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sustainability management plan: manitou springs school district
sustainability
management plan
manitou springs school district
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sustainability management plan: manitou springs school district
sustainable
beginnings
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sustainability management plan: manitou springs school district
This Sustainability Management Plan (SMP) has been
developed through a grant provided by the Colorado
Governor’s Energy Office. The template was designed
for use by Colorado school districts to build capacity
and awareness for the educational promotion of
Environmental Sustainability in K-12 education.
This template will help foster student participation,
recognize sustainability practices by the school,
and will commit all staff, students, and community
members to responsible stewardship.
Sustainability is a program that can generate cost
savings, conserve resources, provide a more productive
working environment/culture, and empower staff to
perform their daily tasks with sustainability in mind.
This plan implies that activities in the district are
environmentally sound, socially just, economically
viable, and will continue for generations. The
district will be environmentally safe and
provide a healthy learning environment free of
environmental hazards and in good repair.
This template is provided as a starting point so that
sustainability awareness and best practices can
influence the environmental, social, and economic
goals of the district and the community.
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sustainability management plan: manitou springs school district
table of contents
Background 2
Table of Contents 3
Introduction 4
Defining Sustainability 8
Defining an SMP 9
District SMP Goals 11
Short Terms Goals: District Goals for
Year One
11
SMP Goal One [Identify Goal Statement] 12
SMP Goal Two [Identify Goal Statement] 13
SMP Goal Three [Identify Goal Statement] 14
SMP Goal Four [Identify Goal Statement] 15
Long Terms Goals: District Goals with a Two
to Four Year Window
16
Maintaining District Sustainability Momentum 17
District Policy 19
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sustainability management plan: manitou springs school district
introduction
Manitou Springs School District 14 has been a pioneer
in public education for the past few decades. Not only
is the school system leading the way in outstanding
relationships with students, parents and the community,
it is also rated as one of the most academically rigorous
educational systems in the state. Our students are
involved in a myriad of educational opportunities like
engineering, art, dance, music, mathematics, Foreign
Language, debate, poetry, science, and Language Arts.
Children are receiving a 21st Century “whole-new-child”
education that emphasizes reading, writing, speaking,
and mathematics as well as creativity, teamwork,
problem solving, and critical thinking. Manitou is also
leading the way in providing multiple opportunities
for students, staff, parents and community members
to participate in a plethora of healthy choices. We
have conservation clubs, leadership clubs, wellness
committees, and a mission to be good stewards of our
environment—after all, we do sit at the foot of Pike’s Peak.
MSSD 14 is committed to a sustainable energy plan that
rests on two key concepts: stewardship and curriculum.
We believe that we can take immediate steps to become
better stewards of our resources—solar energy projects,
recycling programs, and “adopt a park” campaigns
are currently in progress. Most important, however, is
our belief in educating our young citizens to replicate
these practices for multiple generations. Education/
curriculum is the key to the success of any long-term
sustainable energy plan. Frankly, energy conservation
will not occur unless future generations understand
the ramifications of poor energy policy and embrace
conservation and stewardship as a life style. Thank you
for participating in the development and design of this
plan—the health and wellness of our current and future
citizens depends on how well we teach our children today.
Edward D. Longfield - Superintendent
Manitou Springs School District 14
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sustainability management plan: manitou springs school district
team acknowledgement
KC Morris - Manitou Springs High School Senior;
President of WORRRMS Ecology Club
Kimi Tanabe - Manitou Springs High School Senior;
Communications Officer for WORRRMS Ecology Club
Jasmine Dillavou - Manitou Springs High School
Senior; WORRRMS Ecology Club Officer
Sean Newberry - Manitou HIgh School Graduate 2011
Ed Longfield - Superintendent Manitou
Springs School District #14; Parent
Laurie Wood - Director of Partners for
Healthy Choices; Former District Parent
Angelita Surage - Spanish Teacher;
WORRRMS Ecology Club Sponsor
Randi Hitchcock - Ute Pass Elementary School PE
instructor; Parent; Wellness Committee Member
Jerry Zimmerman - Former Director
of Building and Grounds
John Harden - Director of Transportation
Jennifer Farmer - School Board President; Parent
Coreen Toll - City Council Member; Community Activist
Robin Schofield - DAAC Board; Parent; Director
of Humanities, Pikes Peak Community College
Scott Cote - Education Foundation President; Parent
Natalie Johnson - Local Business Owner;
DAAC; Partners for Healthy Choice Volunteer
Eric Drummond - Former Mayor Manitou Springs;
Partner, Energy and Natural Resources Dept; Clean
Technology Dept., Patton Boggs LLP; Parent
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sustainability management plan: manitou springs school district
As you can see from the list of team members, we were fortunate as a district
to have a diverse and active group of participants. Another attribute to our
team is that we grew in number as things progressed. Penny Whitney, GEO
project lead, captured the energy of her audience. As a group we were able
to construct this document. One of the more important components was the
involvement of our superintendent and the students. Without their support
and guidance, this would only be a decoration for a shelf in the library.
