A $20 million dollar school opened its doors in Wayne County this week. Contractors included features that save the earth and protect resources.
The 800 students at the Evergreen Elementary School in the Western Wayne School District near Lake Ariel are learning in a very special building.
"Help the environment, help our students learn the need to not just gouge the earth of its resources," said Western Wayne Superintendent Andy Falonk.
He showed off the school which is environmentally friendly, from the special devices which focus sunshine into classrooms, to the gym which captures the sun's light, eliminating the need for lighting during the day.
Even the earth itself is harnessed.
"There are 72 , 400 foot deep wells under the baseball field in front of the building that are sealed that transfer the core temperature of the earth through a cooling system that heat and cool the building through a geothermal system," explained Falonk.
Another energy saving device are lights which turn on autmatically when people enter the room and turn off when they leave.
School officials said saving resources and money is their goal.
"Wetlands which take care of the sewage, 3,500 of the 7,500 hundred gallons of water we use a day to reflush the toilets, we have the rooftop garden as a bio-retention area," Falonk said.
The superintendent said the new $20 million evergreen school is 20 percent more energy efficient than a typical school its size, and it should pay for itself in about 50 years.