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Facilities News - Since 2001
Grant grows green schoolyards in Philadelphia-- U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Pennsylvania: September 12, 2024 [ abstract] Everywhere you look, there are sure signs of fall: big yellow buses, hi-vis crossing guards and flocks of colorful superhero backpacks.
September is back-to-school time in many parts of the country, and staff are welcoming students into buildings that have been prepared for a new year.
But while teachers can create materials and lesson plans to support student success inside the classroom, they can’t control conditions outside schools that also influence learning outcomes.
Studies show air quality, temperature, and even the presence of trees can affect how well students focus and learn.
Now, with support from the Delaware Watershed Conservation Fund, four elementary schools in Philadelphia — one in South Philadelphia and three in Southwest — will transform their grounds into vibrant green spaces that benefit students, teachers and their communities.
Reimagining the learning environment
In partnership with the School District of Philadelphia, The Nature Conservancy received a $1 million grant to replace asphalt and concrete schoolyards with shade trees, outdoor classrooms, pollinator gardens and green stormwater infrastructure, like rain gardens.
The project is one of six this year supported by funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law that was directed to the Delaware Watershed Conservation Fund for community-driven, green infrastructure projects.
-- Bridget Macdonald Trees, not asphalt: The $1 billion effort to build ‘cooler’ California school playgrounds-- The Union Democrat California: May 23, 2024 [ abstract] As summer approaches and temperatures soar, one of the most dangerous places for Bay Area students might actually be the playground.
On a hot, sunny day, the asphalt on school playgrounds can reach 149 F, while a rubber mat can reach 165 F, according to UCLA’s Luskin Center for Innovation. That’s hot enough to cause a third-degree burn. But a little shade can go a long way to help kids cool off.
In an effort to provide more green on Bay Area schoolyards — many of which are expanses of barren asphalt without grass, shade or trees — and lower the impact on students’ health, the Trust for Public Land, a national nonprofit that works to create parks and protect public land, is campaigning for $1 billion from the state legislature to transform those playgrounds.
“If you look at our elementary schools in many cases, you don’t see nature. It’s all about blacktop, asphalt,” said Guillermo Rodriguez, the Trust for Public Land’s California director. “(At) some of the schools that we’ve targeted for green schoolyards, playgrounds have turned into parking lots for teachers and staff because the kids weren’t using it.”
-- Molly Gibbs Scorching schoolyards: California groups want more trees, less asphalt at schools-- Cal Matters California: May 21, 2024 [ abstract]
Schoolyards are hot and getting hotter, but only a tiny fraction of California’s grade school students can play in the shade.
Researchers and advocates are pushing the state to allocate money for green schoolyards, which can include trees, grass or gardens in place of the flat asphalt or rubber play surfaces at most schools.
With the help of more than $121 million in state grants, 164 schools already are on their way to either designing or building green schoolyards. Many more applied for the school greening grants, with requests totaling more than $350 million for projects they hoped to build.
The high applicant numbers highlight growing demand for greenery at schools as the climate gets hotter. But with California’s green schoolyards program depleted and a state general budget deficit of $56 billion over the next two fiscal years, where will the money for green school projects come from?
Some environmental groups are pushing for a proposed climate bond that would include $350 million for the green schoolyards program. They also are pushing for a $1 billion carve-out in a proposed $14-$15 billion school infrastructure bond that could go before voters this November.
-- ALEJANDRA REYES-VELARDE 3 ways schools are taking classes outside to expand mindfulness-- K-12 Dive National: February 28, 2024 [ abstract]
Ayesha Ercelawn finds that after students spend even a small amount of time outdoors, they return feeling calm, relaxed, and quiet — all signs that students have experienced a state of mindfulness.
As education specialist for green schoolyards America — a nonprofit that supports transforming school grounds into green spaces that benefit children, the environment and communities — Ercelawn advocates for giving students time outdoors anywhere, especially in cities. She says students can enter these peaceful states of mind just by having some exposure to the outdoors and nature, even without being overtly led through a mindfulness lesson.
“With students indirectly nature journaling or doing other activities where we ask them to observe, they develop mindfulness without having to say, ‘OK, we’re doing this mindfulness activity,’” she says. “It happens naturally.”
Mindfulness is a practice that can essentially be done anywhere. After all, the goal is to bring oneself into the moment, activating an awareness and consciousness of being present. Mindfulness also appears to be linked to positive psychological health.
-- Lauren Barack Governor Hochul Announces $100 Million in Environmental Bond Act Funding Now Available for Clean Green Schools-- New York State Governor New York: January 23, 2024 [ abstract] Governor Kathy Hochul today announced $100 million is now available through the Clean green schools Initiative under the historic $4.2 billion Clean Water, Clean Air, and Green Jobs Environmental Bond Act. The initiative will allow for the advancement of construction projects to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and help public schools improve environmental sustainability and decarbonize school buildings. Today’s announcement supports the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act requirements to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 85 percent by 2050 and ensure at least 35 percent, with a goal of 40 percent, of the benefits from clean energy investments be directed to disadvantaged communities.
“Creating a safe and healthy learning environment is critical to providing our children the best education possible,” Governor Hochul said. “These investments will make our school facilities cleaner and more sustainable – and will have a tremendous positive effect on future generations of students.”
-- Staff Writer Governor Hochul Announces Over $14 Million Awarded to Improve Air Quality and Reduce Emissions in Under-Resourced School-- Governor Kathy Hochul New York: October 27, 2023 [ abstract] Governor Kathy Hochul today announced over $14 million in awards for 11 under-resourced public-school districts to decarbonize their buildings through the Clean green schools initiative. The projects will lower greenhouse gas emissions, reduce the school's reliance on fossil fuels and improve the indoor air quality by installing ground source heat pumps, air source heat pumps and electric kitchen equipment. This announcement supports the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 85 percent by 2050 and ensure 35 percent with a goal of 40 percent of clean energy investments directly benefit Disadvantaged Communities.
“Schools can open an entire world of possibilities and opportunities to our children, but for students to get the most out of their education, they must be in a healthy and safe learning environment,” Governor Hochul said. “Clean green schools allows our schools in underserved communities to make vital energy efficiency upgrades to their facilities that improve indoor air quality and support the success and well-being of students across the state.”
-- Staff Writer Why schoolyards are a critical space for teaching about " and fighting " extreme heat and climate change-- The Hechinger Report National: September 15, 2023 [ abstract] On hot days, fourth-grader Adriana Salas has observed that when the sun beats down on the pavement in her schoolyard it “turns foggy.” There are also days where the slide burns the back of her legs if she is wearing shorts or the monkey bars are too hot to touch. Salas, who attends Roosevelt Elementary School in San Leandro, California, is not alone in feeling the effects of heat on her schoolyard. Across the country, climbing temperatures have led schools to cancel classes and outdoor activities to protect students from the harmful effects of the heat.
This story also appeared in Mind/Shift
Jenny Seydel, an environmental educator and founder of green schools National Network, encourages teachers to leverage students’ observations about their schools to make learning come alive. According to Seydel, when teachers use the school grounds as a way to learn about social issues, they’re using their school as a three-dimensional textbook. For example, schools’ energy and water conservation, architecture and lunches are rich with potential for project-based learning. “We can learn from a textbook. We can memorize concepts. We can use formulas, but we don’t incorporate that learning until it is real,” said Seydel.
Against the backdrop of climate change, Roosevelt Elementary School teachers turned to their schoolyards as a way to apply lessons about rising temperatures to the real world. While these issues can seem overwhelming to young students, exploring them within the context of their school can not only make lessons stick, but also encourage students’ sense of civic agency.
-- NIMAH GOBIR 2023 Green Ribbon Schools honorees reflect nation’s commitment to student health-- USGBC.org National: August 17, 2023 [ abstract]
On Aug. 8, the U.S. Department of Education’s Green Ribbon Schools award winners gathered in Washington, D.C, for a ceremony and reception to recognize each school’s commitment to and achievements promoting sustainability practices on their campuses. This annual event is the only dedicated time for honorees to be celebrated on the national stage, and it serves as a platform for the Department of Education to highlight practices and resources other schools across the nation can use to leverage collaboration to create healthy and sustainable schools.
For the first time in many years, the event also included all-day programming during which the honorees could learn from one another. This year, the department honored 26 schools, 11 districts and 4 postsecondary institutions from 18 states. The awards demonstrate that green school practices benefit a range of students, including those in underserved communities; 56% of the honorees' students are considered underserved. Utility cost savings, healthy school practices and future-facing education should be available to all students, and the group of awardees is one indication that the green school movement is making strides toward equity of impact.
Celebrating health and sustainability for students
Keynote speakers addressed honorees at the day’s opening session and later at the award ceremony. These speakers included Cindy Marten, deputy secretary of the U.S. Department of Education; Brenda Mallory, chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality; Henry McKoy, director of the Office of State and Community Energy Programs at the U.S. Department of Energy; Janet McCabe, deputy administrator for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; and Maggie Thomas, special assistant to the president for climate.
Speakers stressed the administration’s support of the honorees’ work to curb climate impacts, cut costs, support health and wellness, and encourage environmental and sustainability literacy at their schools. Several relayed personal stories about their first childhood memories of connecting with nature or being inspired to care for the environment by a teacher or mentor.
-- Jacqueline Maley As Temperatures Rise, a Push to Revamp Schools' Outdoor Spaces-- U.S. News & World Report National: August 03, 2023 [ abstract] With trees to climb, prairie grass to run through and boulders to jump off, the new playground at Colene Hoose Elementary School in Normal, Illinois, isn’t slated to be your normal schoolyard.
“There’s an archetype in our heads when we think of a playground,” says Adam Bienenstock, whose company, Bienenstock Natural Playgrounds, built the school’s new outdoor space. “The difference between this place is that every aspect of this space is a place for kids to play.”
For years, many U.S. schoolyards have been asphalt- or cement-covered spaces devoid of trees and greenery. But as temperatures increase and climate change-fueled heat waves become more frequent, people in a growing number of U.S. communities – including Normal, Los Angeles, New York City and elsewhere – are rethinking what these outdoor spaces look like, working to make them more nature-friendly and resilient, yet also engaging for children.
Instead of blacktop, steel, rubber and plastic, schools and their partners are installing trees and other greenery, boulders, decomposed granite, and structures made out of natural materials like wood and rope.
“We’ve taken measurements where the air temperature is 67 degrees and the black rubber was 162 degrees,” says Sharon Danks, CEO and founder of green schoolyards America, a nonprofit that works to create environmentally friendly schoolyards and collaborated on the Colene Hoose Elementary School project.
