Environmental Sustainability

The School District of Shorewood is committed to conserving our resources.  In addition to successfully integrating the concepts of environmental stewardship throughout our instructional curriculum, the District has made numerous short and longterm investments that will benefit future generations.

Over the last 8 years, the District has embarked on a plan to modernization most of our facilities. This was the first major modernization in approx. 16 years.  The goals of the projects were twofold: 1) make the spaces more useful for our students and the community as a whole and 2) reduce our carbon footprint through the use of energy-efficient and environmentally-friendly technologies that increase performance while reducing costs. 

A sampling of the sustainable features include:

  • The district was able to re-use/repurpose/recycle 90% of the construction materials.
  • Windows - New energy efficient low-E window systems that are operable and allow for fresh air were installed in the high school.   The pool areas have double pane windows to retain heat and maintain comfortable temperatures for swimming.
  • Lighting - New high efficiency T-8 fixtures and occupancy sensors.
  • HVAC – New high-efficiency chiller unit for the high school. New modern unit ventilators have been installed. In the high school P.E. Building an energy recovery unit was installed to harvest energy from exhaust air, greatly reducing energy consumption.
  • Finishes – Low VOC Paints and carpet adhesives are used in all buildings to improve air quality.
  • The SHS and VHE pools are now heated through a solar thermal system.
  • Solar Panels – Photo voltaic solar panels were installed on the high school and intermediate school buildings. A kiosk is located in SHS’s library that tracks our energy savings.   A grant from WE Energies made this project possible.
  • Storm Water Management - The construction in the high school parking lot is part of a storm water management project that includes rain gardens and rainwater drains.  The rain gardens will naturally filter rainwater before it enters the sewer system.  This project is in partnership with the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewage District (MMSD).   Additionally the SHS athletic field has an underwater storage component that helps reduce the impact of stormwater on the Milwaukee River and Lake Michigan.   
  • Use of environmentally friendly cleaning products throughout the District.
  • Piloting of a community gardens project at the high school in the spring of 2009.  A compositing site was added in the fall of 2009.   Additionally, the elementary schools have added a couple of gardens at their schools and the District is developing a plan to expand the gardens.
  • District-wide Recycling