Hillview Middle School

Teaching, Practicing Conservation

Hillview Middle School has done a lot to reduce its carbon footprint! The school added rooftop solar panels, saving about $80,000 per year on its electric bill. To date, the solar panel system has also saved 843 tons of CO2, which is the equivalent of more than 95,000 gallons of gas.

The school replaced fluorescent lights with energy efficient lighting. And, it has a bioswale to remove pollution from surface runoff water, where native trees are planted.

Hillview also offers an Environmental Science elective led by teacher Julie Willard Hilborn, where students learn about climate change and solutions such as clean, renewable energy. This class, with the help of volunteer master gardeners, takes care of Hillview’s organic garden, making compost and growing everything from kale to pumpkins to broom corn from which functioning brooms are made.

Through various grants, the school has obtained watershed models and several classroom sets of wind turbine models that allow students to design ways to harness renewable resources.