8/9/2019 Ambassador - Solar Energy

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the ambassador WINTER 2008-0910 WINTER 2008-09 the ambassador

eaturesSOLAR CAMPAIGN

eaturesSOLAR CAMPAIGN

Residents o the remote village o

Gudda, India never used to see light

ater dark. There is no electricity, as

power lines do not extend here. That all

changed with the arrival o solar light; now,

with solar panels on almost every rootop,

villagers can play music at night, children

can study past sundown, and villagers eel

empowered with a sense o less reliance on

a ar-o government.

Further west, 2,700 newly installed

solar panels on the roo o the Paul VI

auditorium harness energy under the

Vaticans sunny skies. The photovoltaic

cells will generate enough power to heat

or cool the 6000-seat hall. When the hall

is not in use, the surplus energy will be

ed into the Vaticans power network.

As parents and educators we have

a great opportunity to show how

important we eel environmental

action is to us. Initiatives that

highlight better environmental

stewardship at ASIJ not onlyembrace our collective vision o

global responsibility, but also prove

that we believe in and cherish the

goal o having a world where all

children can hope or a better utur

through a better environment.

Sara Baquero-Garcia,

MS Social Studies

I am proud to be part o the ASIJ Green

Initiative. I want to be able to look the

students I teach in the eye and tell them

I am taking action to make sure they willinherit a planet with a sustainable uture.

The best way to turn our children into

leaders is to model leadership.

Taryn Loveman, Grade 5

People become green through

awareness, awareness o the

individual and collective impact o

their actions on the ability o the

earth to sustain more than 6.6 billion

people. It may be expensive to go

green, but or our children it may be

more expensive not to go green.

John Buckler,

HS Environmental Science

At the ELC we plant rice, grow the

rice and fnally eat the rice. Learning

how nature works and the importance

o managing our resources is the frst

step in teaching our students how to be

responsible later in lie.

Courtney Singer, ELC Nursery

will reduce CO2 emissions by 230,000

tons annually. The government plans to

increase Japans solar power generation

capacity by 10 times by 2020, and 40

times by 2030, extending solar power to

households, roads and railway acilities.

Here at ASIJ, were at the oreront o

the solar initiative. Spurred by a student-

led environmental movement last year,

ASIJ began the 2008-09 school year

with the goal o installing solar panels.

A Japanese governmental subsidy and

undraising by the Board o Directors

has made this initiative a reality: the

solar panels are currently being installed

on the roos o the HS gym and pool

buildings, to be completed in February.

The system will generate 80 kilowatts

o energy, immediately reducing the

schools carbon ootprint by 5%; this in

addition to ASIJs environmental initiative

o reducing energy consumption by

10%. Energy costs are projected to drop

by 6,000,000 yen.

The educational benefts o this solar power system are ar-

reaching: HS physics and chemistry classes will use the system as

an example o basic chemistry and physics concepts or example,

while MS and ES classes can closely monitor the consumption

o energy at school and calculate the energy being produced by

solar power. This ocus will no doubt enhance environmental

awareness in the community, placing the solar project right in

line with ASIJs stated mission to act responsibly to protect the

environment and conserve resources.

Going green through renewable energy usage is initially

expensive and dauntingbut it is an investment that must be

made. Schools and businesses all over the world are beginning

to make this investment, setting a trend that will likely continue

to gain momentum. It is important, however, to remember the

power o the individual; the most important steps in tackling

current environmental crises are in changing individual habits

o overconsumption, and the realization that each individual

holds equal responsibility. In terms o this change in individual

behavior, ASIJ still has a long way to go. However, with a variety

o initiatives now in place, the new ideal o sustainability is

beginning to permeate the entire school, which will allow ASIJ

to take a big stride in reducing its impact on the environment.

More importantly, students can take this new ideal with them and

become the aware, responsible citizens our environment needs.

Elicia Cousins 09 on

why the world and

ASIJ are going solar

Even urther west, college campuses

across the US are spearheading solar

initiatives striving to make their campuses

more green. Senior engineering

students at Seattle University developed

a solar panel system as part o their

coursework, and this system is now

in place. Sierra College in Caliornia

announced that a $470,000 state grant

would be used to train students in the

growing feld o solar panel installation.

Across the Pacifc, Japanese public

middle and primary schools nationwide

are being urged by the government to

install solar power generators in order

to cut greenhouse gas emissions and

meet reduction targets under the Kyoto

Protocol. Companies will be asked or

fnancial support or the purchase o

solar power systems in schools, and this

support will be counted towards the

carbon credit trading plan introduced

in October. The targeted participation

o 80% o Japanese public schools

We need to realize that local power production is the way

orward, and ASIJ students are poised to be the leaders o

the uture. Lets oer our students every opportunity to b

involved in the innovations that will aect their utures.

Don Chambers, HS ChemistryShineOn