Energy Savings Facts

Water Conservation - Madison Schools is saving 5.3 million gallons of water annually due to flush valve controls. That translates into:

• Enough water to supply 242 people with their annual domestic needs (drinking, cooking, flushing, showers, laundry, etc.). This assumes 60 gallons per person, per day;
• Enough water to supply 60 households with their annual water needs (assumes a family of four);
• Enough to fill a football field 16 feet deep in water.*

The district's water conserving efforts annually saves $5,746 in water fees and $6,742 in sewer fees.

*Water savings extrapolations provided by George Kraft, Professor of Water Resources, UW-Stevens Point.

Paper recycling - The district recycles 200 tons of paper annually - over 90 percent of the paper it purchases (buys about 220 tons annually). Recycling experts estimate that a ton of paper recycled translates into 40 trees. In three years the district has recycled over 800 tons of mixed paper. That translates into over 32,000 trees! During that period, the district has also saved taxpayers over $19,000 in landfill tipping fees.

Using the estimate that 800 tons of paper roughly equals the equivalent of 960 cords of wood*, the district's savings translates into enough wood to:

• Print 240,000 copies of the Sunday New York Times;
• Print 904,320 one-pound books;
• Build 48 homes that are 1,800 square feet;
• Fully load 60 semis with pulp logs.

Laying the recycled paper (800 tons) end-to-end would cover 37 square miles with office paper.

*Paper savings extrapolations provided by UW-Madison Assistant Professor Scott Bowe, Dept. of Forest Ecology and Management and information from the Wisconsin Paper Council.