-- Bridget Shirvell Ways school health and facilities staff can collaborate to address IAQ-- USGBC.org National: May 22, 2023 [ abstract] Learn strategies to address indoor air pollutants.
On April 27, three organizations—the Center for green schools, the National Association of School Nurses and Chemical Insights Research Institute of UL Research Institutes, a leading expert organization in indoor air quality (IAQ)—hosted a joint webinar titled “Identifying and Addressing Emerging Indoor Air Pollutants: School Health and Facilities Staff Collaborations.” This webinar highlighted opportunities for school health and facilities staff to collaborate in creating healthy learning spaces.
Panelists brought expertise from a variety of areas in public health research and health and safety management of educational environments, and they shared a common goal: fostering healthy learning spaces. Key takeaways from the webinar include:
1. Identify the problem.
Many schools struggle with maintaining good IAQ. A recent survey found 54% of public school districts needed to update or replace multiple building systems or features related to IAQ performance in their schools. Schools are vulnerable to common pollutants, such as volatile organic compounds (VOCs), semivolatile organic compounds (SVOCs), particles, allergens and biological pollutants. These pollutants come from common building materials, nearby outdoor air pollution, activities performed in the space (such as cleaning or printing), excess moisture and even people bringing allergens inside.
School staff and students are exposed to these pollutants through inhalation, ingestion and skin absorption. In buildings, pollutants can be found in the air and settled dust. Younger students are more vulnerable to pollutant exposure due to frequent hand-to-mouth behavior, higher respiration rates and closer proximity to the ground.
Panelists discussed four emerging sources of pollution in schools, including:
-- Dr. Marilyn Black Reimagining Schoolyards to Improve Health and Learning-- Public News Service National: May 11, 2023 [ abstract] On an 81 degree day last September, environmental city planner Sharon Danks went onto the playground at a California elementary school with an infrared camera. Grassy areas in full sun measured 83 degrees, but unshaded asphalt was 107 and rubber surfaces under an exposed play structure came in at 135. Asphalt shaded by tree canopy was more than 30 degrees cooler.
Danks, the author of Asphalt to Ecosystems, a book published more than a decade ago to guide the transformation of schoolyards, wasn't surprised at what she found. She and her colleagues had made similar measurements many times over.
But shade itself had gained heat that September with the announcement that $150 million had been set aside in the California state budget for a two-year program to fund school forests and green schoolyards at K-12 schools. The decision was driven by the need to protect the health of students as average temperatures in the state continue to rise.
The September 2022 heat wave in the West was the worst on record; temperatures soared above 110 degrees in multiple cities in California. In announcing the funding for schoolyards, Wade Crowfoot, secretary of the California Natural Resources Agency, noted that average temperatures across the state were projected to rise 6 degrees by mid-century.
As bad as things might look for Californians, warming trends are projected to be even more dramatic in other parts of the country. According to a peer-reviewed model published last year, by 2053 more than 100 million Americans will live in an "extreme heat belt" extending from Northern Texas and Louisiana borders to Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin, with temperatures exceeding 125 degrees.
Most of the daylight hours that children spend outside are on school grounds. The simple act of planting trees on campuses is a powerful way to shield them from heat-related health problems.
-- Carl Smith, Governing Five schools to become model green schools - Cyprus-- CyprusMail International: April 05, 2023 [ abstract] Five schools will become model green schools thanks to an investment programme focusing on sustainable energy in education, the education ministry announced on Wednesday.
Through a total investment of €2 million, these five schools are expected to become model green schools within eight months.
The five schools are Ayios Dometios gymnasium, Ayias Trimithias primary school, Dali primary school, and nursery schools in Aglandjia and Ayios Antonios.
More schools will gradually be inducted in the Pedia project, with €20 million in funding allocated from the Thalia programme, the budget of which for green school investments amounts to €30 million.
A total of 162 schools from all educational levels applied for energy upgrades, of which 144 were eligible. All schools were evaluated and ranked, and five schools were selected to join the Pedia project.
This is an emblematic project for Cyprus, ministry general director Neophytos Papadopoulos said, adding that it will also be a point of reference for Europe.
-- Antigoni Pitta Reimagining Schoolyards to Improve Health and Learning-- Governing.com California: February 22, 2023 [ abstract] On an 81 degree day last September, environmental city planner Sharon Danks went onto the playground at a California elementary school with an infrared camera. Grassy areas in full sun measured 83 degrees, but unshaded asphalt was 107 and rubber surfaces under an exposed play structure came in at 135. Asphalt shaded by tree canopy was more than 30 degrees cooler.
Danks, the author of Asphalt to Ecosystems, a book published more than a decade ago to guide the transformation of schoolyards, wasn’t surprised at what she found. She and her colleagues had made similar measurements many times over.
But shade itself had gained heat that September with the announcement that $150 million had been set aside in the California state budget for a two-year program to fund school forests and green schoolyards at K-12 schools. The decision was driven by the need to protect the health of students as average temperatures in the state continue to rise.
-- Carl Smith COLUMN: There’s a lot of new federal money for greening K-12 education. This is how schools could use it-- The Hechinger Report National: December 20, 2022 [ abstract] Anisa Heming has been working on making schools more sustainable for a decade and a half, now as director of the Center for green schools at the U.S. Green Building Council, a Washington nonprofit. And she’s never seen a moment of opportunity quite like this. “It’s an out-of-body experience, honestly,” she said. “Communities are demanding it, federal money is here, and the districts that didn’t do the prep work are scrambling.”
Since President Joe Biden took office in early 2021, three different giant federal spending packages have passed: the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, the American Rescue Plan and the Inflation Reduction Act. Each includes grants and tax credits school districts can use to benefit the climate while also, typically, saving money in energy bills over time. There are billions and billions for boosting building efficiency; replacing boilers, ovens and other appliances with clean-running electric models; solar and battery installations; electric school buses; charging stations; and more.
In some cases, districts can make upgrades with no upfront cost at all.
The enthusiasm is palpable: The Environmental Protection Agency received so many applications for electric school bus funding, it doubled the amount it originally planned to award, to nearly $1 billion the first year. (More money is coming, up to $5 billion for that one program.)
So if you are a member of a school community — student, parent, teacher or leader — here are seven steps to claim your piece of the clean, green pie. “Don’t wait. Don’t hesitate. Act and figure it out,” urged Bryant Shaw, sustainability manager for the Dallas Independent School District.
-- Opinion - ANYA KAMENETZ Providence opens first ‘green schoolyard’-- WPRI Rhode Island: November 21, 2022 [ abstract] PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — One Providence elementary school now offers its students a “unique nature space.”
The city’s first “green schoolyard” opened Monday at Bailey Elementary School near Baxter Park.
The Bailey Baxter green schoolyard is the flagship project of the Providence green schoolyard Initiative.
The goal of the initiative, according to the city, is to develop formerly under-resourced urban school grounds into places that improve student learning outcomes, community health and neighborhood pride.
“Parks continue to be one of the most critical investments we can prioritize in our city,” Mayor Jorge Elorza said. “I’m excited that work is already underway to have even more of these beautiful spaces for learning and play right here in Providence.”
The green schoolyard serves as a connection between the park and school, according to the city. Baxter Park was expanded onto two previously-blighted properties, while the Bailey School playground encompassed two additional lots.
-- Allison Shinskey New report analyzes school district plans to improve air quality and facility conditions-- USGBC.org National: November 14, 2022 [ abstract] On Nov. 14, the Center for green schools published new findings about how school districts are responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, specifically as it relates to investing federal relief funds to manage air quality and upgrade facilities.
The American Rescue Plan Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief funds (ARP-ESSER or ESSER III) represented an unprecedented federal investment in K–12 schools and a lifeline over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, especially in the case of school facilities. The funding offered school systems a chance to address a critical backlog of deferred maintenance, needed equipment and infrastructure repairs, as well as upgrades to outdated building systems to improve health, air quality and comfort.
The report looks at how school districts across the country plan to invest that federal aid, with a focus on planned funding for large-scale facilities related work. The analysis includes qualitative interviews with three school district facilities personnel and a quantitative analysis based on a data set of 5,004 school districts’ ESSER-III spending plans by the Burbio data service. The data set contained information from school districts from all 50 states and the District of Columbia, representing approximately 74% of public school students and roughly $83.1 billion in ESSER III funds. Access to the data set was generously supported by Carrier.
Major findings include:
-- Phoebe Beierle Madison County School District looking to add two new schools-- WAFF48 Alabama: September 14, 2022 [ abstract] HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WAFF) - The Madison County Board of Education met Tuesday to discuss the possibility of adding two new schools to the district.
During the meeting, the Madison County Board of Education approved a $196 million capital budget plan and a $250 million budget for the 2022-2023 school year.
Two future schools are listed on the capital budget plan. The schools could be built as soon as 2024 or 2025, but a school spokesperson said Wednesday that even if construction was starting right away, it would be late 2026 or even 2027 by the time the schools are ready to house students.
One of the future schools will be built on McKee Rd. in Toney, and the other will be built somewhere in Hazel Green. District leaders don’t have a specific spot picked out for the Hazel green school. A district spokesman said it’s too early to know what grades the schools will house. District leaders said the growth in the area warrants the new buildings.
-- Marisa Gjuraj Long Beach Schools Adopt Energy Sustainability Policy-- Government Technology California: August 19, 2022 [ abstract]
The Long Beach Unified School District has unanimously adopted a policy to implement goals aimed at reducing emissions and moving the district toward the use of clean and renewable energy.
LBUSD students and community members celebrated when the board approved the policy on Wednesday, Aug. 17. Among them was the Long Beach green schools Campaign, a student-led effort to address the climate crisis which has been advocating for the policy since 2020.
"I'm really happy, I think that's an understatement," said Diana Michaelson, an incoming senior at Poly High and founder of the Long Beach green schools Campaign. "Happy to have had this opportunity to work with district staff to do this all together, collaboratively."
The formally titled "green school Operations — Energy and Sustainability Policy" is a revision of the district's original policy adopted in 2019. The updates arose from a collaborative involving the LBUSD facilities department, sustainability team, director of strategic programs and policy, Long Beach green schools Campaign, and LBUSD staff.
The revised policy is part of a multi-step approach to address climate change and justice at LBUSD, according to the agenda.
Its three main goals are reducing energy and water consumption by maximizing use of renewable and clean energy technologies, ensuring new and replacement machinery is zero-emissions, and reducing vehicle emissions to campuses. The policy also establishes a climate crisis and sustainability task force to hold the district accountable.
