The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has named Des Moines Public Schools as a 2012 ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year for strategically managing and improving the energy efficiency of its entire building portfolio. Through its partnership with the ENERGY STAR program, Des Moines Public Schools has improved its energy performance, saved money and helped to protect the environment for future generations.

With a focus on ongoing performance measurement and whole-building improvement, EPA’s ENERGY STAR program provides a proven energy management strategy that has helped Des Moines Public Schools achieve important reductions in energy use and greenhouse gas emissions.

EPA’s annual ENERGY STAR Awards honor organizations that have made outstanding contributions to protecting the environment through superior energy efficiency. The award winners are selected from about 20,000 partners that participate in the ENERGY STAR program and will be recognized at an awards ceremony in Washington, D.C., on March 15, 2012. Over the past 20 years, American families and businesses have saved nearly $230 billion on utility bills and prevented greenhouse gas emissions equal to those from more than 350 million vehicles with help from ENERGY STAR.