MISSION SAN JOSE HIGH SCHOOL
VOL. 52, NO. 2
October 21, 2016
41717 PALM AVENUE, FREMONT, CA 94539
Investigative Report: Environmental Efficiency By Hannah Chou, Joelle Chuang, Katherine Guo & Andrew Kan Staff Writers With looming threats of global warming, growing landfills, and pollution, MSJ has in recent years made strides towards reducing its environmental impact. However, there is still a ways to go. Responses from a student survey show that 76.8 percent of students feel that MSJ is either environmentally friendly in only some areas or not at all, yet 62.1 percent of students feel that it is very important for MSJ to be environmentally friendly. In this investigative report, the Smoke Signal researches what eco-friendly actions students practice and discusses the measures that can be taken to steer MSJ onto the path of becoming more environmentally efficient. Statistics were taken from a cluster sampling survey of students on October 4. The Smoke Signal went to a mix of College Prep and Honors English classes, three classes per grade, to gather a total of 310 responses.
Clubs
Several clubs, each serving the school and community in a different way, contribute to environmental friendliness at MSJ. MSJ Green Club tends the school gardens and promotes sustainable practices during their club’s bi-weekly meetings. MSJ Re-Crayon has partnered with non-profit organization Crayon Initiative and collects used crayon stubs and educates elementary school students about the environment. Last year, they recycled 11 pounds of crayons, and this year, they have already obtained seven pounds of crayons. MSJ Sustainable Science and Technology analyzes how technology can be used for sustainable practices and uses that information to build school projects. According to the clubs, water usage, electricity usage, and student awareness are MSJ’s most pressing issues regarding the environment. MSJ Green Club President Anjana Chandran said, “I believe in getting everyone involved as much as possible because you never know who may have that special spark of change and make a difference.”
Paper Consumption
Nearly half of students think that paper consumption is the most urgent eco-related issue MSJ should improve on. According to Grade Level Secretary Jennifer Schneider, MSJ goes through eight cases of paper each week, with each case containing 5,000 sheets. Teachers and administrators use some of the reams, and the rest are used in the copy center. The paper usage fluctuates depending on the time of year; at the start and end of each year and semester, usage goes up. With the price of black ink at around five cents a page, according to www.qualitylogic.com. MSJ spends around $72,000 annually on ink alone. According to a survey conducted by the Smoke Signal, more than 35.5 percent of students use between 16 and 30 sheets of binder and copy paper each week, and 25 percent use more than 30 sheets a week. However, there are many ways for students to reduce the amount of paper they use. For example, using digital copies of handouts, printing double-sided, and using better printers are all ways that MSJ can reduce its paper and ink consumption. Last year, MPPFA installed automatic hand dryers in several of the bathrooms. These hand dryers have lessened the need for paper towels, but more hand dryers can still be installed.
Number of Students
How many sheets of paper do you use per week?
Recycling MSJ implemented a new recycling program in 2012 in which more recycling bins were placed around the school and in classrooms to promote mindful disposing. More recently, the trash cans have been changed into three-way bins, with one compartment for trash, one for recycling, and one for compost and organic material. Responses from the survey the Smoke Signal conducted show that currently, 84.4 percent of students say they recycle the majority of the time. However, Assistant Principal Jeana Nightengale believes that the How three-way bins have not been entirely effective. often do “The only issue is that sometimes the students you recycle? may not know [how to compost or recycle],” she said. She hopes to better enforce the importance of eco-friendliness as the year progresses, and said, “I think students educating students is the best way for these types of things because even though we adults can do it, they don’t really listen to us.”
Electricity Usage
Electricity is the costliest utility, and the amount used depends on the time of year. According to FUSD Energy Conservation Supervisor Matt McClain, MSJ averages 369,086.4 megajoules (MJ), or $13,328, per month during hotter months, and 18,486.9 MJ, or $667, per month during cooler months. On the other hand, after analyzing statistics from XCel Energy and the CA Department of Education, the Smoke Signal found that the average US school spends $25,038 on electricity monthly. According to the US Department of Energy, around 46 percent of electricity In what area do in schools is used for space heating, 20 percent for water heating, 19 percent for you think MSJ should lighting, six percent for cooling, and nine percent for other uses. improve the most to become Exterior lighting is turned on from 5 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. daily. Though more environmentally friendly? most of MSJ still uses fluorescent light bulbs for classrooms, incandescent light bulbs for closets, and high-pressure sodium light bulbs for exterior lighting, the district has started to replace these light bulbs with lightemitting diodes (LEDs), which save more energy. MSJ has also collaborated with Pacific Gas and Electric Company to make an automated demand response program in which MSJ can reduce its electricity usage on demand. MSJ Sustainable Science and Technology is currently working with FUSD to replace the current light bulbs with LED ones.
369,086.4
Water Usage In recent years, MSJ has vastly improved its daily water consumption, which reaches a peak during July, August, and September. The school used an average of 25,503 gallons a day during 2015, down from 46,352 gallons a day during 2013. According to the Southwest Florida Water Management District and US Geological Survey, the average school uses 22,284 gallons of water a day, and the average person uses between 80 and 100 gallons of water a day. Steps have been taken to reduce the amount of water MSJ consumes and lower the
school’s influence on the CA drought. Two new water fountains, one in the gym quad and the other in the bell tower quad, were installed in 2015. Each fountain provides a water dispenser for students to refill their water bottles. The new fountains serve to limit the amount of waste produced from disposing plastic bottles and possible leakages from the old fountains. Last year, MSJ Sustainable Science and Technology also planned to install low-flow toilets, which, according to FUSD, could potentially save at least 200,000 gallons of water annually. However, their plans have not been implemented yet, and the project remains a possibility for future years.
MSJ spends
MSJ uses MJ during hot months and MJ during cold months
18,486.9
$667 to 13,328 per month on electricity. The average American school spends $25,038 per month.
Campus Greenery
Last year, MSJ re-landscaped the area next to Palm Avenue, by a generous grant from the Park family, with drought-tolerant plants and reduced irrigation to its 588,065 square feet of fields, according to an issue by the Smoke Signal from last year. Assistant Principal Jeana Nightengale said that MSJ is lucky to have so much greenery on campus. “You guys have a really nice campus, [and] you guys have a lot of greenery, unlike American [High School],” Nightengale said. “I think you guys have the most greenery around. And actually, if you notice, a lot of the plants are drought-tolerant.” The drought-tolerant plants reduced the amount of water and care MSJ had to provide for the original vegetation, thus making MSJ more eco-friendly in this particular area.
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BLOOD DRIVE RESULT
The recent Fall Blood Drive was a massive success, as nearly 100 students and teachers volunteered to donate enough blood to impact more than 240 patients. Read to find out more about the results of this event!
MORE THAN A DISTRACTION BOARD MEETING
As part of the dress code protest, students who organized the event presented at the FUSD board meeting. Check this out to learn about what happened during the meeting.
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