-- Christina Merino, Press-Telegram Celebrating the U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools and Sustainability Efforts Across the Department-- U.S. Department of Education National: July 27, 2022 [ abstract] On July 26, the U.S. Department of Education (ED) recognized 27 schools, five school districts, and four postsecondary institutions, as well as one state education agency official, at a Washington, D.C. ceremony for their efforts to cultivate sustainable, healthy facilities, wellness practices, and hands-on, outdoor, environmental learning.
By highlighting schools’, districts’, and postsecondary institutions’ cost-saving, health promoting, and performance-enhancing sustainability and environmental education practices, ED-GRS celebrates these schools and brings more attention to their work. The ceremony was a reminder of the many new initiatives afoot at ED, as a result of decades of nationwide advocacy and growing awareness surrounding the green schools movement.
The Biden Administration has taken significant steps on environmental sustainability, climate, environmental health, and infrastructure, and new programs have been implemented related to sustainable schools at other federal agencies. While ED is not authorized dedicated environmental education or school infrastructure programs, we have worked to think creatively about school sustainability, infrastructure, health, and environmental education. In the past year ED has:
-- Andrea Suarez Falken LAUSD Assigns Millions In Funding For 'Green Schoolyards'-- laist.com California: June 27, 2022 [ abstract] A years-long pandemic. A youth mental health crisis. School shootings. Kids and schools have a lot to deal with these days. Worsening extreme heat is yet another challenge to add to the list.
Last week, the board of the L.A. Unified School District (LAUSD) approved a $13 billion-dollar operating budget that includes funding to help.
Some $58 million of those funds are slated to go towards outdoor education initiatives, as well as adding more green space to L.A.’s famously asphalt-heavy schoolyards — something advocates say is a long time coming.
“When we think about the places that we have created for students, which are schoolyards that are completely covered in asphalt…that's not conducive to creating an environment that is healthy for kids to learn and thrive,” said Robin Mark, the L.A. director for the nonprofit Trust for Public Land, which for years has worked with a coalition of community organizations to get more green space at L.A. schools.
She said more trees and greenery at schools is essential for building resilience in the face of the climate crisis: Southern California is increasingly experiencing more extreme heat. For example, Santa Clarita is projected to have 124 days above 90°F by as soon as 2035 if emissions aren’t curbed significantly to slow global heating this decade.
-- Erin Stone For New York Schools, Going Green Just Got a Little Easier-- JDSupra New York: June 07, 2022 [ abstract] In September of 2021, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced the allocation of $59 million to fund the Clean green schools Initiative. The program aims to advance clean energy efficiency solutions and clean energy to improve indoor air quality and reduce carbon emissions for schools designated as “high-need” by the New York State Education Department or schools located in disadvantaged communities.
The initiative, to be administered by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), offers a unique opportunity for designated underserved schools to improve their energy systems. In doing so, eligible schools will receive technical, financial, and human resource support to evaluate, plan for, and implement energy efficient solutions. In the long run, this will improve school environments and save money.
Program Breakdown:
The program is structured in two tracks – Track I for planning, Track II for installation.
The planning track provides funding for the evaluation, planning, and facilitation of energy reduction projects, clean energy projects, and indoor air quality projects. Schools may use Track I funding for professional services such as energy studies, on-site energy managers, and fiscal advisors. The services must be aimed at helping schools evaluate, plan and facilitate comprehensive energy reduction, decarbonization, environmental sustainability, and indoor air quality projects. Track I funding may also be used towards planning a project associated with Track II. Participation in Track I is not a requirement for eligibility for Track II.
-- Harris Beach PLLC Why It’s Time To Raise Indoor Air Quality Standards In Classrooms-- Forbes National: June 06, 2022 [ abstract]
Much has been said about the need to improve indoor air quality in offices as people return to work, but what about schools and classrooms?
A recent study by the Center for green schools highlighted the urgent need to support school districts with the implementation of indoor air quality strategies to support mitigation of Covid, as well as future pandemics.
The study also warns that the widespread education of school system administrators and staff is needed to ensure greater awareness of the issue, not to mention the availability of federal relief funds.
Katherine Pruitt, national senior director of policy at the American Lung Association said Covid has “definitely generated a new wave of interest” in the importance of ventilation in schools.
She added the air children breathe in school is critical to their success in the classroom and their overall health, and that Indoor air quality also impacts student attendance, test scores and student and staff productivity.
Pruitt said recent announcements by the White House mean there is “more money on the table” for schools to improve indoor air quality, but it is often down to individual school districts as to how resources are spent.
“In most cases, our school decision makers are very sensitive to the desires of the local community and school facilities,” she told Forbes. “We're hoping now that with Covid, indoor air quality is moving up the priority list, but there are a lot of competing demands.”
-- Jamie Hailstone The Social and Economic Benefits of Green Schoolyards-- Planetizen National: May 26, 2022 [ abstract] “A new study from Trust for Public Land effectively dispels a common misconception among school administrators about the price tag of transforming asphalt-covered and treeless schoolyards into green schoolyards,” according to a press release from TPL. “The study compared the typical cost of building and maintaining a traditional ‘gray’ or asphalt-covered schoolyard in California to a ‘green’ schoolyard (replacing asphalt with more natural green space and infrastructure) over a 20-year period. While gray schoolyards had a moderately lower initial renovation cost ($2.3 million compared to $2.6 million for green schoolyards), they yielded no benefits over time, with schools continuing to sink money into resealing asphalt.” By contrast, green schoolyards bring close to $600,000 in net benefits. These include higher student attendance and staff retention, better academic performance, and savings on energy costs.
-- Diana Ionescu Solar power at Pennsylvania schools doubled during the pandemic-- ehn.org Pennsylvania: May 20, 2022 [ abstract] NORTH BRADDOCK, Penn.—On Wednesday evening, 10th grader Abby Wypych stood in front of Woodland Hills School District’s board and urged them to approve a feasibility study on installing solar panels.
“Woodland Hills has provided me with many opportunities to get involved with climate action, which I’m very passionate about,” she said. “As a student with severe asthma, I’m also very concerned about the poor air quality in our region.”
Wypych and her co-presenter Lauren Palamara, a youth educator for the climate advocacy nonprofit Communitopia, reminded the board that thanks to student advocacy, Woodland Hills became the first school district in Pennsylvania to pass a climate resolution in 2020. With a goal of having net-zero emissions by 2050, the district has helped educators create climate change lessons for their classrooms, established a climate-friendly food and gardening program, improved recycling and energy efficiency in school buildings, and students hosted the region’s first youth climate action summit. In 2021, the district won a national “Best of green schools Award” from the U.S. Green Building Council.
“How do we continue to champion this phenomenal work?” Palamara asked. “Imagine our next news headlines if Woodland Hills takes steps toward becoming a regional leader in solar power.”
-- Kristina Marusic Students can decompress in a garden at a new East Oakland schoolyard-- KTVU California: March 31, 2022 [ abstract]
OAKLAND, Calif. - Until Thursday, Markham Elementary was the only elementary school in Oakland without a playground.
The situation for those students changed thanks to the support of the Warriors Community Foundation, in partnership with Pacific Gas & Electric, Trust for Public Land, Oakland Unified School District, Project Backboard, green schoolyards America, and Growing Together.
Over five years, the groups were part of a project to remove 21,000 square feet of asphalt to install a playground and greener workspace for the students at the school.
Dubbed the Living Schoolyard, 84 trees were added to provide shade, an outdoor classroom space, a turf play field that will also capture stormwater runoff, and a garden.
"They grow tomatoes, grown watermelons, and all kind of stuff in there. I like the plant on the outside just to kind of health with the environment," said Artesha Rose, whose daughter is in fourth grade at Markham Elementary.
-- Andre Senior Better air in classrooms matters beyond COVID. Here's why schools aren't there yet-- NPR.org National: March 14, 2022 [ abstract] Not many people can say the pandemic has made their jobs easier. But in some ways, Tracy Enger can.
"You know, it is such a hallelujah moment, absolutely," says Enger, who works at the Environmental Protection Agency's Indoor Environments Division. For more than 25 years, she's been fighting to improve the air quality inside of America's schools.
But there are lots of competing demands for limited school budgets. And in the past, getting school districts to prioritize indoor air quality hasn't been easy. Often, she says, it took some kind of crisis to get schools to focus on the issue – "when they found the mold problem, when their asthma rates were kind of going through the roof."
Then came the COVID-19 pandemic — spread by virus particles that can build up in indoor air and linger, sometimes for hours. Key to clearing out those infectious particles: good ventilation and filtration. For example, one study of Georgia schools linked improved ventilation strategies, combined with HEPA filtration, to a 48% lower rate of COVID.
Suddenly — finally — lots of people have started to pay attention to indoor air quality in schools, says Anisa Heming, director of the Center for green schools at the U.S. Green Building Council.
-- Maria Godoy Ed Dept asked to extend deadline for school upgrades under relief funding-- K-12 Drive National: February 03, 2022 [ abstract]
Two of the three school buildings in Evergreen school District #50 in Kalispell, Montana, have aging air systems that provide poor ventilation and lack air conditioning. The district is setting aside about 75% of its Emergency and Secondary School Emergency Relief III funds for HVAC replacements later this year.
But even after a year of planning and designing for the upgrades and more than two years to go until the Sept. 30, 2024, ESSER deadline for obligating those funds, the timeline is making Superintendent Laurie Barron nervous.
In the best-case scenario, the project, which went out to bid this week, would finish before the start of next school year, with construction occurring over the summer to be less disruptive to student learning.
In the worst-case scenario, the district could fail to receive any acceptable bids, equipment could face shipping delays, and the project experiences a shortage of construction employees. The district would have to return any money not spent by the deadline.
"The money that has been put into schools to support us has been nothing short of what feels miraculous, right?," said Barron, whose 700-student, K-8 district sits about 40 minutes from Glacier National Park. "But with all the stipulations on it, there's that stress and anxiety of will we be able to expend it in the most appropriate and effective ways to benefit staff and students. And so, that's my concern."
-- Kara Arundel Los Angeles Schoolyards Should Be Green-- LA Progressive California: November 27, 2021 [ abstract] According to the Trust for Public Land, 50% of Los Angeles County residents lack access to a public park.
The American Psychological Association reports that exposure to nature, particularly green spaces, has been linked to a host of benefits, including improved attention, lower stress, better mood, reduced risk of psychiatric disorders and even upticks in empathy and cooperation.
Given the long list of benefits associated with being close to nature and in light of the fact that the vast majority of school yards in Los Angeles are covered with asphalt, the Trust for Public Land and the Los Angeles Living Schoolyard Coalition conducted a study on health, educational equity, and climate benefits of a green schoolyard Initiative for Los Angeles.
