ETHS presents annual sustainability update: energy savings, paused grants and next steps

Evanston Township High School on May 12 delivered the first annual update required by the district’s Green New Deal sustainability policy and outlined multi‑year energy reductions, planned equipment upgrades and several grant efforts that are active or paused.

John Crawford, director of operations and sustainability, told the board the district has completed six consecutive years in a strategic energy management (SEM) program and has reduced electricity use by more than 2.4 million kilowatt hours — a 27.8% reduction — since the program began. In 2024 the district reported a 335,000‑kWh reduction (about 4.7% for the year), Crawford said.

“Over six years we’re over 2,400,000 kilowatt hours saved, or a 27.8% reduction,” Crawford said. The district reported avoided energy costs of about $218,000 for electricity and roughly $189,000 for natural gas, yielding a combined avoided‑cost estimate of about $442,000.

Staff reviewed capital actions completed or planned for 2024–25: roughly 670 LED lamp upgrades installed by in‑house engineers over the past year; installation of variable‑frequency drives (VFDs) on multiple heating pumps; a NICOR energy assessment that led to 233 free sink aerators; and a steam‑trap audit that identified and corrected leaks. Crawford also said two compressors on the school’s ice‑storage chiller were replaced after equipment failures that temporarily raised natural‑gas use.

District staff reported challenges and opportunities with grants. A Community Change application — a large, multi‑district proposal that would have included solar, EV charging and electrification work — was paused after submission; the district retains the planning work and said it can re‑use that material for other grant rounds. The district applied for a Cook County Arts Creative Placemaking grant (up to $250,000) to transform an underutilized courtyard and had an application in with a Canadian bike company (DaVinci) for a small shelter and bike‑rack project. The district said it received a $25,000 Sustain Evanston award to buy and install additional VFDs this summer.

Nutrition services director Kim Manestra described food‑service steps to reduce waste and localize purchasing: replacing single‑use condiment packets with refillable dispensers; targeting a daily plant‑based locally sourced menu option; and increasing local purchasing to about 10% of the food budget this year for produce, meat and grains. The department also piloted reusable serving ware for events of fewer than 50 people and explored eliminating single‑use bottled beverages district wide.

Crawford described ongoing waste‑sorting, composting pilots and plans for a public‑facing sustainability scorecard and website to track progress. Staff said recruiting sustained student involvement in subcommittees remained a challenge and will be a focus for the coming year.

Board members asked about the paused large grant and the potential to redirect prepared materials toward other funders. Crawford said the district retained the application data and is positioned to apply quickly when other opportunities arise.

No formal board vote or policy change was taken at the update; staff asked the board to receive the report and continue to support grant and capital‑project work under the existing sustainability policy.

Next steps include continuing grant pursuit, completing planned LED and VFD installations this summer, adding more building submeters for leak detection, piloting a bike shelter project if smaller grants are awarded and launching the public sustainability portal, staff said.