Monday night, February 26, a few residents in the Trumansburg Central School District were gathered in the high school library to hear the presentation of plans for a major capital renovation project for the district. The HUNT Engineering firm led the presentation along with the facilities manager for the school system. As the evening progressed it became clear to me and others that the proposal appeared flawed regarding the absence of line-item-costs, the possibility of phasing-in the project, a lack of specifics on target dates, and most importantly…no alternatives to current technologies favored by the presenters. There was offered a very long shopping list of prioritized needs and wants regarding all three school buildings. My curiosity was stimulated finally by the proposal that the old natural gas-powered boilers would be replaced with new natural gas-powered boilers. I, and others, asked if they had considered green alternatives for heating and cooling such as solar arrays, wind, or geo-thermal, air-source and ground source cooling.
What a magnificent opportunity for our community, the TCSD, and for the entire Town of Ulysses, to see this impending renovation commit to 21st Century energy instead of advocating amore familiar but extremely antiquatedclimate-destroying fossil fuel technology. Even a very cursory Google search for such projects reveals that more than 5000 school districts across the country have made the choice for solar, wind and geo-thermal technology rather than a return to out-dated and dangerouos fossil fuels.
With the New York Governor's desire to move NEW YORK as quickly as possible into a forward-thinking green energy environment, it seems to me a perfect opportunity for we, the People who live here and send our children to school here, to say …"Look at our school system, look at our Town, our Village…we want to make the transformation that you are proposing in all of New York ….we want to advance the Governor's own Green energy future!"
If we are going to spend approximately 25 million tax- dollars on this 2-3 year project upgrading our school district's physical plant, why not do everything we can to GO GREEN…by creating a model of forward thinking technology as a practical example for our students to emulate in their own life choices? If we dismiss investigating and employing such green alternatives, what message are we sending to the younger generation who face a world of increased climate volatility and environmental collapse?
We must not let this important opportunity to leap forward into a more humane and livable future for our kids. We have to ask the tough questions. We have to be active in the decisions on the expense of our precious tax dollars. We MUST never forget…the FUTURE!