The study, which was recently released and is embeded below, underscores how green schoolyards can reduce the harmful effects of climate-related heat, increase park access and access to green space, and address park equity and disparities for millions in Los Angeles.
The Trust for Public Land along with its partners in the Los Angeles Living Schoolyards Coalition released this groundbreaking new study, “green schoolyards for Los Angeles: The Smart Policy Solution for Equity, Health, and Climate Resilience,” as part of an overall effort to ensure that students, teachers, staff and the community surrounding the schools have access to public green spaces.
“Transforming asphalt-covered schoolyards into vibrant, green spaces, with natural play structures and outdoor classrooms that are unlocked for public use after school hours can greatly help provide park access for the 1.5 million Angelenos who lack it,” said Guillermo Rodriguez, California State Director for The Trust for Public Land. “green schoolyards can not only address the park equity gap but students, teachers, and staff will benefit with increased shading that reduces the harmful impacts of increased
heat,” added Rodriguez.
-- Sharon Kyle How schools are combatting climate change, from green schoolyards to solar power-- abcnews National: November 04, 2021 [ abstract]
At Discovery Elementary School in Arlington, Virginia, students can check out a digital energy dashboard to track in real time how much power the school is producing with the help of more than 1,700 rooftop solar panels. Essentially, the amount generated is equal to the annual energy use of the building, making it one of the largest net-zero energy schools in the United States.
Building on the success of Discovery, which debuted in 2015, the Arlington School District opened a second net-zero elementary school, Alice West Fleet, four years later. This school year saw the addition of Cardinal Elementary School, which is poised to be the district's third net-zero energy school, once the building is officially verified, Cathy Lin, director of facilities for the school district, told ABC News.
"Always the intent is to build a sustainable school," she said.
Schools with solar power are on the rise in the U.S. -- growing 81% from 2014 to 2019. Still, the number is relatively small -- just 5.5% of K-12 public schools currently use solar energy, according to a 2020 report from Generation180, a nonprofit that advocates for the transition to clean energy.
The country's K-12 public schools are also "major energy consumers," consuming about 8% of all the energy used in commercial buildings, according to the Sierra Club.
-- Meredith Deliso
Governor Hochul Announces $59 Million "Clean Green Schools" Initiative To Improve Air Quality And Reduce Carbon Emissi-- New York State Energy Research and Development Aut New York: September 23, 2021 [ abstract] Governor Kathy Hochul today allocated $59 million for the new Clean green schools initiative, which aims to advance clean energy and energy efficiency solutions that will improve indoor air quality and reduce emissions for more than 500 public and private Pre-K-12 schools in disadvantaged communities across the state. As part of the program, the State will convene education leaders this fall, including school superintendents, administrators, and educators, to inform the initiative launching in early 2022 to address climate justice issues and create improved, healthier learning environments for students. Today's announcement supports New York's nation-leading goal of an 85 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 under the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (Climate Act).
"Every child deserves a clean and healthy learning environment, and this new program will help deliver that for our students, educators, and administrators in a way that provides meaningful results and can be replicated across our state," Governor Hochul said. "I know what it's like to grow up exposed to unhealthy air, and we owe it to our children to be better than previous generations and correct these injustices."
Administered by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), the Clean green schools initiative will provide technical, financial, and human resource support to help schools in underserved areas evaluate, plan for, and implement energy efficient and clean heating and cooling projects to benefit the most vulnerable New Yorkers.
The initiative will provide a range of tools, including benchmarking, energy management, indoor air quality assessments, commissioning support, student engagement in clean energy, and professional development opportunities around clean energy and sustainability, as well as two rounds of competitive incentives for clean building improvements in schools.
-- Staff Writer Growing schools see building boom-- bddailynews.com Kentucky: June 25, 2021 [ abstract] School facilities took center stage this week as the Warren County and Bowling green school boards held meetings to review their construction and renovation priorities.
On Wednesday, the Bowling Green Independent School District Board of Education reviewed design drawings for phase four renovations at Bowling Green High School.
Ultimately, the board approved the designs and authorized the school district to spend up to $22,434,420 on the project.
Superintendent Gary Fields said the revised $22.4 million project cost estimate includes a cost increase of 15% to 20% over the previous cost estimate, a change he blamed on an increased demand by school districts across the state for construction-related services.
That said, the district isn’t actually planning to start bidding the renovations until later this year.
“As of June 2021, we’re seeing some significant jumps in cost,” Fields said. “The good news is, we’re six months away from going out to bid.”
-- Aaron Mudd Outdated school facilities hinder efforts to combat Covid and improve indoor air quality-- American School & University National: April 29, 2021 [ abstract] A report from the Center for green schools says too many school buildings cannot accommodate strategies and equipment that improve air quality.
In their efforts to combat the spread of Covid-19, schools across the nation have pursued many strategies to improve air quality in their facilities. But many administrators say that those efforts have been hindered by aging and inadequate buildings.
A report from the Center for green schools, “Preparation for the Pandemic: How Schools Implemented Air Quality Measures to Protect Occupants from Covid-19,” details the steps schools have taken to reduce the spread of the virus through improved air quality.
But it concludes that in too many of the nation’s school buildings, systems are outdated or not designed to carry out recommended strategies for improving indoor air quality (IAQ).
"School districts still have unmet needs in addressing indoor air quality, in particular, when faced with cost constraints and outdated building infrastructure in the face of changing conditions," the report says. "The most frequently cited challenge to carrying out protective air quality measures at schools was that school buildings were not designed to support the strategies that were being recommended."
-- Mike Kennedy U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools Announced-- U.S. Department of Education National: April 22, 2021 [ abstract] The U.S. Department of Education today released the names of the 2021 U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools, District Sustainability Awardees, and Postsecondary Sustainability Awardees.
Across the country, 27 schools, three early learning centers, five districts, and five postsecondary institutions are being honored for their innovative efforts to reduce environmental impact and utility costs, improve health and wellness, and ensure effective sustainability education.
Three state education officials, Joseph DaSilva, Manuel Cordero, and Mario Carreno, at the Rhode Island Department of Education School Building Authority are also being recognized for their efforts to advance school sustainability.
"The pandemic has driven home the vital importance of school buildings and grounds; health and wellness; and hands-on authentic learning," said U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona. "I congratulate the selected schools, districts, and postsecondary institutions, which are, through their sustainability practices, offering healthy, safe, efficient school environments and protecting our planet. Not surprisingly, many of our honorees support students in underserved communities, proving once again that green schools' practices, encompassing best practices school operations, health, and environmental learning, are critical tools to advance equity."
The honorees were named from a pool of candidates nominated by 20 states. The selectees include 24 public schools – among them, five charter schools and one magnet school – as well as three nonpublic schools. Over half of the 2021 honorees are in communities where over 40 percent of the student body are eligible for free and reduced lunch.
-- Press Office Will the Outdoors Become the New Classroom of the COVID Era?-- Governing National: August 28, 2020 [ abstract] Schools are reopening, and there’s pressure for teachers and students to wean themselves off remote learning and return to their classrooms. Politicians, working parents and pandemic skeptics aren’t the only ones demanding a return to normal learning. The American Academy of Pediatrics has urged that “all policy considerations for the coming school year should start with a goal of having students physically present in school.”
Anxiety and uncertainty about how and when campuses can open safely, complicated by ups and downs in COVID-19 transmission rates, make progress toward this goal extremely difficult. At present, only four states have statewide orders for in-person instruction and even those are subject to modification by districts.
The situation has brought together a national coalition of educators, architects, school administrators, landscape designers, curriculum experts and other stakeholders who are thinking outside the box and developing guidelines and resources for learning outdoors.
Even if local health authorities allow schools to reopen, it’s virtually impossible to accommodate every student indoors, says Sharon Danks, a Bay Area-based environmental city planner and landscape designer. The founder of green schoolyards America and author of Asphalt to Ecosystems, Danks leads the National COVID-19 Outdoor Learning Initiative.
-- CARL SMITH San Jose Evergreen School District Approves Closing 2 Campuses Amid Deficit, Declining Enrollment-- KPIX5 California: February 14, 2020 [ abstract] SAN JOSE (CBS SF) – Officials with the Evergreen school District in San Jose approved the closures and consolidations of two campuses Thursday night, as the district aims to address a growing budget deficit and declining enrollment.
The district’s Board of Trustees voted to close Dove Hill Elementary School and Laurelwood Elementary School at the end of the school year.
“As a former principal in our district, I am intimately aware of how this decision to close schools impacts the families and staff at those schools, which makes this decision all that more difficult,” Leila Welch, President of the Board of Trustees said in a statement. “However, our Board of Trustees is moving forward with this decision because we need to do what is best for all students as we face closing a $12 million financial shortfall and declining enrollment.”
Both Dove Hill and Laurelwood have been singled out as candidates for closure in the past, as each school had fewer than 300 students but have capacity for about twice as many.
-- Staff Writer Rising rents, falling enrollment: San Jose district plans to close two schools-- East Bay Times California: January 28, 2020 [ abstract] Despite protests by parents, students and neighbors, a San Jose Evergreen school District advisory committee has recommended the closure of Laurelwood and Dove Hill elementary schools after years of declining enrollment and budget shortfalls anticipated to reach $12.5 million in the district.
The Evergreen school District consists of 18 schools that serve about 11,000 East San Jose students in kindergarten through eighth grade. District enrollment has significantly declined in recent years — and the district expects the trend to continue as more of its families move out of the area because of the Bay Area’s rising cost of living.
“I know that this situation is very personal for our families, but I am a superintendent of 18 schools and I do need to advocate for our entire district and our overall health, which will ultimately allow us to be able to provide high-quality programs and world-class education,” Evergreen Superintendent Emy Flores said in an interview.
Since its peak enrollment of 13,400 students during the 2005-06 school year, the number of students attending district schools has declined 20 percent, which equates to a loss of nearly $28 million in state funding, according to district figures. Over the next five years, the district projects it will lose another 1,300 students — or $12.1 million in state funding.
-- MAGGIE ANGST MPS unveils 'green schoolyards' that also divert and filter stormwater-- Journal Sentinel Wisconsin: October 24, 2019 [ abstract] The students at Starms Early Childhood Center swarm the playground, climbing into the rowboats on the make-believe lake and riding their red tricycles on the path around it.
It looks like it's all fun and games. But there is serious business afoot at Starms, where the playground does triple duty: nurturing the imaginations of the little ones who play there, reducing flooding and cleaning the rainwater that flows into the real Great Lake and rivers on which their city sits.
