Project Team Members: Deb LaSalle, Project Manager & Lead; Amber Bieg, Data QA/QC

Timeline and Attribution: WSC (2020-2021)

Summary: In support of its student-led goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2025, Sun Valley Community School (SVCS) partnered with Warm Springs Consulting to deepen its understanding of energy consumption and identify actionable pathways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. A student carbon footprint study revealed transportation, electricity, and heating as the school’s primary emissions drivers, and highlighted the need for further analysis and education on energy use.

WSC facilitated a school-wide Energy Treasure Hunt., engaging students, faculty, facilities staff, and a professional energy auditor in a hands-on, two-day energy audit. Four interdisciplinary teams—Energy Efficiency, HVAC & Equipment, Water, and Lighting & Solar—toured facilities, collected data, documented equipment, and conducted technical assessments. Students were supported in analyzing data, calculating energy savings, and presenting their findings to school leadership.

The process not only provided SVCS with a strategic  roadmap for near- and long-term emissions reduction projects, but also empowered students with real-world STEM experience and sustainability leadership skills. The project helped institutionalize a culture of energy awareness and served as a replicable model.

Building on this success, Ms. LaSalle later secured public funding and extended the Energy Treasure Hunt model to three additional schools in disadvantaged communities from 2023 to 2024.