Fairfax County — The Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (COG) presented Climate and Energy Leadership Awards to the District of Columbia, Fairfax County Public Schools, the District of Columbia’s Sustainable Energy Utility (DCSEU), and Love & Carrots for their outstanding efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and increase energy efficiency. These annual awards recognize and encourage local actions to advance the regional climate and energy goals established by leaders at COG, while engaging the community in the planning of their programs.
The awards were distributed Wednesday at the November COG Board of Directors Meeting by Fairfax County’s Mason District Supervisor and COG Climate, Energy, and Environment Policy Committee (CEEPC) Chair Penny Gross and COG’s Air and Climate Public Advisory Committee (ACPAC) Chair Glenna Tinney.
Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) is recognized with a 2016 Climate and Energy Leadership Award in the Educational Institution category for its Get2Green program. FCPS is the 10th largest school district in the nation with over 220 facilities comprising 197 schools, 11 centers, and other support buildings. The Get2Green program’s mission is to promote student learning and action using the environment as a foundation. FCPS has potential to reach over 186,000 students through programs such as home energy audits as part of curriculum; learning about renewable energy through building wind turbines; and sharing school grown edible food and leftover cafeteria food with local food banks. As a result of Get2Green, FCPS has experienced an 11 percent reduction of greenhouse gases, a value in excess of 39,000 metric tons of CO2e; with realized energy savings of more than $8.5 million and an anticipated $95 million dollars in energy savings by the year 2025.