Milwaukee Public Schools unveiled the new "green" playground Thursday, one of 16 similar projects completed or in the pipeline at schools around the district. The projects include a host of features intended to divert rainwater from local sewers and filter it before it makes its way into Lake Michigan: permeable surfaces, massive underground cisterns, native plants and bioswales, to name a few.
"While all of the projects are unique, they all share a common characteristic: removing asphalt in favor of green space," Angeline Koch, who works on sustainability initiatives for MPS, told supporters at the unveiling of the Starms project in Milwaukee's Metcalfe Park neighborhood.
-- Annysa Johnson Hamden Ed Board OKs $48.6 Million For School Renovations-- New Haven Independent Connecticut: March 28, 2019 [ abstract] With a state grant application deadline fast approaching, the Hamden Board of Education passed a $48,574,438 capital budget request that will allow the district to convert four elementary schools into magnet schools and bring sixth graders to the middle school.
The plan, which passed unanimously at the end of a four-hour special board meeting Tuesday night, directs Superintendent Jody Goeler to “continue the development of intra-district magnet schools” at the Helen Street School, Ridge Hill School, Dunbar Hill School, and Bear Path School.
The board also passed a preliminary plan for the themes of the four schools that will become magnets: career pathways, global studies and citizenship, STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, math)/STEM, and environmental sciences.
(Read more about the plans here.)
The 3R Initiative, which the board approved in November, will also close two elementary schools, add the Wintergreen school to the district, and create universal pre-K.
-- SAM GURWITT Senators want to double number of ‘green’ schools-- MarylandReporter.com Maryland: February 19, 2019 [ abstract] Learning how earthworms improve the soil. Writing letters to elected officials about cleaning up trash. Testing water quality. Planting native trees. Labeling storm drains.
These are a few of the ways students in Maryland’s designated “green schools” are learning about – and affecting – the environment.
Currently, 27% of the state’s schools carry the green school certification. A bill before the General Assembly would seek to increase that number to 50%.
The Senate Budget and Taxation Committee on Wednesday heard from witnesses supporting SB662, sponsored by Senate President Mike Miller, Sen. Nancy King, D-Montgomery, who chairs the committee, and Sen. Paul Pinsky, D-Prince George’s.
It was a snowy day that closed schools, enabling Susan Collard, an 11th grader at Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School, to travel to Annapolis to testify without missing classes. She is the daughter of Laura Johnson Collard, executive director of the Maryland Association for Environmental and Outdoor Education (MAEOE).
The budding environmentalist has attended green schools throughout elementary, middle and high school.
“They’ve helped me become a more environmentally conscious person,” she told lawmakers.
She recalled helping plant a garden in elementary school, attending an environmental Youth Summit, and participating in her high school Green Club, which led a push for the school to replace old-style light bulbs with lower-energy LED bulbs.
-- Diane Rey 5 CPS Schools Selected for Green ‘Schoolyard Transformations’ in 2019-- wttw Illinois: December 27, 2018 [ abstract] A handful of Chicago elementary schools will receive major upgrades next year as part of a program aimed at improving outdoor learning spaces while also addressing flooding and other water management issues.
Five schools were selected earlier this month for participation in Space to Grow, an initiative that transforms Chicago schoolyards with the goal of providing kids in low-income neighborhoods with safe spaces to play and recreate.
The new “green schoolyards” will incorporate special surfaces and landscape features that help capture a significant amount of rainfall, resulting in less neighborhood flooding, according to a press release from the Metropolitan Water District of Greater Chicago. MWRD runs the Space to Grow program in partnership with Chicago Public Schools, the Chicago Department of Water Management, the Healthy Schools Campaign and the environmental advocacy group Openlands.
Schools eligible for the program are located in areas identified by the city to be at high risk for flooding. Eligible schools must also be in need of a playground, have at least 30,000 square feet of available outdoor space and have no other major construction projects planned.
Since its creation, Space to Grow has completed transformations of 15 schoolyards that together have the capacity to capture nearly 2.8 million gallons of rainwater, equivalent to more than four Olympic-sized swimming pools, according to MWRD.
-- Alex Ruppenthal U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools, Districts and Postsecondary Institutions Recognized; Green Strides To-- US Department of Education National: September 19, 2018 [ abstract] Forty-six schools and six districts were honored today at the 2018 U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools ceremony for their innovative efforts to reduce environmental impact and costs, promote better health, and ensure effective environmental education.
In addition, six colleges and universities were recognized with the Postsecondary Sustainability Award. Representatives from honored schools, districts, and postsecondary institutions received sustainably crafted plaques in recognition of their achievements.
On hand for the ceremony at the U.S. Commerce Department were Assistant U.S. Secretary of Elementary and Secondary Education Frank Brogan, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Education Director Louisa Koch, Director of the Campaign for Environmental Literacy James L. Elder and Director of the Center for green schools at the U.S. Green Building Council Anisa Heming.
“Today’s honorees can be proud of what they have accomplished in their local communities,” Brogan said. “They have reduced institutional operating costs and helped conserve our precious natural resources, while engaging students in authentic sustainability learning in safe, healthy and inspiring environments.”
“Our children are the hope and promise for our future and an even better future for generations to come,” Koch said. “The U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools recognition awards honor what the students, teachers and staff are doing to make the world a better place.”
“Over the past seven years, U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools have helped to define what it means to be a sustainable school and how to effectively offer environmental education, so it’s my pleasure to celebrate this work annually,” Elder said.
-- Staff Author Roseburg elementary schools getting seismic upgrades-- The News-Review Oregon: September 12, 2018 [ abstract]
A seismic upgrade for one Roseburg elementary school is nearing completion while work has begun on another school in the district, thanks to grants from the state of Oregon to improve school buildings that have been identified as high risk in a major earthquake.
The seismic upgrade at Green Elementary, which is being performed by Vitus Construction from Gold Hill, started with preliminary work in April, but the main construction project was completed during the summer vacation while students were out of the building.
Green was the first elementary school in the district school to be targeted for upgrades, after it was determined to be “very high risk” by the Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral Industries.
The agency conducted a statewide seismic needs assessment of critical facilities, that included public schools and community college buildings.
With the exception of two modular classrooms, the entire green school campus got an upgrade.
Officials expect the finish work to take several more weeks, but that work can be completed while the students are in class.
“The main seismic upgrades have all taken place, and we have students back in their chairs, and we started school right on time,” said Tracy Grauf, physical plant manager for the Roseburg School District.
-- Dan Bain OUSD Turns Asphalt School Playgrounds into Green Spaces-- Oakland Post California: August 03, 2018 [ abstract] With less than two weeks to go before the 2018-19 school year begins, schools across Oakland are getting ready. At Melrose Leadership Academy, work is now underway to make the campus green and, in the process, help children learn.
Oakland Unified School District (OUSD), the Trust for Public Land, and green schoolyards America announced a partnership at Melrose, the first of five schools to serve as demonstration sites where asphalt covered schoolyards will be transformed into green spaces or “living schoolyards.”
The partners will also collaborate on a district policy, funding strategy and joint use agreements to ensure more OUSD schoolyards become healthier and more climate resilient.
“Working with the Trust for Public Land, green schoolyards America and the community provides OUSD with added resources and technical expertise that we need to improve the learning environment for our students,” said Kyla Johnson-Trammell, OUSD Superintendent. “This effort will also create healthier conditions at our schools and get our students to think more globally and be more environmentally conscious.”
The partnership focuses on increasing equity across OUSD by prioritizing schools that serve low-income neighborhoods.
There are five demonstration schoolyards involved in the project. Emiliano Zapata Street Academy, Markham Elementary School, Melrose Leadership Academy, Ralph J. Bunche High School, and two elementary schools that share a campus, International Community School and Think College Now.
The process will involve receive community engagement, participatory design, asphalt removal and planting. The demonstration schools will also benefit from professional development from green schoolyards America’s Principals’ Institute.
Nearly 1,700 students attend these five schools and will directly benefit from the transformation. A total of 30,000 people live within a 10-minute walk of these sites.
-- Post Staff BG schools uncertain of future of facilities-- Sentinel-Tribune Ohio: January 15, 2018 [ abstract] The next step for Bowling green school facilities is still uncertain, as is when the district will return with another request of taxpayers.
After a 2-hour workshop Monday, the only definitive decision was that the district couldn't afford to do nothing about its aging schools.
"If this community supports education, we're falling short," said Superintendent Francis Scruci.
-- Marie Thomas Baird Willards Elementary gets a huge help going green-- WMDT.com Maryland: March 15, 2017 [ abstract] WILLARDS, Md. - One Wicomico County Public school is getting a huge help in going green thanks to two local farmers.
A few months ago Willards Elementary School had a plan in place to start a community garden and finish their application to become a go green school, but money was a problem.
â€"We had put in place some ideas for what we wanted to do to complete our go green project but we were worried where the funds were going to come from,†said PTA president Tonya Lewis.
That was until Kay and Sidney Richardson applied for a grant from the Monsanto Fund through America's Farmers.
The grant worth $2,500 was awarded to the school's PTA program per the Richardson's request.
-- Julian Sadur Is there Lead in the Water of your Green Building? -- Green Building Law Update National: February 19, 2017 [ abstract] Despite no good baseline for comparison, there are clear trends that go beyond lead alone. Among the most significant culprit is apparently “water age” (i.e., the water retention time). The green school buildings sampled had exceptionally high water age, and it appears that elevated water age is inherent in achieving sustainability goals of green building plumbing systems.
The magnitude is daunting. The first green building for which this firm reviewed data has water use which is more than 50 times lower a typical similar building. Very low use at each fixture in bathrooms, coupled with large diameter pipes stipulated by plumbing code, resulted in an average overall premise plumbing water age of 8 days.
Water age of 8 days raises concerns with respect to the chemical and microbiological stability of the drinking water.
-- Stuart Kaplow Social Infrastructure-- Architectural Record National: January 01, 2017 [ abstract] In late November, the AIA held its first Build America Summit in New York, a conference that had special resonance in the wake of the presidential election. We are facing policy shifts in Washington that could well have a profound impact on the built environment. The topic of rebuilding America’s deteriorating infrastructure"and creating jobs"was a hot campaign issue, though neither President-elect Trump nor Hillary Clinton came close to proposing the amount that the American Society of Civil Engineers estimates is really needed, a sum north of $3.5 trillion by 2020. And the President-elect’s notion to finance infrastructure largely though mega tax breaks to private developers probably wouldn’t help parts of the public realm that require serious funding and really matter to people.
