from high schools all over Tri-Valley gathered at Athenian High School in Danville one recent weekend, to discuss their schools current progress in energy efficiency and  to promote sustainability in their communities.

Students listened attentively as guest speaker Tom Kelley, discussed his accomplishments with his organization KYOTO USA. Although students often feel incapable of any true sustainable breakthroughs for their schools, with the difficulty getting new ideas passed through the city, Kelley ensured that staying positive, and overcoming the obstacles is possible.

He stressed the value of solar energy and its ability to generate revenue while supplying an environmentally friendly source of energy for the world. 

The Athenian School shared their new implementation of permaculture on their campus, and their desire to expand permaculture into other schools.

What is permaculture?

Permaculture is the sustainable use of available land, and utilizing nature to maximize effect and minimize work. The Athenian has already established numerous permaculture gardens where they utilize unused land to grow crops and various plants. They hope to expand the idea of permaculture gardens to schools all over the area, to increase sustainability and reduce waste. 

In terms of energy efficiency, Athenian has set the bar by installing a structure of 1,300 solar panels and running majority of their school with solar powered energy.

The estimated cost per watt of energy is 17.6 cents, and allows the school to run on an efficient, environmentally friendly, and cost cutting form of energy, which they aspire to have implemented in schools all over the nation.