(November 5, 2008) Washington, DC – Mindful of rising energy costs and the cold winter ahead, the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), in partnership with U.S. Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., invite school district officials, facilities managers, school administrators, teachers and others interested in providing America’s students with high-performing schools to view a series of online webinars that offer innovative solutions for reducing energy costs in K-12 schools. The webinars showcase affordable and immediate solutions to reducing the skyrocketing costs of operating America’s schools.

“As New Yorkers head into winter, sky-high energy costs and the fallout from our country’s current economic crisis will stretch our school budgets thin, and it is important to take steps now to improve the energy efficiency of our schools so that we can conserve our natural and financial resources,” said Senator Clinton. “I am proud to be working with the U.S. Green Building Council and the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority to offer our New York schools this educational series that outlines simple steps to help make our schools greener and more efficient. In conserving energy, we’re not only helping the environment, we’re saving extra dollars that can go toward additional resources to enrich our children’s education.”

Just like so many families throughout the country, school districts too are struggling to find ways to make ends meet. Many are looking at unprecedented and dramatic cuts to offset these rising energy costs, including cutting the school week to four days and terminating school bus routes.

The Energy Efficiency Strategies for Schools webinars are sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and will be broadcast on:

• Thursday, November 6, 2008 - 1:00pm - 2:30pm EST: “Top 10 No-Cost Ways to Lower
  Your School's Utility Bills”
• Wednesday, December 3, 2008 - 1:00pm - 2:30pm EST: “Top 10 Low-Cost Ways to
  Lower Your School’s Utility Bills”
• Wednesday, January 21, 2009 - 1:00pm - 2:30pm EST: “Top 10 Investments to Lower
  Your School's Utility Bills”

To learn more and to register, visit www.usgbc.org/webinars. View Sen. Clinton’s personal message to school districts at www.buildgreenschools.org/resources/vid_senator_clinton.html.

“We are grateful to Senator Clinton for her leadership on this important and very real challenge, said Rick Fedrizzi, CEO, President and Founding Chair, USGBC. “While we can’t control the price of energy, we can take incremental, proactive steps to improve the energy efficiency of our school buildings, saving money on utility bills so we don’t have to cut important educational programs and services just to keep the lights on.”