The new GREEN kiosk has been incorporated in Niles West’s Information and  Resource Center (IRC). The kiosk is placed by the front entrance of the IRC and  is a large television screen attached to the wall which all students, faculty, and staff  are allowed to use.

The kiosk is simply an interactive way for people to tour the building and learn  about how the building uses energy, generates energy, and many others. Niles  West is LEEDS EBOM certified, which means it is on the top list for the  Leadership in Environmental and Energy Design. Only ten other schools in  Illinois are LEEDS certified. West has this certification is because of its green  features. There are many features in this school that are eco-friendly, such as  the recycling program that Go Green Club has, the waste management, the  hallway lights that turn on only during passing periods, as well as the bottle-filling water fountains that has spread throughout the school.

The person who is the brain behind this new technology is Jerzy Siemienski, director of buildings and grounds. Although the California company Lucid provided the dashboard and layout for the design, Siemienski helped create the data and information that would be put into the kiosk.

“I had a view of what we were going to do and how we were going to do do it… kiosk shows us all that we have, and how much energy consumption takes place.. there are many different features included,” said Siemienski.

The kiosk not only provides visitors with information concerning the energy in the school, but it also shows people what the school is doing to keep environmentally friendly. This easy to use device with its touch screen advantage allows visitors to travel around the entire  building and see what the school is doing. According to Siemienski, not everyone knows about the many different green features that West had incorporated into the school. West generates its own energy using natural gas, and in order to consume as less energy as possible there are occupancy sensors around the school. These sensors identify the amount of people in the school, and if there is complete vacancy, the machinery stops so useless energy isn’t being used by nobody in particular.

“Our school is conserving energy and that is very good, unlike other schools that have so much money and are so rich and don’t use it to make their school more green and h for the environment. This kiosk is a good way to learn about this,” said junior Fariha Waheed.

Freshman Amina Dzananovic agrees with Waheed.

“I think it [the kiosk] is good. The school is not harming us and it’s actually doing something. In the long run it’s going to be beneficial for us,” said Dzananovic.

However, some students do not agree that the kiosk is very significant.

“It’s cool, but there’s not much use for it except to know the weather,” said junior Saleh Siddique.

Additional features in the kiosk include suggestions for energy conservation that visitors can take into account and attempt to do. There are many tips that are showcased on the screen, such as how to conserve water while taking a shower.

“I encourage all of the students to do this [conserve energy]. I support the Go Green Club with all my heart. I am hoping that the students will apply this after school as well,” said Siemienski.