Cristo Rey St. Martin installs solar array on school’s rooftop

Cristo Rey St. Martin College Prep in Waukegan is now powered, at least in part, by the sun.

The school announced in September that an array of solar panels installed on the roof is now fully operational and producing clean, renewable energy.

“This marks a major milestone in our commitment to sustainability and reducing our carbon footprint,” school officials said in a press release issued after the array became fully operational on Sept. 20. “The installation of the solar energy system aligns with Cristo Rey St. Martin’s mission to create an environmentally conscious campus, fostering a culture of sustainability for current and future generations.”

Cristo Rey St. Martin President Preston Kendall said in an email that the school’s reasons for installing the solar panels are threefold, starting with, “It’s the right thing to do. As Pope Francis asks in ‘Laudato Si’,’” about caring for our common home, ‘What kind of world do we want to leave to those who come after us, to children who are now growing up?’ Reducing our carbon footprint brings us one step closer to being a responsible steward of resources.”

It is also an issue of social justice, Kendall said, noting that the Waukegan area has suffered from higher ethylene oxide emissions than neighboring suburbs, and is the home of 10 of 46 Superfund sites in Illinois.

“By moving to solar energy, CRSM sets and example for our students and our community that we are empowered to take active steps to improve our environment,” Kendall wrote.

The third reason is to save money. The move is also expected to lead to a 64% reduction in the school’s energy bill, a savings of about $58,476 in the first year.

At the same time, Cristo Rey St. Martin students helped provide solar power for Casa de la Misericordia, an organization that assists asylum seekers near the U.S.-Mexican border in Nogales.

“As much as we are a low-income community ourselves, we still can share what we have to help others less fortunate,” Kendall said. “We are people of faith committed to service called to love our neighbors. Just as our own solar project benefits us on several levels, if we can help with a similar project that benefits our neighbors poorly treated by a broken immigration system, why wouldn’t we?”

Members of Oportunidas Para Todos, a student group, raised money for panels and traveled last spring to Casa de la Misericordia with Kendall to help install them and to help install electric stoves to help feed the mostly women and children the organization serves.

Cristo Rey St. Martin joins Marian Catholic High School in Chicago Heights, which last year announced its plans to add solar panels to the school.

Marian Catholic did so by contracting with a third party company, which paid to install the panels and owns and maintains them. Under the 25-year agreement, Marian Catholic buys the energy from the panels at a reduced and predictable rate.

Between the solar panels and a switch to LED lighting, Marian Catholic has seen its energy bills drop by 18 to 20 percent, said Vince Krydynski, president of Marian Catholic High School.