The reason? Infrastructure doesn’t just mean big-muscle projects like highways and airports. According to a public-opinion survey conducted by the Harris Poll and released at the AIA conference, 83 percent of the respondents said they considered schools, libraries, and parks part of their community infrastructure"and that those needed investment as much as roads or bridges. Such social infrastructure, and the basic role of local governments in building those projects, emerged as a key theme of the conference.
In addition, almost three-quarters of those polled in the survey believe that schools in good condition are essential to their communities. Yet new school construction has suffered from funding cuts in many parts of the country. K"12 schools account for about one-quarter of infrastructure expenditures on the state and local levels, but capital spending by states overall dropped 37 percent between 2008 and 2013, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. A recent report, from the 21st Century School Fund, the National Council on School Facilities, and the Center for green schools, estimates that, across the nation, there is a shortfall of $10 billion a year for funding new facilities.
-- Cathleen McGuigan Group Wants Schools Included in Trump Administration's Infrastructure Spending-- Education Week National: December 19, 2016 [ abstract] With President-elect Donald Trump promising big infrastructure spending during his administration, school facilities leaders are calling for some of that potential windfall to go toward upgrading the nation's school buildings.
The National Council on School facilities, which estimates that the nation's districts need to spend about $77 billion annually to modernize school buildings, approved a resolution this month asking that federal infrastructure spending in the new administration include schools and grounds.
On the campaign trail, Trump said he planned to spend about $1 trillion on infrastructure, including on roads and bridges. But it's still unclear how Trump's infrastructure program would be paid for or whether there is enough support among Republicans and Democrats in Congress to make it a reality.
The council's resolution was approved recently at the annual meeting of the group, which is made up of state school facilities managers and officers from 25 states.
Spending on the nation's schools and grounds falls short by about $46 billion annually, according to a report released earlier this year by the 21st Century School Fund, which conducts research for the National Council on School Facilities, and the Center for green schools.
-- Denisa R. Superville City schools to get water hydration stations this fall-- Philly.com Pennsylvania: August 16, 2016 [ abstract] Hydration stations have arrived in the School District of Philadelphia.
The stations - water fountains equipped with filters and separate faucets from which to fill water bottles - will be up and running at 43 schools when classes start next month, school officials announced Monday.
Each school is receiving at least three hydration stations, and plans call for the remainder of the district's more than 170 schools to receive stations by the end of the school year, spokesman Kevin Geary said.
The $1 million initiative is part of the district's recently announced GreenFutures sustainability plan, which is designed to provide a framework to conserve resources, decrease consumption and waste, and create green school settings and healthy indoor environments for students.
-- Mensah M. Dean Slowed growth delays school construction projects-- The Bay Net Maryland: June 22, 2016 [ abstract] Leonardtown, MD -- Slower than anticipated growth in St. Mary’s County has caused the school board to delay plans for construction of a new elementary school and possibly a new facility that would start as a middle school and transition to a high school.
The revisions are included in the 2016 Educational Facilities Master Plan presented recently to the St., Mary’s County Board of Education and which will be presented to the planning commission in August and forwarded to the county commissioners and the state.
In order to get state monies for school construction, “The state requires 50 percent of the capacity to be in place at the time of planning approval and the remainder when occupancy occurs,” according to Director of Capital Planning and green schools Kimberly Howe. That is what happened with the new Captain Walter Francis Duke Elementary School in Leonardtown.
Howe, in her report to the school board, said capacity needs are determined by the birth rate, housing market, jobs, migration, income and household size. State projections for anticipated growth in the county are historically higher than the local projections.
-- Staff Writer Maloney Would Create Green Schools, Good-Paying Jobs -- Hudson Valley News Network National: April 22, 2016 [ abstract] In celebration of Earth Day, Representative Sean Patrick Maloney (NY-18) announced legislation at Arlington High School to provide funding to schools to encourage green development of their aging infrastructure.
School Modernization And Revitalization Through (SMART) Jobs Act would authorize funding for the development of green schools, which would encourage energy efficiency and the use of renewables, and create numerous high-skilled jobs in the clean energy industry.
“As a father, I believe we owe it to our children to adopt policies which will preserve our environment and create a healthier world for them to grow,” said Rep. Maloney. “Incentivizing our schools to adopt environmentally-responsible building practices creates a better learning environment for students while creating more good-paying high skilled jobs in the Hudson Valley.”
-- Office of Representative Sean Patrick Maloney Decaying school buildings have physical, psychological consequences-- EducationDive National: April 13, 2016 [ abstract] Crumbling infrastructure in American K-12 classrooms isn’t just a political football. It also presents physical and psychological dangers for students and teachers alike.
Poor school conditions have an impact on student performance and learning. In the United States, the average school building is more than 40 years old. And in some states, like Michigan, decaying school conditions like those in Detroit Public Schools have now resulted in litigation.
Both the district and former state-appointed emergency manager Darnell Earley are named in a lawsuit filed by the Detroit Federation of Teachers and the American Federation of Teachers, blaming them for unsafe learning conditions.
The suit came on the heels of a January visit by Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan to four DPS buildings, which ultimately triggered a district-wide investigation of 97 different buildings. One or more violations were found at every single school building.
Some schools had broken classroom windows, mold, and other safety hazards " conditions that Duggan told the Detroit Free Press "break your heart."
Last month, a report co-authored by the Center for green schools at the U.S. Green Building Council found that the United States would need to spend an additional $46 billion annually on school building construction and maintenance in order to ensure safe and healthy facilities for students. Michigan, Wisconsin, Indiana, Oregon and Nevada were identified as being especially in need of school building repairs.
-- Erin McIntyre AMERICA’S SCHOOL BUILDINGS"LIKE CALIFORNIA’S"NEED FIXING-- Center for Cities and Schools California: April 05, 2016 [ abstract] Our country's K-12 infrastructure is in crisis. Far too often, these learning environments are rundown and in disrepair, discourage and sicken children and teachers, waste energy, and fail to support a 21st century education. A new national study by the 21st Century School Fund, the National Council on School Facilities, and the Center for green schools sheds much-needed light on the grim reality: a $46 billion annual shortfall in funds needed to keep the country's school buildings healthy, safe and conducive to learning.
My research on California echoes the national trend: more than half of the state's school districts underspend each year on their facilities, leading to all sorts of problems for students and teachers.
A NATIONAL PROBLEM, ALL TOO FAMILIAR TO CALIFORNIA
The alarming fact is that millions of students across the country attend school in dilapidated, obsolete and/or unhealthy facilities that pose substantial obstacles to learning and overall wellbeing. In 2014, the National Center for Education Statistics found that more than half of U.S. public schools reported needing to spend money on their school buildings to bring them up to good condition. â€"Sick building syndrome†is a hard reality for many children, especially low-income and minority children who are more likely to have run-down school facilities. There is a clear relationship between the condition of school facilities and factors critical for student academic performance.
-- Jeff Vincent Decaying School Infrastructure Putting Student Health At Risk-- neaToday National: April 05, 2016 [ abstract] School facilities is second only to highways as the largest sector of public infrastructure spending, but it’s been more than 20 years since the federal government conducted a comprehensive review of the nation’s school buildings. The fill this void, the Center for green schools teamed up with 21st Century Fund and the National Council on School Facilities to comb through any and all relevant data to answer this question: Are we spending enough on school facilities to support student learning?
According to the just-released report, State of Our Schools: America’s K"12 Facilities, the answer is we’re falling short " to the tune of $46 billion. That’s the size of the funding gap needed to bring all U.S. public school facilities up to modern standards.
“The current system of facilities funding leaves school districts unprepared to provide adequate and equitable school facilities… In total, the nation is underspending by $46 billion " an annual shortfall of 32%,” the report states.
The importance of modernizing school infrastructure cannot be overstated. Too many buildings across the country have been allowed to deteriorate as budget cuts have forced districts to forgo maintenance to pay for programs. Millions of educators and students teach and learn surrounded by peeling paint, crumbing plaster, and poor ventilation and faulty heating and cooling systems.
-- TIM WALKER Investment in Nation's School Buildings Falls Woefully Short, Report Finds-- Education Week National: March 23, 2016 [ abstract] The nation's investment in public school facilities falls short by a whopping $46 billion annually, according to a new report out today on the state of America's K-12 infrastructure.
American school districts should be spending at least $145 billion each year to keep their buildings in good working order and to upgrade their existing building stock, according to the report titled "2016 State of Our Schools: America's K-12 Facilities." It was written by the 21st Century School Fund, the National Council on School Facilities, and the Center for green schools.
While the physical conditions of the schools are known to have some effects on how students do in the classrooms, the issue has not garnered as much attention as other factors that affect student learning.
But that may be changing.
Since last year, Detroit teachers have been staging a series of sickouts, in part, to draw attention to the dilapidated conditions of some of the city's school buildings. And with concern over lead-tainted water in some schools, more attention is being paid to the age of school buildings and the plumbing in those buildings.
The last in-depth federal-level examination of the conditions of America's school facilities was released more 20 years ago in 1995 by the Government Accountability Office. According to the GAO then, schools needed to spend $112 billion to repair or upgrade their facilities to "good condition." About 14 million students were attending schools in need of extensive repairs, the GAO said.
The National Center for Educational Statistics also conducted a limited survey on public school infrastructure in the 2012-13 school year. According to that report, the average age of the main school building was 44 years old.
-- Denisa R. Superville Report finds massive under-investment in nation’s school buildings-- Washington Post National: March 23, 2016 [ abstract] The nation is spending $46 billion less each year on school construction and maintenance than is necessary to ensure safe and healthy facilities, according to estimates in a new report.
The study, released by a group that advocates for environmentally-sound buildings, is meant to draw attention to the condition of buildings that on weekdays house some 56 million students and teachers " more than one-sixth of the U.S. population " but that nevertheless attract little attention in the national debate over education policy and reform.
“We are consistently and persistently underinvesting in our nation’s schools,” said Rachel Gutter of the D.C.-based Center for green schools at the U.S. Green Building Council, which co-authored the report. “Communities want to resolve these issues, but in many cases the funds simply aren’t there.”
Detroit has made headlines this year for crumbling schools plagued by rats, roaches and mold. But while conditions in the Motor City are particularly deplorable, the average U.S. school is more than 40 years old, and thousands of school buildings nationwide are in need of upgrades, according to the federal government.
Poor communities in far-flung rural places and declining industrial city centers tend to be in a particularly bad situation: School construction budgets rely even more heavily on local dollars than operating budgets. And in many places spending has not recovered from cuts made during the recession, leaving school districts struggling to patch problems.
