First GreenPower Elementary School in Washoe County

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Oct. 8, 2009

RENO —Caughlin Ranch Elementary school joined the GreenPower program and in demonstration of its dedication to practices of sustainability and education for students, the school is holding an entire week of events and classroom lessons on what it means to be green.

“We are excited to be the first elementary school in the district to be a GreenPower school,” said Kelly Keane, Caughlin Ranch Elementary School principal. “Parents and students are the driving force behind the events and we plan to set an example for other elementary schools in the district.”

The school will promote reusing, by selling water bottles that can be refilled rather than using a new plastic bottle of water. The water bottles have the school mascot, a colt, and have the message “Go Green.” Proceeds from the sale of the bottles will help fund the school’s recycling program, another tenet of sustainability.

To encourage the sustainable message at home, NV Energy is providing the families of all fourth grade students a Compact Fluorescent light bulb (CFL). Parents will bring a coupon to the school office and exchange it for a bulb. “The generous donation by NV Energy will allow the ‘green’ conversation to continue in the home,” said Fayth Ross, GreenPower Outreach Administrator. “Besides serving as a great conversation piece for what we can all do to help save the earth, participating families will experience energy savings and know they are helping to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.”

The school is hosting two assemblies during Green Week in which students will be encouraged to wear green, and members of the sixth grade service club will demonstrate what it means to reduce, reuse and recycle. At the conclusion of the week the students will see how much waste they conserved with the results of the garbage weigh-in.

Caughlin Ranch is the first elementary school in the Washoe County School District to join the GreenPower program. Several middle and high schools in Washoe County are currently members, including the Coral Academy of Science, Dilworth, Mendive, and Traner Middle Schools, and Hug, McQueen, Reno, and Wooster High Schools. There are currently 35 GreenPower schools throughout the state of Nevada. For more information please visit greenpower.dri.edu.

GreenPower Program
GreenPower - Helping Nevada's Kids Grow Up Green! Renewable energy, sometimes referred to as “green power” is power generated from renewable resources such as solar, wind, geothermal, and hydropower sources. The mission of the GreenPower program is to support and promote educating Nevada’s K-12 students in renewable energy and incorporating conscious living practices into their daily lives.

Since its inception in 2000, GreenPower has been a partnership between DRI, volunteer committee members, NV Energy, and their customers. Funded by the generosity of customers voluntarily adding a few dollars to their monthly electrical bill, 100% of the tax-deductible donations go towards renewable energy education in Nevada’s K-12 schools.

Media Opportunities

Monday, Oct. 12
9:20 a.m.
Kick-off assembly
Announcement of initial weigh-in results
Classroom lessons to follow

Friday, Oct. 16
2:05 p.m.
Closing assembly
Announcement of closing weigh-in results

Media Contacts

Kelly Frank
PIO DRI and Greenpower
Office:673-7610
Cell:702-480-6500
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Steve Mulvenon
Communications Director WCSD
Office: 348-0371
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