features
SOLAR CAMPAIGN
Elicia Cousins ‘09 on
why the world and
ASIJ are going solar
R
esidents of the remote village of
Gudda, India never used to see light
after dark. There is no electricity, as
power lines do not extend here. That all
changed with the arrival of solar light; now,
with solar panels on almost every rooftop,
villagers can play music at night, children
can study past sundown, and villagers feel
empowered with a sense of less reliance on
a far-off government.
Further west, 2,700 newly installed
solar panels on the roof of the Paul VI
auditorium harness energy under the
Vatican’s sunny skies. The photovoltaic
cells will generate enough power to heat
or cool the 6000-seat hall. When the hall
is not in use, the surplus energy will be
fed into the Vatican’s power network.
10 the ambassador WINTER 2008-09
Shine
On
Even further west, college campuses
across the US are spearheading solar
initiatives striving to make their campuses
more “green.” Senior engineering
students at Seattle University developed
a solar panel system as part of their
coursework, and this system is now
in place. Sierra College in California
announced that a $470,000 state grant
would be used to train students in the
growing field of solar panel installation.
Across the Pacific, Japanese public
middle and primary schools nationwide
are being urged by the government to
install solar power generators in order
to cut greenhouse gas emissions and
meet reduction targets under the Kyoto
Protocol. Companies will be asked for
financial support for the purchase of
solar power systems in schools, and this
support will be counted towards the
carbon credit trading plan introduced
in October. The targeted participation
of 80% of Japanese public schools
will reduce CO2 emissions by 230,000
tons annually. The government plans to
increase Japan’s solar power generation
capacity by 10 times by 2020, and 40
times by 2030, extending solar power to
households, roads and railway facilities.
Here at ASIJ, we’re at the forefront of
the solar initiative. Spurred by a student-
led environmental movement last year,
ASIJ began the 2008-09 school year
with the goal of installing solar panels.
A Japanese governmental subsidy and
fundraising by the Board of Directors
has made this initiative a reality: the
solar panels are currently being installed
on the roofs of the HS gym and pool
buildings, to be completed in February.
The system will generate 80 kilowatts
of energy, immediately reducing the
school’s carbon footprint by 5%; this in
addition to ASIJ’s environmental initiative
of reducing energy consumption by
10%. Energy costs are projected to drop
by 6,000,000 yen.
features
SOLAR CAMPAIGN
“We need to realize that local power production is the way
forward, and ASIJ students are poised to be the leaders of
the future. Let’s offer our students every opportunity to be
involved in the innovations that will affect their futures.”
Don Chambers, HS Chemistry
“I am proud to be part of the ASIJ Green
Initiative. I want to be able to look the
students I teach in the eye and tell them
I am taking action to make sure they will
inherit a planet with a sustainable future.
The best way to turn our children into
leaders is to model leadership.”
Taryn Loveman, Grade 5
“People become green through
awareness, awareness of the
individual and collective impact of
their actions on the ability of the
earth to sustain more than 6.6 billion
people. It may be expensive to go
green, but for our children it may be
more expensive not to go green.”
John Buckler,
HS Environmental Science
The educational benefits of this solar power system are far-
reaching: HS physics and chemistry classes will use the system as “At the ELC we plant rice, grow the
an example of basic chemistry and physics concepts for example,
while MS and ES classes can closely monitor the consumption
rice and finally eat the rice. Learning
how nature works and the importance
of energy at school and calculate the energy being produced by
solar power. This focus will no doubt enhance environmental
of managing our resources is the first
step in teaching our students how to be
awareness in the community, placing the solar project right in responsible later in life.”
line with ASIJ’s stated mission “to act responsibly to protect the Courtney Singer, ELC Nursery
environment and conserve resources.”
Going green through renewable energy usage is initially
“As parents and educators we have
expensive and daunting—but it is an investment that must be
a great opportunity to show how
made. Schools and businesses all over the world are beginning
important we feel environmental
to make this investment, setting a trend that will likely continue
action is to us. Initiatives that
to gain momentum. It is important, however, to remember the
highlight better environmental
power of the individual; the most important steps in tackling
stewardship at ASIJ not only
current environmental crises are in changing individual habits
embrace our collective vision of
of overconsumption, and the realization that each individual
global responsibility, but also prove
holds equal responsibility. In terms of this change in individual
that we believe in and cherish the
behavior, ASIJ still has a long way to go. However, with a variety
goal of having a world where all
of initiatives now in place, the new ideal of sustainability is
children can hope for a better future
beginning to permeate the entire school, which will allow ASIJ
through a better environment.”
to take a big stride in reducing its impact on the environment.
Sara Baquero-Garcia,
More importantly, students can take this new ideal with them and
MS Social Studies
become the aware, responsible citizens our environment needs.
WINTER 2008-09 the ambassador 11