Our team began meeting in the Spring of 2011 just as the school year was drawing to a
close. It should have been a difficult process to get support from community members
and the district during one of the busiest times of the year. However, we were fortunate
enough to attract the attention of a number of prominent and energetic members
of the community. We met several times throughout the course of the summer and
completed our tasks at each meeting. Thanks to Laurie Wood, we had all of the data
that we needed along with information from the building and grounds director. Everyone
had a different contribution to make. Whether we needed to define a word, create
an artistic rendering or generate a graphic design, our team was able to provide.
Please enjoy the result of months of hard work and dedication to the kids in our district.
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sustainability management plan: manitou springs school district
geographic profile
The communities served by Manitou Springs School District 14 (MSSD14)
are located in Colorado, 76 miles from Denver. and 6.5 miles from Colorado
Springs. The communities encompass over 3,000 square miles and include the
towns of Manitou Springs, and Green Mountain Falls and villages of Cascade,
Chipita Park and Cedar Heights for a total population of 5,222 people (2009).
Economically, the county’s strongest industries are education and tourism.
This geographic area is served by one public school district,
Manitou Springs School District #14 (MSSD#14), which serves
approximately 1,418 school age students. (2009-2010)
Greater western El Paso County is well known for its recreation opportunities.
MSSD14 sits on the flanks of Pikes Peak, the most visited mountain in North America.
About 15,000 people a year attempt to climb Pikes Peak on foot. The 13-mile trail
begins at the base of Pikes Peak located in Manitou Springs. (springsgov.com).
Historically, Manitou Springs is known for its “healing culture,” especially of
a holistic and natural variety. Today health and wellness continues to be an
important part of the community and school district culture. The Rainbow Vision
Plan-a plan composed by the city of Manitou Springs hopes to build the health
culture of the community, an important and integral part of local history.
DENVER
CO SPRINGS
MANITOU
SPRINGS
colorado
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sustainability management plan: manitou springs school district
demographic profile
Manitou Springs School District 14 is a small yet diverse
community located at the foot of Pikes Peak. Western El
Paso County is well known for its recreation opportunities.
Manitou Springs School District #14 (MSSD#14) sits
on the flanks of Pikes Peak. Our community reflects
the active culture of outdoor enthusiasts, athletes, and
naturalists with a passion for the environment. MSSD14
Schools have embraced healthy and environmental
choices in its schools for many years. Programs including
a healthy salad bar at all schools; school wide recycling
and reusable lunch trays are already incorporated
within our District. Colorado Connections for Healthy
Schools awarded Manitou Schools as exemplary
programming built around health and wellness.
In January 2011 MSSD #14 was selected by the
Colorado Governor’s Energy Office (GEO) as one
of five pilot Colorado schools districts as a model
for developing Sustainability Management Plans.
This selection acknowledges the leadership of
MSSD #14 for developing district and community
sustainability awareness and best practices.
The MSSD #14 Mission is to create ongoing stewardship
of resources (sustainability) which transfers into personally
integrated life decisions. The goal of the District is to
accomplish sustainability via curriculum, stewardship, and
community/student engagement. This District commitment
to sustainability stewardship is evident through our
aggressive energy management program begun in 2005
which has reduced energy consumption by 40%.
MSSD#14 received the SEC (Federal Electronics
Challenge) Gold Award. Our district showcases active
student involvement and a commitment to leadership
in 21st Century Learning by integrating environmental
sustainability into preK-12 education where appropriate
and integrating technology at all learning levels.
We are committed to modeling the way to intentionally
live in a way that we use fewer resources so
that present and future generations can thrive.
Sustainability: Use less, use it again!
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sustainability management plan: manitou springs school district
community
Values
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sustainability management plan: manitou springs school district
Members of our MSSD#14 Sustainability Leadership
Team describe our community and school district as
being united by a strong sense of community with
a keen awareness and appreciation for the natural
beauty of the area resting at the foot of Pikes Peak.
This environmental awareness is reinforced with a
strong sense of the historical community culture
of health and wellness which continues today.
The Manitou Springs community, which includes
the small towns and villages of lower Ute Pass,
values and nurtures relationships, collaboration, and
the legacy of learning which MSSD has earned
through a commitment to student expression,
problem solving, creativity, and empowerment.
MSSD #14 in partnership with the community
encourages a culture of resourcefulness, innovation,
and risk taking to support students as they constantly
move forward to the leading edge of what is new.
Manitou and MSSD#14 embrace a culture of
sustainability through awareness of the responsibility
of stewardship and learning. Sustainability efforts
already existing with MSSD#14 include: energy
efficiency, recycling, composting, local food, wellness,
and technology to move to a paperless district.
