Gilroy’s Environmental Oversight Committee has big plans for new
Christopher High School
A group seeking to better school environments in the
Gilroy/Morgan Hill region has announced they have secured funding
for a massive solar array, designed to power most of the energy
needs for the future Christopher High School in Gilroy.
It’s another accomplishment under the belt of the Citizens’
Environmental Oversight Committee based in Gilroy, which held an
open meeting last Friday at the Gilroy Unified School District
headquarters to let the public know what they’re all about.
Gilroy’s Environmental Oversight Committee has big plans for new Christopher High School
A group seeking to better school environments in the Gilroy/Morgan Hill region has announced they have secured funding for a massive solar array, designed to power most of the energy needs for the future Christopher High School in Gilroy.
It’s another accomplishment under the belt of the Citizens’ Environmental Oversight Committee based in Gilroy, which held an open meeting last Friday at the Gilroy Unified School District headquarters to let the public know what they’re all about.
The mission of this non-profit private group is twofold: the first goal is to incorporate safe, organic materials into local classrooms, which by virtue of the upgrades will serve to obtain the second, which is to teach students’ how to better their environment.
“Everything we do has to have an educational component to it,” said committee member Chris Cote, a nascent “green” developer who just completed building the first solar powered housing complex in Gilroy, called “Gilroy Independence.”
The group also will be involved in the construction of the future Christopher High School, which is expected to open its doors by 2007 or 2008. Cote said he and former Gilroy City Councilman Charlie Morales, also a committee member, have promised $10,000 each for – according to Cote — the largest solar array that will grace a public building in the state. Together with another $10,000 in state funding and $10,000 in federal funding, the group knows that $40,000 is in the pot for the future high school’s solar array technology. The group hopes to double that long before construction on the school begins, which is estimated to happen within a year.
The Christopher High School Solar Array will be the first and largest of its kind in the region, Cote said.
“It will power one-third to half of the school’s electrical needs,” Cote said. “Everything we do (the Environmental Oversight Committee) is independently funded, starting with the private sector. We do not receive any tax money.”
The group is comprised of impressive do-gooders in the region, including several students from both Gilroy and Morgan Hill high schools, school and public officials, and environmental engineer Patti Bloomquist.
Bloomquist, a former Gilroy school board member, is passionate about alternative energy, and has built a wind turbine on her Gilroy property.
“We spend tons of money on having high efficiency homes, but we never talk about the amount of energy that’s lost between generation and bringing it to the city,” Bloomquist said. “It’s like 30 percent. So I believe in generating it on site. It’s wonderful to watch your meter run backwards on a good wind day.”
Bloomquist reiterated the committee’s high priority on educating students about preserving the environment, and said understanding energy alternatives is a key to the students’ future livelihoods.
“We can sit here and we can have computer labs but alternative energy technologies are going to be the top career choices from 2010 on,” she said. “We don’t have enough gasoline for the future. Even [President] Bush acknowledges that! It’s really fairly simple.”
Christopher High School, once completed, will have hardware and monitors that will show students the exact amount of power the solar array is generating. Students will be able to compare the output and savings with the results of other schools’ more conventional energy sources.
“We’ll be able to link every child on the Internet through the solar array,” Cote said. “The key element is the education that goes along with it.”
The much-needed future high school is mostly funded by Don Christopher of garlic ranch fame, who has pledged $7 million for the undertaking.
The Environmental Oversight Committee is involved in other projects, perhaps not as glamorous as the massive solar array for the new school, but significant ones nonetheless. Working with South Valley Disposal and Recycling, the group has managed to get recycling bins placed in all Gilroy school classrooms. They are now pushing to upgrade materials prevalent in the classroom environment, and have suggested to the Gilroy School District that they consider non-formaldehyde carpets, non-toxic paint, low voltage fluorescent light bulbs, and even that biodegradable materials for landfills be used in food packaging at the schools’ food services.
“It doesn’t cost that much more to use these materials,” Cote said. “And the district will save money in higher attendance. Gilroy is known to have the worst air pollution in the nine-county region.”
Members of the committee are excited about the possibilities for the new Christopher High School. Already, the group has met with the architects for the project – who specialize in using green, sustainable materials. The firm, which built a new high school for San Mateo, also specializes in another segment of the environment: aesthetics. Christopher High School will have the old-fashioned charm of the two-story brick and mortar schools of yesterday, will integrate elements used in similar institutions, and be easy on the eye.
The group has widespread support from Gilroy council members, including Mayor Al Pinheiro, and the planning commission. Planning Commissioner Joan Spencer is a member of the committee. In addition, Assemblyman John Laird, whose district includes Gilroy, has also voiced his support for the group’s endeavors. At their last meeting, well-attended by some 50 citizens, Laird gave a speech backing the group via conference call and speaker. The representative was locked in budget negotiations at the state capitol, but took the time to address the gathering between meetings.
