Covered in solar panels, with a wind turbine spinning above and geothermal wells pumping below, Staten Island’s newest public school is an icon of energy efficiency.
But officials at Public School 62, which opened today in New York City’s fifth borough, say they hope that most of the energy savings will be due to what happens inside the school—by teaching kids about going green and encouraging people to conserve.
The school, which was designed by the prestigious architecture firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, is a net contributor of energy, which means that it actually sends electricity back to the grid.
It’s the first net-zero energy school east of the Mississippi, according to the architects, and it’s one of only a few buildings in the country that manages to be sustainable even while operating on a longer-than-9-to-5 schedule.
“All buildings should aspire to these kinds of levels to ensure our planet’s future,” said Roger Duffy, …