River Trails District 26 honored for sustainability efforts

River Trails Elementary School District 26 in Mount Prospect recently received a Reducing the Energy Intensity of the World Award for its sustainability commitments, including a significant reduction in energy consumption at its facilities, officials announced this week.

The award from Trane Technologies coincided with the christening of the newly renovated Prairie Trails School, Mount Prospect's first net-zero energy consumption facility. Net-zero energy consumption buildings use a total amount of energy annually that is equal to or less than the amount of renewable energy created on-site.

Prairie Trails School is on track to save more than $32,000 a year in gas and electricity costs while offering optimized indoor air quality and reliable, energy efficient performance, officials say. Solar panels, combined with other energy saving design elements, are offsetting the building's annual electricity consumption.

"The renovation of Prairie Trails School was a significant project for our district," said Lyndl Schuster, assistant superintendent for business services. "Not only did we require an upgrade to our facilities in order to best serve our students, we also wanted to remain committed to a districtwide sustainability initiative."