Reducing Energy Consumption and Creating a Conservation Culture in Organizations: A Case Study of One Public School District

Abstract

How can existing schools significantly reduce their energy use? With energy costs rising and school budgets shrinking, energy use is a substantial cost that can be reduced through conservation efforts. Using a case study methodology, the authors compare two public high schools from the same school district, one that has achieved moderate energy savings and another that has reduced its electricity use by 50% over several years. Examining the individual and organizational components of both schools' efforts, the authors find that the greater success at one school is the result of integrated efforts at all levels within the organization, from district administrators to individual students. Success is based on structural changes, individual behavioral change, and, most important, the weaving of both into a cohesive Downloaded from Schelly et al. 317organizational culture emphasizing conservation. This study demonstrates the potential of behavioral change and organizational culture to foster environmental education, conservation, and fiscal savings for other public schools.Keywords environmentally responsible behavior, environmental education, organizational behavior, energy conservation Public awareness of climatic change has stimulated organizations to consider strategies for reducing energy consumption for both economic and environmental reasons. In the United States, the average cost of energy use for the 2005-2006 school year was US$1.15/ft 2 , 63% of which was electricity consumption (Kats, 2006). In most U.S. school districts, the cost of energy use is second only to salaries (State of Colorado Governor's Energy Office, 2007). In American schools, US$6 billion is spent on energy bills annually, which is more than what is being spent on textbooks and computers combined (Energy Star, 2010).With ever-increasing economic costs and heightened concerns about the environmental effect of energy consumption, public schools are an ideal location for targeted conservation efforts. A long-term strategy for reducing energy consumption is the design and building of "green schools," which adopt a variety of design components to reduce energy use by an average of 33% from traditional buildings (Kats, 2006). The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System, developed by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), was recently modified in order to develop specific standards for the design and construction of green schools. Currently, there are 250 LEED-certified schools, which is 0.2% of school buildings in the United States (USGBC, 2010a).Whereas the construction of green schools is an important long-term strategy for containing energy costs and building healthy environments for learning, school districts must also find ways to reduce energy consumption in existing buildings. "With more than 133,000 schools in the United States, the greatest opportunity for school districts and our nation is to transform our existing schools" (USGBC, 2010b). The potential for reducing energy consumption in exis...

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