Three urban school districts—Iowa’s Des Moines Public Schools, Florida’s Pinellas County Schools and Louisiana’s East Baton Rouge Parish School System—were recipients of the 2021 ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year award from the U.S Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The districts were three of 206 ENERGY STAR award winners honored this year for improving energy efficiency and protecting the environment with their energy saving actions.

ENERGY Star is the symbol for energy used by the federal government to provide credible and unbiased information that consumers and businesses can rely on to make well informed decisions.

Des Moines Public Schools received the Partner of the Year Award for Sustained Excellence for the eighth straight year. This is the highest honor among the ENERGY STAR awards and is presented to those partners that have already received ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year recognition for a minimum of two consecutive years.

The district has saved more than $20.2 million and spends an average of $124 per student on energy costs, significantly lower than the national average of $205 per student. The school system has also achieved ENERGY STAR certification at 41 schools and developed plans for HVAC upgrade projects at 10 buildings, utilizing state-of-the-art energy efficient equipment.

Pinellas County Schools has saved more than $8.7 million in utility costs and reduced energy bills by nearly $37 million. In addition, the district collaborated with its Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) Department to provide outreach to students and the local community by participating in STEM after school programs and promoting ENERGY STAR initiatives.

East Baton Rough Parish School System, the newest member district of the Council of the Great City Schools, is committed to reducing energy costs and improving aging infrastructure and lowering operational costs. The school system reduced water consumption by more than 27 million gallons in 2020 and saved more than $46 million in energy costs. The district also achieved ENERGY STAR certification at two schools.