Page 9 - spaces4learning, Summer 2022

community. The overall project will save 1,898,642 kWh in energy consumption and remove 402 tons of carbon emissions from the environment. The impact is the equivalent of removing 86 cars from the road or planting 16,080 trees. The bus fleet alone will save $250,000+ in fuel costs and overall maintenance, creating room in the budget for more enriching student activities. Each bus can run up to 120 miles on a single charge.
Modesto’s students will be among the first in the nation to be transported to school using clean energy vehicles, and these sustainable upgrades will serve the students of this community for years to come.
Innovative Funding Will Expand
the Possibilities for Energy Infrastructure Modernization
School sustainability projects should utilize all available innova- tive funding resources, such as the new fund announced by the EPA. Modesto City Schools utilized California’s Hybrid and Ze- ro-Emission Truck and Bus Voucher Incentive Project (HVIP) to finance a portion of the overall cost of the bus purchase. In addition to HVIP, the district is financing its larger sustain- ability program by leveraging energy and operational savings from the project via an Energy Savings Performance Contract-
ing (ESPC), as well as federal stimulus funds and local grants. This comprehensive approach to facility improvements and fleet electrification will allow Modesto City Schools to double down on stimulus-funded upgrades. Other school districts can also follow this model to make improvements beyond the Clean School Bus stimulus scope, reducing energy and operational costs district-wide by 20–30% and reinvesting those savings to
improve the entire student experience in school facilities.
This is just the first step for Modesto City Schools on their sustainability journey. Now is the time for all of America’s schools to consider moving toward electric vehicles and making commitments that will improve our environment for students
and the community.
Gilbert Rosas is Director II, Sustainability & Adaptation, at Modesto City Schools. He serves on the World Resource Institute’s Electric School Bus Advisory Council. His passions are seeking environmental justice for disadvantaged communities through electric school bus transition and by empowering students through Sustainability Initiatives and demonstrating Green Career choices. Rosas has gained national attention with two of the fastest Electric School Bus deployments in California’s history, at Stockton Unified School District and Modesto City Schools.
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