Vote For Pittsburgh-Area Teen In National 'Green' Competition

A Pittsburgh-area student is one of ten finalists in the 'America's Greenest School' national essay contest.

Brianna Flasco, 18, of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart High School in Coraopolis, has the chance to win a plug-in hybrid school bus for her school, and a $5,000 scholarship for herself.

Flasco's entry was selected out of nearly 2,000 essay submissions as part of a search for the country's most environmentally-friendly school.

You can help Flasco win by clicking here and voting now!

READ BRIANNA'S ESSAY:

A huge change and commitment was made at the campus of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart high school in 2002.

The entire campus was renovated and committed to being environmentally conscious. The Felician Sisters began a total renovation of their 1932 provincial house and Our Lady of the Sacred Heart high school, or OLSH, in January of 2002. The sisters’ Franciscan values inspired them to renovate the building in an environmentally friendly manner that showed care for all creation.

The decision was then made that the Felician Sisters and OLSH would dedicate themselves to educating the local community about living an environmentally conscious life. While renovating, the Felician Sisters used the previously developed site of their campus instead of a green field. Heat islands were reduced by placing thermoplastic polyolefin (TPO) on the roof as well as planting native plants and trees on the west face of the site. The Felician’s worked to conserve water by using toilets that are “low flow” fixtures as well as a 26,000 gallon rainwater cistern that provides water for the cooling tower. The campus also strived for a more energy efficient school by adding 15 solar panels on the roof that help to heat water for the campus as well as save 284 mbtu of natural gas per year. Instead of purchasing new materials for the campus, the Felician’s recycled many elements of the original campus such as 1.5 acres of hardwood flooring. All of the carpeting is made of recycled materials and the ceramic tile is made of recycled glass from airplane windshields.

Many of the furnishings on the campus are also recycled, such as the seat belt chairs in the library. One of the most interesting parts of the building is a vermicomposting system that uses thousands of red worms to convert kitchen waste to soil for the plants on campus. The Felician Sisters have not only made these many environmentally friendly renovations, but they have also worked to educate the students, faculty and staff of OLSH about living what they refer to as ‘The Gospel of Green.” Permanent signs are posted throughout the halls as a daily reminder of each person’s responsibility in protecting our planet.

The spirit of the Felician Sisters has inspired the students of OLSH to form the “Tree Huggers” activity involving the entire OLSH community in keeping an environmentally conscious school and community. All of the renovations of the campus as well as the “Gospel of Green” spirit have led to earn a LEED Gold Award. Our Lady of the Sacred Heart is truly dedicated to preserving a green environment for many years to come. This green bus would be the perfect addition to a school that stands as a model of how important it is to live an environmentally conscious life.