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sustainability management plan: manitou springs school district
defining
sustainability
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sustainability management plan: manitou springs school district
mission
We all know the saying “It takes a whole village to raise a
child.” In Manitou Springs, we also know that it takes a
whole village of children to change the world. By choosing
stewardship and curriculum for our two goals, our team
recognized the importance of the kids in making true
change within the district, community and world. Some
serious challenges lay ahead for all of us and sustainability
and the environment are both going to be an important
part of that future. It is the goal of our district to empower
our kids to take this on as their own personal challenge.
It is only then that we will move forward and achieve the
plans that we have set forth in this SMP document.
Vision
Our vision is to create ongoing stewardship of resources
within the District 14 community in such a way that
it transfers into personally integrated life decisions
for all of us. This is what sustainability means to
us. We chose the slogan “Use Less. Use it again.” to
represent a simple application of this stewardship. The
end result of all of the curriculum building around
these ideas will be that our students and community
intentionally live in a way that we use fewer resources
so that present and future generations can thrive.
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sustainability management plan: manitou springs school district
defining an smp
people planet profit
impact building
occupants
the enVironment the organization’s
finances
$
an smp focuses on what is known as the triple bottom line: what is an smp?
A Sustainable Management
Plan is a commitment and
a tool which will move our
School District systematically
toward increased
sustainability, “meeting
the needs of the present
without jeopardizing the
ability of future generations
to do the same”.
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sustainability management plan: manitou springs school district
the goal for the manitou school district 14 smp is to:
• Develop awareness and best practices to preserve our natural resources
• Provide a healthy and fiscally responsible school district
• Educate our leaders of the future to be good stewards of their environment
• Inspire students to be leaders for development of renewable resources
• Use resources strategically
• Highlight successes of existing District efforts
• Take advantage of emerging opportunities
• Become a community leader in sustainability awareness and best practices
• Position the district to be ready for the question, “What is your District doing to be sustainable?”
This SMP will communicate to our District and to our community that our school district is efficiently
run. This district efficiency will help lower costs and will result in improved performance.
The Manitou School District #14 Sustainability Management Plan (SMP) is the first step in formalizing a Sustainability
Management System (SMS). An SMS will support a culture of sustainability within our school district.
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sustainability management plan: manitou springs school district
the smp 5 step program
DATA
GOALS
GOAL 1
GOAL 2
GOAL 3
GOAL 4
GOAL 5
GOAL 6
ACTION
WHAT HOW WHO WHEN
DATA
ACTION
WHAT HOW WHO WHEN
DATA
GOALS
GOAL 1
GOAL 2
GOAL 3
GOAL 4
GOAL 5
GOAL 6
ACTION
WHAT HOW WHO WHEN
DATA
GOALS
GOAL 1
GOAL 2
GOAL 3
GOAL 4
GOAL 5
GOAL 6
ACTION
WHAT HOW WHO WHEN
DATA
GOALS
GOAL 1
GOAL 2
GOAL 3
GOAL 4
GOAL 5
GOAL 6
ACTION
WHAT HOW WHO WHEN
#1
make a
commitment
#4
create & implement
an action plan
#5
celebrate
success
#2
assess
performance
#3
set goals
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sustainability management plan: manitou springs school district
district smp
goals
short terms goals:
district goals for year one
• Identify the Goal
• Develop Goal Statement
• Establish the Baseline
• Develop Action Steps for Implementation with specific
deliverables and deadlines
goal one
stewardship
goal two
curriculum
short term
goals
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sustainability management plan: manitou springs school district
smp goal one – stewardship
Manitou Springs School District #14 I scommitted to developing increased awareness of all opportunities
for conservation of energy and resources through awareness, education and best practices.
actiVe process what who when
Save Energy & Resources
to reduce carbon footprint
• Engage new Director of Facilities
& Grounds in SMP process
• Director to collaboratively with
Sustainability Leadership Team
to establish plan for conservation
to reduce carbon footprint
• Use data to establish baselines;
identify milestones
Director of Facilities
and Grounds/SMP
Leadership Team
May 2012
Create everyday habits
• Communicate SMP process to classrooms
• Assess what is being done now
• Identify new opportunities based
on conservation awareness
Classroom teachers/
students
Begin communication/
assessment with
Oct 11 Announcement
Transportation Assess opportunities for transportation May 2012
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sustainability management plan: manitou springs school district
actiVe process what who when
Develop student awareness
through use of iPads
for move to paperless
• Communicate SMART
objectives; Introduce iPads
SMART program
leads; Jackie Paris;
classroom teachers
Begin Fall 2011
Reduce Waste
• Turn off vending machines
• Utilize energy meters
• Use technology to reduce paper
• Engage Food Services and Transportation
• Assess and establish baselines
District/Department
Leadership; Director
of Facilities &
Grounds; staff;
classroom teachers
Begin Fall 2011
Engage in Consistent
Interdisciplinary
Communication
and support with
Documentation
• Establish regular meeting times for
Sustainability Leadership Team
• Prepare regular communication
regarding progress of SMP
Sustainability
Leadership Team
Continue Fall 2011
Identify a problem;
initiate action
• Maintain Stewardship Focus
in all District Activities
Classroom teachers;
students; WORRMS
WORRMS track
and report “calls for
action” to Sustainability
Leadership Team
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sustainability management plan: manitou springs school district
smp goal two – curriculum
As a critical component of a 21st Century education, Manitou Springs School District #14
will integrate environmental sustainability into preK-12 education as appropriate.
