Environmental Stewardship in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Leads to Valuable Operating Funds in a Down Economy
[ ENERGY ]
WRITTEN BY | BRYAN STEINER
Students of Charlotte- Mecklenburg Schools were challenged to design posters that raise awareness about their district’s sustainability and stewardship strate- gic goals. The following pages showcase their designs.
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harlotte-Mecklenburg Schools (CMS) is the second- largest public school district in North Carolina and the 18th largest in the U.S. The district, which has more than 18,000 employees, operates 159 schools with more than 143,000 students in pre-kindergarten through grade 12. It has an annual operating budget of $1.2 billion, operat- ing and maintaining more than 20 million square feet of conditioned space, 600 permanent buildings and 1,200
mobile classrooms on 5,000 acres of land. As a public entity and one of the largest employers and consumers in
the region, CMS has a responsibility and an opportunity to lead the way in sustainable use of resources. Therefore, the district identifi ed sustain-