EMHS Environmental Science Site Plan

EMHS Waste Reduction Program 2010 - 2011

EMHS started its recycling program in 2010 with the help of local business East Mountain Recycling.

A trip to Albuquerque’s landfill and Materials Recycling Facility motivated us to recycle through the year.

The bags you see below are equal to one week’s collection of EMHS recyclables. In 2010-2011 this totaled 4,200lbs (27 cubic yards) of waste reduction to our landfill. Our BIG goal for next year’s junior class is to QUADRUPLE this waste reduction effort and eliminate the second dumpster from the school’s budget, a savings of approximately $750.00.

EMHS Biodiversity Program 2010 - 2011

EMHS students and staff worked with USFW biologists in October to improve the captive breeding program for the highly endangered Mexican Grey Wolf.

We helped transport the wolves from southwestern New Mexico to the Wildlife West Nature Park in Edgewood, NM.

Using funds from a 2010 Walmart Community Grant, we installed an informational kiosk at the nature park, which will educate the community about the importance of having Grey Wolves reintroduced into their native habitats.

EMHS partnered with Bernalillo County Open Space staff to study the botany of an important East Mountain Open Space.  We began a fruit tree grafting project to save the genetic diversity of local heirloom fruit trees.

EMHS Water Savings Program 2010-2011

Our school has eight shed roofs on four buildings that we can use for water harvesting to nurture our community and botanical gardens. With the help of grant funds from the US Fish & Wildlife received in 2010, we have begun installing six 550 gallon water tanks to harvest water.

Our BIG goal is to have a total of 20,000 gallons of water storage volume, and to install a computerized “Smart Irrigation” system which monitors the weather and irrigates accordingly (saving thousands of gallons of unneeded sprinkler water).

Current Tanks

Future Goal for Tank Placement

EMHS Food Security Program 2010 - 2011

EMHS has partnered with the Bank of the West, Coati Nursery, US Fish and Wildlife, and the Cedar Crest Farmer’s Market to begin a garden and build a greenhouse on our campus.

With donated help of parents and local contractors, we have been able to start these large scale, long-term projects. Our BIG goal for the 2011-2012 school year is to have a fully functional garden and greenhouse

 

In the pictures below, parent volunteers and students are helping us improve the soil quality of one of our garden areas. It is a one acre, water catchment basin that receives rainwater runoff from the school’s uphill slopes.

EMHS Alternative Energy Program 2010-2011

In 2005, we began construction of our Environmental Science Demonstration Facility. With the generous help of the Brabson Educational Foundation, our school received a grant of $75,000 and now has a permanent Environmental Science Building. Our goal is to have this building running completely off the grid, and serve the needs of the East Mountain Emergency Services in times of electrical brown outs, by installing a free standing communications charging station.

In the Fall of 2010, EMHS received the wind turbine seen below as part of a grant from PNM. It is to be installed behind our environmental science building. In order to do so, we must construct a security fence around the wind turbine where our recycling dumpster currently sits.

 Our students have been working with mentors from a local company, All-Star Electric, to develop site plans that satisfy county building codes and school insurance regulations. Our BIG goal for the 2011-2012 school year is to have both wind and solar energy functioning in our building.