Greenhills School installs wind turbine

What’s in a name? An implied ethos if the name is Greenhills School. The private high school on Ann Arbor‘s east side is installing a wind turbine as its latest effort in an initiative to make the school as environmentally friendly as possible.

Bright Idea Energy Solutions plans to install a wind turbine on top of the school’s library this spring, weather permitting. The turbine will serve as both an educational device and electricity generator for the school, powering hallway lights in the school. Teachers and students will also use it as an educational tool for subjects, such as physics, and will regularly monitor how much electricity the turbine generates and maintain it.

This is just the latest foray into environmentalism for the private school. School officials are also looking to significantly shrink the carbon footprint of a planned expansion by including features like a green roof and geothermal heating while maximizing natural light. The school will also apply for LEED gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council for the expansion.

The school is located on Ann Arbor‘s east side near Geddes Road and U.S. 23. A group of local parents formed the school in 1968 as an independent, co-ed, non-denomination college preparatory school. It serves students in grades 6 through 12 from the Ann Arbor area. Enrollment is set at about 450 students. The addition will allow for an increase in enrollment of up to almost 100 students.

Source: Margarite Fourcroy, spokeswoman for Greenhills School

Writer: Jon Zemke