The Sprint to Savings is designed to catalyze energy savings in DC Schools while providing educational and real-world experience to students.  The competition, created by the Department of General Services,  is a partnership between the US Green Building Council and the DC Government.  
 
Goals:  

• Save Money. DCPS spends roughly $30 million per year on utility costs. If schools can reduce energy waste, more money may be available to spend on salaries, computers, text books and educational tools for students.
• Reduced environmental impact. Most of the energy used to power and heat DC Public Schools comes from burning dirty fossil fuels such as coal and natural gas. A drop in energy demand reduces Greenhouse gas production, air pollution, mercury in the environment and other harmful impacts. 
• Create educational and leadership opportunities. The competition is designed to give students real-world experience and build leadership skills.

The goal of the Department of General Services is to ensure the delivery of new or modernized, well- equipped, well-maintained, safe and secure buildings and facilities for the benefit of District residents and employees.

DGS's Sustainability and Energy (DGS-SE) team is responsible for paying the natural gas, water, motor fuel and electricity bills for 77 different DC Government agencies, including its public schools, fire and police stations, and recreation centers.  

However, DGS-SE doesn't just pay the bills - it's working hard to shrink them.  As part of the Sustainable DC initiative, DGS-SE plans to halve DGS's carbon footprint by 2032.  To reach this formidable goal, DGS-SE is targeting the entire DGS portfolio--and schools in particular-- with tactics shaped by the most rigorous energy data collection undertaken by an American city.  

Under the Healthy Schools Act of 2010, DGS is responsible for a variety of activities designed to ensure that schools are healthy, safe places to learn. These include programs on recycling and composting, energy reduction, drinking water testing, indoor air quality, and integrated pest management. To learn more, visit the DGS Healthy School website.

Renewable Energy

The District has quickly become a national leader in renewable energy.  The Department of General Services, Energy and Sustainability Division, has spearheaded a massive renewable energy scale up for public buildings and installed numerous different technologies including geothermal, solar, wind and more. 

Learn more.

Energy Efficiency

To meet the city's ambitious carbon and energy reduction goals, DGS has undertaken aggressive actions to reduce its energy consumption.  DGS's energy efficiency program is based on an unprecedented data acquisition initiative that captures a building’s energy use in 15-minute intervals.  The granular data makes it easy to identify saving opportunities and prioritize cost-effective interventions such as building retrofits, operational improvements and lighting upgrades.   Furthermore, in an effort to be as transparent as possible, the information has been made publicly available on an easy-to-use website: BuildSmartDC.com.

DGS Healthy Schools

Under the Healthy Schools Act of 2010, DGS is responsible for a variety of activities designed to ensure that schools are healthy, safe places to learn, including its recycling and composting programs.  

The DCPS Recycles! Program is designed to fulfill legal requirements; improve building operations; reduce waste of money and natural resources; achieve the SustainableDC target of zero waste by 2032; and teach DCPS students values and skills for a sustainable 21st century.

The goal is to sort all waste properly so as much as possible can be composted or recycled instead of sent to a landfill or incinerator!
Last school year, every DCPS school participated in the recycling program, and over 40 were selected for the Recycling Honor Roll.  Eleven schools participated in the compost pilot initiative, a program that is being scaled up this year into one of the largest school composting programs in the county.  To learn more, visit the DGS Healthy Schools webpage.

Sustainable Design and Construction

With the passage of the landmark Green Building Act, the District became the first major city in the U.S. to require green building certification for both the public and private sectors. Per capita, the District leads all cities in the U.S. in the number and square footage of both LEED and ENERGY STAR certified buildings and projects.

The District government has been at the forefront of this push to improve building design and performance, and has led by example. The Department of General Services, the agency responsible for construction of public buildings, has overseen nearly 50 projects LEED projects.   To date, 14 DCPS schools have been LEED certified and an additional 19 schools are in the process of being LEED certified.