THE ENVIRONMENT

Thinking Globally, Acting Locally. Lakeside’s stewardship of the environment is evident in everything we do. From beginning to end we endeavor to make choices that leave a positive impact on the world while at the same time setting a great example for our students. We aren’t perfect, but we have embarked on a journey of constant evaluation and improvement, and the results are significant

Lakeside is leading the way towards a greener community. At Lakeside we…

• Only use biodegradable, environmentally friendly cleaning, and maintenance products.
• Manage our watershed and protect water resources.
• 100% of the water that falls on Lakeside buildings and land is retained in our main aquaculture pond in front of the school and thus allowed to return to the water table as opposed to being sent to the river and lost to the sea.
• We maintain a hydroponics garden and grow many of the vegetables that are served in our school cafeteria. Hydroponics is a very water-efficient method of growing plants when compared to conventional gardening.
• Reforestation:  We started a new Lakeside tradition in 2013. Each year we plant at least a number of trees equal to the total student population of Lakeside. Last year we’ve planted well over 400  trees, mostly fruit-bearing, on the Lakeside campus.
• Carpool Mass Transit: Most of our teachers and students arrive to and leave from school each day in high-density transport. Be it via mass transit, school bus, or by carpool, we are proud that you won’t see lots of empty seats arriving at Lakeside in the morning, or leaving in the afternoon.
• Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle.   We don’t take what we don’t need, we use every part of what we do take, we reuse what we can, and we recycle everything possible. Our main play structure is built 100% out of recycled materials from the construction of our main building.
  We separate all trash in the school into different materials categories. Some of it is shipped off for recycling, some of it is put to use here at the school in various means.
• Food Waste Management Utilization:  Leftover food that doesn’t get served each day out of the school kitchen is given to one of the needy families that live near Lakeside. Plate wastage is collected and donated as pig feed, and any appropriate materials that are left over are composted. Absolutely no food at all enters the waste stream.
• Electricity.  Our computer lab is as green as it gets. We have sixteen workstations that combined use less than 600 watts of electricity.
  Our new classrooms (currently under construction) have been designed to eliminate the need for air conditioning except during the hottest months of the year. The roof is super insulated so that none of the sun’s heat reaches the interior of the building. At the same time, natural light is reflected into the classroom so that lighting requirements will be minimal.   In 2018 we installed a 20 solar panel array that is supplying the needs for our school kitchen and several classrooms, and are committed to increasing capacity going forward.

And we remain committed to do even more going forward. We take the responsibility of educating our students very seriously, and believe that it’s our responsibility to pass on to them a healthy, thriving ecosystem in which to put their education to work!