After opening ceremony today, I spent my morning and part of the afternoon in a meeting with Mr. Ely, Mr. Miller, and Ms. Casto (briefly). The meeting was very successful in my opinion. It was wonderful to finally have everyone I've been talking to about my studies in the same room.
I learned a lot, especially regarding next steps for my studies and proposals. One of the first actions for me to take is to contact our energy provider in order to get energy bills and better understand how to input those data into our Energy Star Portfolio (ESP). Fortunately, Maumee Valley's energy is managed through Palmer Energy so I will be able to contact our provider easily. With his help, I should be able to complete our ESP and establish a baseline via backlogged electricity and natural gas bills. A 2-3 year baseline will allow the Energy Star Software to give accurate readings of the building and attainable goals for energy use reduction.
Another action item I intend to pursue soon is talking with Mr. Miller about his goals for the building and grounds. As Head of Maintenance staff, he has regular projects and upgrades which need to be done around campus. My goal is to take those projects and find ways in which they could be completed in an energy efficient manner. This way, we will be able to use Buildings and Ground's budget to fix existing problems in a way that conserves energy.
Tomorrow I plan to get in touch with our energy provider, continue brainstorming for my proposals, and work on finding some ways in which to potentially finance some low-cost efficiency improvements. I also have a meeting at lunch to discuss the school's participation in the Global Climate Strike occurring on September 27th.