-- Emma Brown Report Shows Systemic Inequity in a State-By-State Analysis of Investment in American School Infrastructure-- Center for Green Schools at USGBC National: March 23, 2016 [ abstract] Washington, D.C. " (March 23, 2016) " The State of Our Schools: America’s K-12 Facilities report, released today by the Center for green schools at the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), the 21st Century School Fund and the National Council on School Facilities, shows that the nation faces a projected annual shortfall of $46 billion in school funding, despite significant effort on the part of local communities.
“One out of every six people in the U.S. spends each day in a K-12 public school classroom, yet there is very little oversight over America’s public school buildings,” said Rick Fedrizzi, CEO and founding chair, USGBC. “It is totally unacceptable that there are millions of students across the country who are learning in dilapidated, obsolete and unhealthy facilities that pose obstacles to their learning and overall wellbeing. U.S. public school infrastructure is funded through a system that is inequitably affecting our nation’s students and this has to change.”
The report features an in-depth state-by-state analysis of investment in school infrastructure and focuses on 20 years of school facility investment nationwide, as well as funding needed moving forward to make up for annual investment shortfalls for essential repairs and upgrades. The report also proposes recommendations for investments, innovations and reforms to improve learning environments for children in all U.S. public schools.
“The data on funding school infrastructure paints a clear picture of the importance of a national conversation regarding the way improvements are funded. The conversation surrounding student achievement must also include a component addressing the places where our children learn,” said Mike Rowland, president, National Council on School Facilities and director of Facilities Services for the Georgia Department of Education.
-- Leticia McCadden DIG Philly wins Knight Cities grant to reinvent schoolyards-- thenotebook.org Pennsylvania: April 10, 2015 [ abstract] DIG Philly is spreading the gospel of schoolyard conversion.
â€"Schoolyards are the next great urban spaces,†said Lois Brink, chief strategist for The Big SandBox, a nonprofit group that revitalizes schoolyards in Philadelphia.
The Big SandBox received a $149,000 grant from the Knight Foundation to launch its campaign DIG Philly. The effort partners with schools, parents, and neighborhoods to turn school's outdoor play areas into community spaces, like gardens and parks.
The goal is to start a civic movement among Philadelphians that will lead to the renovation of the city's 300 schoolyards into healthy, green spaces used by diverse members of the community.
It is one of seven grantees based in Philadelphia to receive a Knight Cities Challenge grant to make cities more successful. Overall, $5 million was given to 32 organizations in 26 cities with ties to Knight-owned newspapers.
Another recipient was South Philly's Stoop, which received $147,000 to transform vacant space around the shuttered Bok High School into shared community space. The project is spearheaded by Lindsey Scannapieco, a developer who is also remaking the former school building into a maker space.
The Big SandBox sees the potential of schoolyards to take learning beyond the classroom and make it participatory. Gardens, for example, would serve as research tools and make environmental learning tangible.
â€"A big piece of what we're trying to do is to change the perception of what a schoolyard is and what its power and potential can be, particularly in education,†said Brink.
Research shows that green schoolyards can also reduce disruptions in classrooms, improve nutritional education and increase physical education options. Added benefits of increased physical activity also include improved physical and emotional health.
-- Camden Copeland Department of Education visits Colorado's 'green' schools-- Channel 9 News Colorado: September 16, 2014 [ abstract] KUSA – The federal government wants to recognize schools that teach and practice being environmental. Representatives from the U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbons Schools program are taking the Green Strides Tour through Colorado.
"The idea is to bring more attention to our honorees, the great work they are doing, the resources that they are using, that all schools could be using," Andrea Suarez Falken, director Green Ribbon Schools Program, said. "Get the word out so that we have all schools moving in the same direction."
Falken started her tour at the Denver green school. She then visited three Douglas County Schools, Heritage Elementary in Highlands Ranch, Larkspur Elementary, and Flagstone Elementary in Castle Rock. Douglas County was recognized for its practices in sustainability.
"They have to be reducing environmental impact and costs," Falken said. "That's everything – waste, water, recycling energy use, alternative energy, transportation."
Falken visited schools that have farms, solar panels, extensive recycling programs, and educational projects that promote being 'Green.'
"They're finding that students want to learn by doing," Falken said. "They don't want to learn by reading about it."
But, some parents question whether the Douglas County School District is taking too much credit.
"Absolutely," Cristin Patterson, parent, said. "It was driven by the students to begin with."
Patterson is a parent at Heritage Elementary. She is also the spokesperson from a group called Douglas County Parents, which has been outspoken on various issues against the school district and the conservative-leaning school board.
"The success of our school and many of our schools is very much due to parent support," Patterson said.
She says the financial support of parents is what makes the Green projects possible at schools around the district. She says parents generated more than $115,000 to support the budget at Heritage.
"The parents are filling the gaps that are not provided by the district," Patterson said.
-- Nelson Garcia Recognizing Green Schools on Earth Day-- U.S. Department of Education National: April 22, 2014 [ abstract] To celebrate Earth Day, earlier today U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan announced the 2014 U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools (ED-GRS) and District Sustainability Award recipients. Joined in an online live stream by Acting Chief White House Council on Environmental Quality Mike Boots, Secretary Duncan celebrated the forty-eight schools and nine school districts chosen for their exemplary efforts in reducing environmental impact and utility costs, promoting better health for students and staff, and offering effective environmental education, including civics, STEM and green career pathways.
Reiterating the Department’s support for green schools, Secretary Duncan praised the selected schools and districts, stating: “Today’s honorees are modeling a comprehensive approach to being green by encompassing facility, wellness and learning into their daily operations.” Duncan went on to say that the recipients “are demonstrating ways schools can simultaneously cut costs; improve health, and engage students with hands-on learning that prepares them with the thinking skills necessary to be successful in college and careers.
The forty-eight schools and nine school districts were selected from a pool of candidates voluntarily nominated by thirty state education agencies across the country. The schools serve various grade levels, including 29 elementary, 16 middle, and 18 high schools, with several offering various K-12 variations. Many schools also serve pre-K students, demonstrating that health, wellness, and environmental concepts can be taught to every student, even the earliest learners. Selected schools and districts also demonstrated that their efforts not only improve physical, environmental, and nutritional health of school communities, but also save schools money in utility costs which can be applied directly back to where it is needed most " the classrooms. Read all about this year’s honorees and their tremendous achievements.
-- Staff Writer Do ‘green’ schools help kids learn?-- The Columbus Dispatch Ohio: April 21, 2014 [ abstract] Researchers know that energy-efficient “green” schools cost less to operate and offer a more-healthful learning environment for students and teachers.
But scientists at Battelle want to study whether the environmentally friendly buildings help children learn. Researchers began comparing student test scores, attendance rates and discipline in green schools and traditional schools last year. Preliminary results show a link between green buildings and fewer disciplinary problems.
“The idea is to better inform the public debate about sustainable design,” said Ian MacGregor, the project’s lead investigator and a senior research scientist for Battelle Energy & Environment.
The study comes as state lawmakers debate whether to allow state agencies, including the Ohio School Facilities Commission, to continue to require new state-funded buildings to meet certain environmental standards.
A bill the Senate has passed would ban state use of LEED, or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, standards. LEED is used as a worldwide benchmark for environmental building design. The House has yet to hold hearings on the proposal.
Advocates of the ban say a recent update to LEED hurts Ohio businesses by discouraging the use of materials produced in the state. The latest version of LEED calls for companies to disclose the chemical ingredients in their building materials.
Others, including the U.S. Green Building Council, defend LEED, saying green schools in Ohio use an average of 34 percent less energy and 37 percent less water than traditional buildings. green schools also increase students’ exposure to daylight and improve indoor air quality, they say.
Ohio has more than 130 green schools, and it leads the nation in LEED-certified schools. That’s because all schools built with state help must be LEED-certified.
-- Charlie Boss Schools return construction funds to St. Mary’s government-- Southern Maryland Newspapers Online Maryland: February 14, 2014 [ abstract] The St. Mary’s school board voted Wednesday to return nearly $200,000 in construction funds to county government.
Kim Howe, director of capital planning and green schools, said her department recently looked at 17 active school construction project accounts.
“Looking at the projects, we identified $187,592 in project funds that were in closeout or nearing closeout that could be reverted back to the county,” Howe said.
Board member Cathy Allen said she was glad to see the school construction department is “diligent and cautious with the use of funds.”
Allen said she was particularly impressed that the school board will be able to return $100,000 from the Mechanicsville Elementary School parking lot renovation project, especially considering how old that school is and the unknowns involved with that type of work.
-- Jesse Yeatman ARCHITECTURE: Philly launches first totally 'green' School of the Future-- Montgomery Media Pennsylvania: January 07, 2014 [ abstract] In the Philadelphia School District, where there is about a $1.5 million deficit in a citywide budget to sustain public schools, why would sustainable schools be contemplated?
According to Rachel Gutter, director for the center for green schools of the U.S. Green Building Council, which held its annual convention in Philadelphia at the Pennsylvania Convention Center last month, “it makes economic sense.”
About 70,000 people from the United States and abroad attended the four-day convention, which was devoted to exploring the progress of design attuned to improving the effect of buildings on the environment.
Gutter, speaking on a panel with other school building experts on the first floor of the new section of the Pennsylvania Convention Center, said that the money saved from heating, cooling and air conditioning alone could make up for the additional cost of building a green school as opposed to a conventional one.
According to the United States’ Green Building Council, the LEED green building program is the top program for the design, construction, maintenance and operation of green buildings. LEED buildings, the Green Buildings Council says, use less energy in the United States and increasingly abroad.
LEED, which stand for Leadership in Energy and Environmental design, saves money and contributes to a healthier environment for the people who use the buildings as well as cutting down on carbon and other emissions.
The Green Building Council judges the level of LEED certification from simply certfied to silver through gold and platinum. Each credit is allocated points based on the environmental impact and human benefits that it addresses.
“We are only starting to scratch the surface of the benefits of LEED building in schools,” Gutter said.
She said that many school districts were finally getting away from using the cheapest material that was produced in a bidding competition to using energy-efficient materials.
-- Diane M. Fiske Americans Voice Strong Mandate for Better School Buildings and Infrastructure in New Nationwide Independent Poll-- PR Newswire National: November 21, 2013 [ abstract] A new independent nationwide survey reveals 3 out of 4 Americans are supportive of green schools. The survey, sponsored by United Technologies Corp. (UTC) and the U.S. Green Building Council's Center for green schools, explores American's attitudes toward the country's public school buildings and investments to modernize school infrastructure. The results were announced today during a press conference at the Greenbuild Conference & Expo in Philadelphia.
