St. Anne’s-Belfield Students Go Back to a Solar-Powered School
Charlottesville, VA (PRWEB) September 07, 2017 -- When students returned to the St. Anne’s-Belfield School Learning Village last month, there were noticeable and exciting changes to the buildings that had occurred over the summer. In their absence, the School had installed a solar energy system aiming to produce 20% of the Belfield Campus’ energy. Contributed by an anonymous donor, the solar arrays will also add to the School’s efforts to continually create world-class facilities for its students, reduce its carbon footprint, and create an innovative learning environment.
A program will also be implemented at St. Anne’s-Belfield to educate the students on solar energy and its impact.
“Similar to when we built (the Learning Village) building and we made the choice to go for LEED certification, that was all because of the kids. We want to make sure, through science and math classes, that the students learn how the system is working,” said Head of School David Lourie.
“Also, if we talk to our students about environmental awareness, sustainability, impact on community, they know whether we’re doing it or not. We want our students to know that we are walking the walk and doing what we can for the environment.”
St. Anne’s-Belfield School eighth grade student Hunter Oakey is one of many students who has noticed the solar arrays since returning to school.
"I am happy to attend a school that manages to integrate solar panels into the community,” he said “I am also amazed by the amount of energy our School can acquire using solar panels that only cover the roof."
In collaboration with Charlottesville-based commercial solar company Sun Tribe Solar, more than 1,000 solar panels were installed on three different buildings at the Learning Village, which will offset the School’s carbon footprint by more than 10,000 tons.
“We are always excited to partner with schools, because we know that solar installations will pique the students’ interests, leading them to want to know more about renewable energy,” said Rich Allevi, co-founder at Sun Tribe Solar. “And St. Anne’s-Belfield is jumping right in, creating a program to explain how solar technology works and how it positively impacts the environment. It is great to see the enthusiasm of the School staff, the students, and the families of the students, and we are extremely proud to have partnered with St. Anne’s-Belfield on this project. ”
The solar system at the Learning Village will be celebrated as part of St. Anne’s-Belfield’s Fall Family Picnic in October.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
###
About St. Anne's-Belfield School
For over one 100 years, St. Anne's-Belfield School has fostered an educational community that nurtures the development of advanced skills, abilities, and knowledge, supports high personal aspirations, and develops exemplary, ethical, and engaged citizens who positively impact the world. Find out more at http://www.stab.org.
About Sun Tribe Solar
Sun Tribe Solar is a leading solar energy company based in Charlottesville, VA. The Sun Tribe team has over 500MW of renewable energy design and installation experience and has worked with organizations such as the University of Virginia, Fisher Auto Parts, and Riverbend Development to help them achieve their renewable energy goals. Sun Tribe Solar is one of the fastest growing private solar energy companies in Virginia and is a fully insured, Class A Alternative Energy Systems contractor licensed in the Commonwealth. For more information on how Sun Tribe Solar can help strengthen your financial operations while reinforcing your brand’s commitment to sustainability, please visit http://www.suntribesolar.com.
St. Anne’s-Belfield School Contact:
Beth Stefanik
Director of Communications
434.296.5106 (o)
434.282.4371 (c)
bstefanik(at)stab(dot)org
http://www.stab.org
Sun Tribe Solar Contact:
Angela Batten
Director of Marketing
434.981.1500 (c)
angela(at)suntribesolar(dot)com
http://www.suntribesolar.com
Angela Batten, Sun Tribe Solar, LLC, +1 (434) 981-1500, [email protected]
Share this article