As the world’s leaders meet to discuss ways to reduce emissions and combat global warming, schools in Minnesota are looking to do the same. Over 100 schools in Minnesota have formed Minnesota Schools Cutting Carbon earlier this year to cut their energy use. One of the participating schools is the University of Minnesota-Duluth, according to the Duluth News Tribune.

Last month, University of Minnesota Duluth students replaced strings of decorative lights in the school’s Ordean Court, an effort that required them to screw in 50,000 new LED light bulbs that use about 90 percent less energy than traditional bulbs.

I can only imagine the time and effort UMD students put into that project, which shows how dedicated they are to being leaders in changing behaviors to reduce global warming. Each of the schools participating in Schools Cutting Carbon, including UMD, received a small grant in order to help them calculate and reduce their carbon footprints.

College students aren’t the only ones participating—Aitkin High School students are looking for ways to effectively carpool while elementary students in Proctor who call themselves the Green Bandits hope to run several computers off of one drive and cut energy use by 80 percent.

This initiative encourages students to become actively engaged in combating global warming. They are already committed to changing their lifestyles in ways that cut energy use and carbon emissions, something that needs to happen globally as well as among students in Minnesota.

Photo: ripkas on Flickr