Green Initiatives
Partnerships
The City of Charlottesville and Charlottesville City School Division have been partners in addressing a spectrum of environmental concerns for many years. Plans, policies, improvements, and technologies are continually evolving and offering new opportunities.
CHS students use school grounds as a "real world" laboratory for conservation and environmental management. Photo courtesy of Rick Wellbeloved-Stone.
Students and staff see the differences firsthand: they recycle waste materials, conduct research on and off school grounds, grow their own produce, eat local foods in the school cafeteria, and take action to conserve energy and resources in their buildings. Most importantly, Charlottesville City School Division has adopted conservation, natural science, and energy efficiency as part of ongoing instruction at all grade levels and a way of life outside of the school day.
- Environmental Management Policy
- Energy Improvement Plan
- Greenhouse gas emissions inventory
- Energy STAR ratings for 7 of 9 schools
- Schools Energy Audits
- Renewable energy installations
- Dark Sky compliance measures
- "Green fleet" policy for school buses
- Integrated Pest Management
Other Community Partners
Jackson-Via Elementary and Buford Middle School are enrolled in the City's Adopt-a-Stream Program.
The Local Food Hub assists in connecting local farms to our school cafeterias.
Charlottesville High School partners with UVA students and staff in monitoring performance of the biofilter at CHS and (soon) solar photovoltaic cells. The study of the biofilter is a collaborative effort between the Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission, under contract with the Rivanna River Basin Commission (RRBC), the City of Charlottesville and CHS, and the University of Virginia. The installation of the biofilter was partially funded by the RRBC through a grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF), in partnership with the Environmental Protection Agency.
The Center for Watershed Protection - A non-profit organization that provides practical and technical information for people and communities interested in protecting and restoring urban watersheds.
Local Motion -- A community campaign to inspire residents of all ages, backgrounds and fitness levels to be physically active in Charlottesville and Albemarle, Virginia.
Safe Routes to School -- A national program that assists communities in enabling and encouraging children to safely walk and bike to school.
Virginia Green Schools Challenge -- A program sponsored by the Virginia School Boards Association that awards points for 33 environmental initiatives.