Springside''s solar array. (Springside photo)

Springside School in Chestnut Hill formally flipped the switch earlier today on what they're touting as the largest solar installation within city limits. Some 10,000 square feet of the roof on the field house has been covered with panels, constituting a 94 kilowatt array.

And isn't this nice: The project was instituted as a 40th anniversary project by the graduates of the class of 1966. Their fundraising efforts, combined with those of the school's parent association, plus a $400,000 grant from the state Energy Harvest program covered the cost.

Here's the report from the school, which has students ranging from pre-kindergarten through the 12th grade:

“By extending the Energy Harvest grant to leading schools such as Springside, we’re making sure Pennsylvania is doing everything it can to wire young people for energy conservation and to power the workforce for a new energy economy,” said Pennsylvania Governor Edward G. Rendell.  “Making this kind of investment today is crucial to  continue developing clean energy resources and growing the Keystone State’s green energy sector.”

Speakers at the unveiling also included Kristin Sullivan, Program  Director for the Solar City partnership from the Mayor’s Office of Sustainability.  The school is proud to align its environmental efforts with those of the City of Philadelphia, designated one of 25 “Solar America” cities in the country.

“Springside’s tradition of stewardship is deeply rooted,” says Head of  School Dr. Priscilla Sands. “Over many years, across the grades and throughout the curriculum, we have worked to preserve and improve the natural world around us. Understanding problems, working for solutions, and accepting individual responsibility are the hallmarks of a Springside education—preparing our students one green footprint at a time as they walk in confidence into their future.”

At Springside, rubber boots worn for forest work share locker space with sneakers, scraps from the cafeteria are composted daily, stormwater runoff is monitored and creek water analyzed, and our student-run recycling was the first school program to partner with RecycleBank and has diverted hundreds of thousands of pounds from the waste stream.

Springside’s solar project has been installed by Alteris Renewables, ranked the fastest growing renewable energy company in the Northeast on the Inc. 500.  “Alteris is working with leading private schools in the Northeast, such as Springside School, a member of the Green Schools Alliance,” said Ron French, president of the Solar Business Unit at Alteris Renewables.  “We’re extremely proud to be helping Springside further its strong environmental commitment with such a visible and important action as this solar installation.”

With this solar array, Springside is taking a major step toward realizing the Green Schools Alliance’s call to become carbon neutral in 10 years and to begin reducing its carbon footprint by at least 30%  in the next five years.