DPS Go Green Challenge:
Energy and Water Monitors Project
OVERVIEW
One of the most effective ways to save energy and water at your school is to create
a team of student “energy and water monitors” to patrol your school. Student
patrols help ensure that everyone is practicing simple energy- and water-saving
behaviors. Last year, teams of energy monitors helped DPS Go Green Challenge
schools save over $300,000 in energy costs, compared to a rise of $7,000 in energy costs for schools that
did not participate in the Go Green Challenge.
The core of this project is to form a team of students who are empowered to take simple energy and
water-saving actions. For example, a team might patrol the school at the end of the day to turn off
unused lights, turn off unused appliances, ensure that no faucets are left running, and, when
appropriate, unplug unused appliances. For even more savings, teams are encouraged to work with the
facility manager to ensure that all appropriate parts of the school building are “powered down” over
weekends and school breaks.
PROCEDURE
1) Share with your school – Make sure your entire school knows they are competing in the DPS Go
Green Challenge to save energy and water! The most successful schools engage the entire
school in efforts to save. At minimum, we recommend letting other teachers and staff know that
students may be entering their rooms to look for energy and water-saving opportunities.
2) Discuss – Talk to your students about the importance of saving energy. Your AmeriCorps Green
School Coordinators can help guide discussions that could cover the importance of saving
energy, from the monetary savings, to the air quality and health impacts of energy generation,
to the environmental benefits of using less energy.
3) Form your team – Form your team of energy and water monitors.
4) Plan your patrols – We recommend talking to your facility manger and your AmeriCorps Green
School Coordinators to help plan your patrols. Questions you might consider are: What time are
you patrolling? Are there areas of the schools off limits to the patrols? How often are you
patrolling?
5) Launch and keep up your patrols! – Have fun, be respectful, and save energy and water! If you
are unsure of the most effective ways to save, ask your AmeriCorps Green School Coordinators
to join your initial patrols to help students discover savings opportunities.
6) Earn GGC Points – Earn up to three Go Green Challenge Points for your patrols! To earn your
GGC points, simply perform at least one patrol per week and keep at least one student patrol
dps.gogreen@detroitk12.com|fax: 313.576.0951|phone:313.578.7135
sheet (see below) from that week. While we encourage you to form patrols in December, points
can be earned for January, February, and March patrols.
7) Get creative –See our resource packet and talk to your AmeriCorps Green School Coordinators
for resources to help strengthen the impact of your team. Successful schools from last year
created application processes for students to join the monitor teams, hung energy-saving
reminder door hangers on classrooms, placed turn-off reminders directly onto light switches,
and worked with facility mangers to help plan and join their patrols.
8) Earn monetary awards for energy and water savings! – In addition to the overall Go Green
Challenge winners, which are based on GGC points, remember that the top schools in each
grade category (elementary, middle, and high school) can earn monetary awards for both
energy AND water savings.
EARNING YOUR GGC POINTS
Due to the large potential savings from the energy and water monitors’ work, schools may earn up to
three points for continued energy and water patrols. Simply patrol at least once per school week and
keep at least one student patrol sheet per week. These sheets may be sent in directly to DPS Go Green
(via DPS mail of fax) or simply given to your AmeriCorps Green School Coordinators.
TIMELINE
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December – Form and launch energy and water monitors patrols. One patrol this month is so
important that it is its own project and point – the last patrol before the holiday break which we
call the “Power Down for the Holidays” project.
January – Patrol your school and save energy and water. At least one patrol per school week will
earn your school one GGC point. Patrols to begin the week of January 6th.
February – Patrol your school and save energy and water. At least one patrol per school week
will earn your school one GGC point. No patrol winter break from February 17-21.
March - Patrol your school and save energy and water. At least one patrol per school week will
earn your school one GGC point.
Student Patrol Sheet (to be handed-in for GGC Points)
Patrol sheets are designed to help students locate and tally positive actions that they have taken on
their patrol. The first row is an example. Please feel free to add actions in the patrol sheets as you see
fit. While you may choose for each student or each team to have their own patrol sheet, we simply ask
that one patrol sheet per week (January-March) be handed in to earn GGC point.
dps.gogreen@detroitk12.com|fax: 313.576.0951|phone:313.578.7135
DPS Go Green Challenge
Energy Monitors Weekly Report
School Name: ___________________________________________________
Energy Monitor Name(s): __________________________________________
Dates of Weekly Reporting Period:___________________________________
SAMPLE:
Turn off unused
room light
MONDAY
TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY
IIII I
II
III
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
TOTAL
WEEKLY
ACTIONS
III
14
Turn off unused
classroom lights
Turn off unused
hallway lights
Turn off/sleep
computer
Turn off/unplug
unused appliances
Other action 1:
________________
________________
Other action 2:
________________
________________
Other actions or issues to report (please note this is for documentation purposes; DPS Go Green cannot
directly speed up work orders or address other facility issues in most cases):
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________