Bellarmine College Preparatory

Bellarmine College Preparatory (Bellarmine) is a private Jesuit school in San Jose, California. Since 2010, Bellarmine's new construction and renovation projects have met the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold certification standards for including innovative and environmentally sustainable approaches. The school generates energy on-site using 466 photovoltaic panels and uses a natural gas cogeneration system to heat the pool and showers while generating electricity from the heat of combustion. In 2017, Bellarmine adopted its Sustainability Mission to guide the school's curricular, programmatic, and student service options. As a result, initiatives like waste diversion by composting and recycling, offering students healthier food options, and building an organic garden to donate its harvest to local food pantries are high priorities for the school. The school builds student capacity for eco-literacy within its sustainable engineering projects in its Maker Lab and Advanced Placement Environmental Science courses. Between the two courses, almost every student participates in some form of environmental literacy education. In addition, students engage in several community engagement activities that bring the learning to life, including building water capture and solar generation devices for developing countries.

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