Over the last decade, awareness of the human impact on the environment has been brought to the forefront of concerns in countries around the world. To address human-related damages to the environment, the conversion to more sustainable practices is a process through which many individuals and facilities are taking part to help mitigate their impact on the environment. Conversely, with rapid improvements to technology making sustainability more affordable and realistic, facilities like New Ulm High School have the opportunity to make a multitude of changes necessary to help reduce its environmental impact. When students were asked whether they thought New Ulm High School should do more to be environmentally friendly and sustainable, many of the students agreed that the school could be making changes to be more sustainable and healthy for the environment.

When asked for his opinion on the matter, New Ulm High School Student William Larson said  “I think a more energy-efficient school would be pretty cool since it would make a healthier workspace for students and teachers on top of improving the local environment.”

Despite there being support for the shift towards more sustainable and efficient energy, paying for the shift towards green energy would be difficult with the current school budget. However, with the help of government-sponsored grants, schools across the country would have greater access to the technologies and services required to operate more efficiently. However, smaller-scale changes could still be made to improve energy efficiency within the school with minimal costs.

When asked what changes New Ulm High School could make to help operate more sustainably, NUHS Ag and Natural Resources teacher Jeffery Nelson said “One simple way our school could operate more efficiently is by switching to newer and more effective solar panels. We could also potentially use the school roofs to place more solar panels.”

Aside from the improvements to NUHS’s solar system, Mr. Nelson also suggested that the school could promote composting. This would be particularly beneficial to both the school and the environment since the cafeteria produces a large amount of food waste daily which could be recycled to produce soil that could be used for the school greenhouse or gardens. With the changes above, NUHS would be able to produce a majority of its own power, allowing for the school to be less reliant on unsustainable practice and vastly decreasing the school’s impact on the environment. Furthermore, with small changes like these being frequently implemented, NUHS would potentially be able to gain benefits that would outweigh the costs of converting to new energy practices.