Green Initiatives

Daylit Schools

Each school campus at EUSD now has daylighting devices (Solatubes) installed to allow natural light into the classrooms through protected tubes in the ceiling. So much light is allowed in using this method that there is often no need to turn on the electric lights. Research shows that use of these devices, called daylighting, increases students’ overall test scores, improves moods and increases mental alertness. Daylighting also saves the school district money by reducing the energy demand of traditional lighting.

Educational Farms

In addition to the many garden spaces at each EUSD school, the district is also home to the nation’s first certified organic school farm. EUSD’s Farm Lab DREAMS Campus is an innovative indoor and outdoor educational campus for all students in the Encinitas Union School District. Ocean Knoll utilizes its one acre farm space to fortify the school’s International Baccalaureate curriculum. Paul Ecke has transformed most corners of green space on the campus into farming experiments and hosts a weekend farmer’s market every Sunday.

Environmental Education

The EUSD staff and its innovative teachers work alongside their environmental consultants at BCK Programs to offer numerous environmental education opportunities to the students at each EUSD school. Learning experiences in environmental stewardship include water and energy conservation, waste diversion, litter prevention, composting, environmental advocacy and the nationally recognized SWPPP Internship Program.

High Efficiency Hand Dryers

EUSD has installed high efficiency hand dryers in all student bathrooms, drastically reducing our consumption of paper towels on site. Replacing paper towels with hand dryers saves money and decreases our environmental impact by saving custodial labor time used to empty bathroom bins and unclog toilets, reducing waste going to the landfill and reducing the price of each hand dry to 1/20th the cost of using paper towels.

Hydration Stations

All EUSD schools have installed Hydration Stations for filling and refilling water bottles with filtered water. These stations encourage the use of refillable water bottles instead of single-use plastic bottles. By filling up reusable water bottles at our school’s hydration stations we are not only giving our body the most perfect form of refreshment, we are also helping to reduce landfill waste, ocean pollution, and our carbon footprint.

Rain Collection

We have installed rainwater collection barrels at all of our school sites in an effort to conserve water and decrease runoff pollution. The collected water is stored and used as needed for irrigation in non-rain periods or as an educational tool for our school community. Rainwater is a renewable, sustainable, high quality water source. In addition, collecting water during storm events reduces flow speed which, in turn, reduces runoff into the storm drain keeping the ocean cleaner.

Solar Powered Schools

EUSD completed installing solar panels at all nine elementary schools in the summer of 2016. The panels are expected to cut the district’s energy consumption by nearly 80% and save over $20 million dollars in future energy costs. In addition to students learning about power generated from a clean burning, abundant and renewable energy source like the sun, students are also exposed to the science and engineering behind the photovoltaic panels and inverter.

Waste Diversion and Food Scrap Composting

In order to reduce landfill waste, facilitate composting, and encourage lunchtime recycling, EUSD developed the SCRAP Cart (Separate, Compost, Reduce And Protect). The SCRAP Cart is used to teach students how to properly sort their lunchtime waste for composting, recycling and landfill. Since the introduction of the carts in 2012, lunchtime waste has been reduced at each school by over 80% saving the school district over $40,000 every year.

As part of the district’s lunchtime waste management program, every EUSD campus is outfitted with large composting worm bins. Students learn the science of decomposition, while they divert food from their school’s waste stream and turn it into a valuable garden amendment. Composting works in tandem with the school gardens reducing or even eliminating the need for fertilizer and reducing watering needs.

Walk to School Programs and Idle-Free Zones

We encourage walking and biking to school in our communities as an alternative to driving. Physical activity in the morning is known to improve academic performance, creativity and focus and to reduce student stress. In addition, incorporating physical activity into a child’s daily routine is a good place to start fighting skyrocketing childhood obesity rates.

We protect the air around our schools by creating Idle-Free Zones at all of our schools to protect students from toxic pollutants released by cars idling near schools at drop off and pick up. Car idling contributes to health issues, contributes to smog and climate change, uses more gasoline than restarting your car, harms your engine and exhaust system, and increases vehicle maintenance costs.