actiVe process what who when
One SHIP that addresses the
goal statement each year
CSH Teams Annually
Develop one particular/ specific
lesson to address goal statement
Science Department and Team Annually
Utilize Community resources -Fin Up
-RMFI
-Rainbow Falls
-PHC
Document
Communicate
Celebrate
Sustain
All preK-12 classrooms Quarterly
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sustainability management plan: manitou springs school district
long terms goals
Manitou Springs School District #14 is committed
to making Stewardship and Curriculum long term
District sustainability priorities. The 2011-2012
school year will focus on assessing where we are
and establishing our baselines. Once the baselines
are established, specific metrics will be set as
sustainability milestones. The Sustainability Leadership
Team will be accountable for consistently moving
our Sustainability Management Plan forward
High eficiency boilers recently installed that provide energy and
financial savings.
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sustainability management plan: manitou springs school district
maintaining district
sustainability momentum
The Manitou Springs School District #14 Sustainability Management Plan will be
monitored, evaluated, and updated by the Sustainability Leadership Team.
A Sustainability Policy endorsed by the Manitou School District #14 Board of Education
will provide the authority and accountability requirements for the leadership team.
To maintain interdisciplinary representation, vacancies on the
Sustainability Leadership Team will be filled as they occur.
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sustainability management plan: manitou springs school district
the manitou school district #14 sustainability leadership team will:
• Annually select a Team lead
• Establish/publicize regular Team meetings to
assess District progress toward SMP goals
• Communicate quarterly on SMP
progress (metrics/results)
• Annually review/realign SMP
• Prepare/present/publicize annual Sustainability
Report to the Board of Education
• Communicate a District culture of sustainability
(“the way we do things around here”)
• Annually identify champions at individual schools who
will facilitate the creation of sustainability awareness/
best practices in each school through active
engagement of staff, faculty, students, and parents
• Encourage/acknowledge environmental clubs
and learning programs which teach concepts
of sustainability and environmental science
• Distribute monthly energy consumption
reports to schools for comparison/analysis
with the same month/previous year
• Acknowledge specific achievements
(individual, school, District)
• Celebrate successes!
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sustainability management plan: manitou springs school district
stewardship
by the
numbers
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sustainability management plan: manitou springs school district
Manitou Springs School District began its energy conservation efforts in 2005 by entering into a energy performance
contract. This contract allowed the District to update critical infrastructure and improve efficiency throughout all
district facilities. Over the last three years it is estimated that the District has saved approximately $471,000 in avoided
energy costs. Due to these extremely successful efforts in energy conservation the focus of this sustainability plan
is to expand into additional areas including carbon emissions and solid waste reductions. On the following page is a
graphical representation of the Manitou Springs School Districts energy conservation programs performance to date.
manitou energy cost & use - weather corrected
60
80
100
120
$0.80
$1.00
$1.20
$1.40
$1.60
($/SF)
Use (kBTU/SF) Cost ($/SF)
0
20
40
$0.00
$0.20
$0.40
$0.60
05-06
(baseline)
08-09 09-10 10-11
Cost
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sustainability management plan: manitou springs school district
manitou sustainability surVey goals
responses by category
transportation
35%
energy
15%
water
31%
solid waste
19%
what areas should we focus on?
In order to better set our goals and learn what the most important aspects of sustainability were in our
community we surveyed the residents of Manitou Springs about how to best practice good stewardship.
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sustainability management plan: manitou springs school district
manitou sustainability surVey goals
responses by subcategory
research/
establish/learn
31%
student
inVolVement
23%
school awareness/
programs
46%
what are the best ways to teach
students good stewardship?
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sustainability management plan: manitou springs school district
manitou sustainability surVey goals
responses by specialty
lights, cooling,
heating equipment
0%
recycling
8%
food/lunch
52%
paper/printing
40%
what specific areas should schools
focus on to be more sustainable?
we proVide
stewardship
& sustainability.
our students
receiVe a
21st century
education.
manitou springs school district
405 El Monte Place
Manitou Springs, CO 80829
Telephone: 719 685 2024
www.mssd14.org