Ostrog Elementary School in Kastel Luksic, Croatia is setting out to be the first energy independent school in the world. Known for its lush botanical gardens, thriving green house and efforts toward environmental protection, Ostrog is on a mission to reimagine the way elementary schools in Croatia consume and produce energy through the installation of renewable systems, retrofitted buildings and a hands-on approach to environmental literacy among their students. If successful, they have the potential to demonstrate a cost-saving strategy model that could help 2,000 elementary schools in their country redirect much needed funding back into education. Keep reading to learn how you can help Ostrog achieve their goals.
Students at Ostrog are serious about conservation—so much so that they tag faucets, light switches and the like with friendly stickers that remind the entire school to conserve and preserve. To enhance the efforts of what the students have done on a micro level towards a greener school and better environment, Ostrong recently launched an Indiegogo crowd funding campaign seeking to finance a series of initiatives that will aid in the instillation of solar panels, retrofits and lighting upgrades to turn their school into an energy saving and producing rock star.
Earlier this year, the school teamed up with Croatian Telekom and the United Nations Development Programme to install a solar tracker system to enrich education and lay the ground work for future renewable energy systems. Having conducted an energy audit through the partnership, the school determined that the first actionable steps toward energy independence and cost-effective measures is to install a series of solar panels and replace classroom lighting with high-efficiency bulbs.
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