School for Deaf wins $130K for makeover

AUSTIN (KXAN) - The Texas School for the Deaf will get $130,000 toward a green makeover for the school after winning a competition.

The school snagged the grand prize in the Global Green USA Green School Makeover Competition, which means $65,000 for school renovations and another $65,000 worth of technical assistance.

TSD student Amy said she thinks this will help people to avoid littering because recycling and trash bins will be set up.

"And I think it’ll be more conscious about saving the Earth and taking care of our school," said Amy. "I think it’s so important and such a great opportunity for us to influence other students so they’ll look up to us and have their own judgment inside and really care about their environment and do the wise thing and not waste as much."

“We are so excited that Pureology and Global Green have given us this opportunity,” said TSD Superintendent Claire Bugen. “Unlike other public schools, we live on this campus 24 hours a day, and we generate a lot of waste. This prize will help us take our fledgling recycling efforts to the next level and install some important tools, like automatic faucets, to help us become more sustainable."

Francisco's Salon in Austin nominated the school, which beat out more than 220 public, private and charter kindergarten-through-12th-grade schools.

“All great accomplishments in schools come from community partnerships and so it was with Francisco’s Salon," said Bugen. "After doing a few great makeovers and a cut-a-thon in support of TSD, Francisco suggested we try to get a green makeover for the campus and that’s how we learned about the Green School Makeover Competition."

Francisco Villa said he knew the school would be an ideal fit for the makeover.

"I am so proud of their achievement and success for winning first place out of more than 220 entries," said Villa.

School's makeover plans

Update facilities to allow for energy efficient upgrades:

• Retrofitting light fixtures to allow for energy efficient bulbs, and motion-activated lights and conserve energy. Cost savings from the energy efficient upgrades will be reinvested back into the education programs.

Initiate water conservation tactics:

• Reduce water usage and consumption by installing hands-free faucets in lavatories and collecting rainwater in barrels to be used for watering the school grounds.
• TSD spends $20,000 in bottled water every year – switching to reusable bottles and installing a tap filtration system allows funds saved to be put back into education

Initiate waste reduction tactics:

• Install hands-free hand dryers in restrooms which use less paper and save materials from going to the landfills. It will also reduce supply costs for the school, cut down on waste and reduce staff time replenishing paper towels and emptying trash.

Educate student body on recycling:

• Install recycling bins near trashcans across campus to make recycling easier and encourage recycling campuswide.
• Educate school community on recycling and spread habits to home life to support a greener lifestyle.
   

“Green schools improve student performance, increase average daily attendance, and reduce operating costs, energy and water consumption," said Matt Petersen, president and CEO of Global Green. "We are deeply excited to be able to bring those benefits to the students and teachers at the extraordinary Texas School for the Deaf.”

Four runner-up schools named

Each will receive $2,500 to be used towards sustainability upgrades

• Garlough Environmental School in St. Paul, MN
• Heritage Middle School in Berwyn, IL
• Samuel Powel Elementary School in Philadelphia, PA
• Zimmerman School House/Abi's Place in Coral Springs, FL, a school for children with disabilities

You can track TSD's green makeover progress at Pureology's Facebook page, and you can also view the winning entries.