The survey results show that 90 percent of Americans think it is important to improve public school buildings. Across political party lines, more than half of those surveyed (54 percent) would rate K-12 school buildings and infrastructure in the United States as poor or fair at best.
"The results of this nationwide survey are a call to action for elected officials and school leaders across the country," said Rachel Gutter, director of the Center for green schools at USGBC. "Nine out of 10 Americans believe that it's time for us to invest in transforming aging school facilities into 21st century learning environments. Regardless of political affiliation, Americans agree: where our children learn matters."
More than half of Americans surveyed also feel that the U.S. does not spend enough money on buildings and infrastructure in K-12 schools. Nearly half of respondents (49 percent) would donate to a green schools cause and 43 percent would volunteer time to green their own schools.
"Every day 25 percent of Americans go to school as students, faculty, staff and administrators. green schools improve learning, health and productivity, while lowering operating costs. There is measurable opportunity here to improve the day-to-day life for a quarter of Americans," said John Mandyck, chief sustainability officer, UTC Building & Industrial Systems. "These results show a tremendous level of public support for school infrastructure improvements and the investment they will require."
-- Press release Putnam considers joint elementary school with Mason County-- WVgazette.com West Virginia: October 07, 2013 [ abstract] The Putnam County Board of Education voted to contract services with an architectural firm to explore the possibility of building a consolidated elementary school that "blurs the line" between Putnam and Mason counties.
Mark Manchin, executive director of the West Virginia School Building Authority, attended the Putnam County school board meeting Monday to discuss the idea of combining Buffalo Elementary School and Leon Elementary School in Mason County.
"The School Building Authority is continuing to encourage a number of ways of being efficient in our operation," he said. "Over the last few years we've been building green schools, sustainable schools, schools of the future, safer schools -- shatterproof glass and technology you couldn't have thought of 10 years ago to make our schools safer.
"We're doing a number of things to ensure efficient use of state tax dollars. One of the things we're trying to do, and that we're giving high priority to, are blurring county lines. No more are we going to say, 'Here's Mason County and here's Putnam County. We can only build in Mason County and we can only build in Putnam County.'"
One other project of this kind in the state is already underway. Leading Creek Elementary, a joint venture between Lewis and Gilmer counties, is currently being built on the county line.
-- Lydia Nuzum San Francisco schools growing greener and smarter-- San Francisco Examiner California: September 24, 2013 [ abstract] When you pass by a San Francisco Unified School District school, you might notice a new colorful mural, or perhaps you see that the windows could use a little washing.
But what you probably don't see is how our schools are part of San Francisco's greening revolution. They are making big reductions in how much water and electricity they use, turning their blacktop yards into leafy gardens and contributing tons (literally) of food scraps to The City's compost pile.
Go outside and learn something!
Since 2001, San Franciscans have contributed nearly $14 million in bond funding for the development of green schoolyards at 84 public schools in San Francisco, possibly the largest green-schoolyards system of any public school district in the country.
While bond funds help transform school buildings and yards, it is also crucial to have a trained, on-the-ground outdoor classroom and eco-literacy expert to harness the educational power of our green schoolyards and spearhead important school greening efforts — an impossibility for many schools with limited financial resources.
Education Outside (formerly the San Francisco green schoolyard Alliance) has led the effort to foster the next generation of environmental leaders. Right now, there are 22 trained, energetic and eco-literate Education Outside Corps members at our schools teaching students science, ecology and even math on their green schoolyards.
-- Richard A. Carranza Greenest School In Conn. Set To Open Its Doors In Bridgeport-- CBS New York Connecticut: August 19, 2013 [ abstract] A new eco-friendly magnet school opening in Bridgeport, Conn. will be the greenest school in the state.
When the Fairchild Wheeler Interdistrict Magnet Campus opens later this month, 750 ninth and 10th graders chosen by lottery will grace the halls as the first two classes of the state-of-the-art school.
The school is the largest and most ambitious school infrastructure project in the state’s history, according to officials.
As WCBS 880 Connecticut Bureau Chief Fran Schneidau reported, the state covered most of the $126 million price tag to build the school since it’s a magnet school not limited to Bridgeport residents.
“I don’t know that there’s anything quite like this anywhere. This is a $126 million state-of-the-art building, it’s over 300,000 square feet, it collects all the rain water from the site into cisterns,” Bridgeport Mayor Bill Finch told Schneidau.
The rain water is then reused for plumbing, heat and air conditioning, Schneidau reported. The school also features windmills and solar panels and city officials anticipate it will be given the LEED Gold designation from the U.S. Green Building Council.
The landscaping will use native vegetation and more than three-quarters of the site will be maintained as open space.
The school stands on land that used to belong to Trumbull. State lawmakers changed the boundaries to allow construction of the green school to proceed.
“Because Bridgeport was willing to work with its surrounding communities, we were able to get a school 95 percent paid for by the state and five percent by Bridgeport,” said the mayor.
About 70 percent of the students will be from Bridgeport, city officials said.
This is the first new high school built in Bridgeport in 50 years, according to the state.
The school will offer a project-based curriculum focusing on science and technology.
It’s anticipated that some of the students will earn college credits along with their high school diplomas.
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-- Staff Writer Denver school farms help stock cafeterias-- EdNews Colorado Colorado: August 02, 2013 [ abstract] Half a dozen workers crouched in the field mounding hay around organic bell pepper and zucchini plants as the morning sun beat down on a recent summer day.
With their work boots, gloves and brimmed hats, they looked a lot like farmers anywhere else in the Colorado’s rural expanse. The difference is these workers were toiling away on a one-acre plot at Bradley International School in southwest Denver, their shovels and wheelbarrows a hundred feet away from the school’s bright yellow swing set.
The farm, one of three on Denver Public Schools grounds, is part of the district’s pilot farm-to-school program, which converts unused school land into working farms that produce tens of thousands of pounds of produce for school cafeterias. In addition to the farm at Bradley, which was established in 2012, there are farms at Schmitt Elementary and Denver green school. There’s also a farm at McGlone Elementary School, but it’s on hiatus this summer while construction occurs there.
“This is the beginning,” Anne Wilson, the district’s farm-to-school coordinator, said of the district’s recent plunge into urban agriculture. “Certainly, we hope to look at doing more sites in the future.”
School farms rare
The DPS school farm project appears to be one of the first of its kind, at least in Colorado. Jeremy West, nutrition service director for Weld County District 6 and chairman of the Colorado Farm to School Task Force, said he’s not aware of other districts that have similar programs.
-- Ann Schimke Sweep of St. Mary’s school construction projects nets half-million dollars-- Southern Maryland Newspapers Online Maryland: July 12, 2013 [ abstract] A sweep of completed school construction projects netted more than half a million dollars in unspent funds, which will be returned to county coffers.
The St. Mary’s board of education approved Wednesday transferring $580,175 back to the county commissioners in leftover funds from completed or nearly completed projects, Kim Howe, director of capital planning and green schools, said.
Much of the money was planned for renovations to come in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Those projects were completed using other monies through scheduled renovations or money from the state dedicated to aging schools, Howe said.
The returned money also includes $119,000 from the $11.6 million renovation at Leonardtown Middle School completed a year and a half ago.
Other money returned was from various refunds given to the school system from construction contractors.
There is still about $74,000 left from a sewer line project at Margaret Brent Middle School, but that is tied up in legal issues, Howe said.
“We’re not closing out that project at this time,” she said.
Spring Ridge renovation plans approved
The school board on Wednesday also approved education specification plans for the Spring Ridge Middle School renovation.
-- Jesse Yeatman Architecture for Humanity and the Center for Green Schools at USGBC Release "The Green Schools Investment Guide"-- Sacramento Bee National: April 30, 2013 [ abstract] rchitecture for Humanity and the Center for green schools at the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) today released "The green schools Investment Guide for Healthy, Efficient and Inspiring Learning Spaces," a free downloadable resource for K-12 schools and communities that demonstrates how schools can implement healthy and resource-efficient building improvements.
"The green schools Investment Guide" outlines the steps that any school stakeholders – from school administrators and elected officials to staff and students to parents and businesses – can take to transform their local schools. The 70-page, action-oriented resource demonstrates how investments in America's school buildings can improve student and staff well-being and academic performance, conserve scarce resources and foster thriving and sustainable communities.
"At the Center for green schools, we work to equip and deploy a variety of school stakeholders – the people who make the case, make the decisions and get things done – with the tools they need to create healthy, efficient and inspiring learning environments. We designed this guide, in partnership with Architecture for Humanity, to make sure that everyone has a common language for how school improvement projects get proposed, funded and implemented," said Rachel Gutter, director of the Center for green schools at USGBC. "From parents to teachers to principals, we're confident that this resource will provide champions with the guidance that they need to advocate for schools that enhance the educational experience and encourage our children to dream of a brighter future."
In the 2013 "State of Our Schools" report released earlier this year, the Center for green schools estimated that it would take approximately $271 billion to bring public school buildings up to working order and comply with laws. When the cost of modernizing existing school buildings up to today's education, safety and health standards is factored in, the total rises to an estimated $542 billion. "The green schools Investment Guide" serves as a first step to fix this deficit, presenting ideas and tools for immediate action in schools.
-- Architecture for Humanity Green Schoolyards For Healthy Students: A New Chicago Initiative-- Healthy Schools Campaign Illinois: March 21, 2013 [ abstract] All children should have a safe place to play, learn, explore and grow. About six years ago, operating on this belief and the notion that healthy, active students are better learners, Healthy Schools Campaign, led by a coalition of committed, driven parents, worked to establish a recess task force and reinstate recess in Chicago Public Schools. Because of this amazing team effort, all CPS elementary school students are mandated to have recess every single day.
Now we are beginning important discussions around transforming city schoolyards into well-designed, usable open spaces where the school community can play, exercise, grow food, learn and connect with nature.
We are aware that with positive changes come new challenges. In this case, we are galvanizing the communities, organizations and city leaders to dedicate their efforts and resources to reimagine and transform schoolyards. As a first step, we have partnered with Openlands, an innovative Chicago-based conservation-focused organization who for 50 years has worked tirelessly to connect Chicagoans to the land, water and natural resources around them.
This year, we will begin a pilot program in three Chicago Public Schools, Morrill Math and Science Academy, Grissom Elementary School and Dirksen Elementary School. The pilot will create mixed-use, environmentally responsible schoolyards that use green infrastructure to improve storm water management and basement flooding, provide relief for urban heat islands, and leverage existing goals and resources to create a green schoolyard and community space that could be implemented at every CPS school.
-- Staff Writer America's Schools Are In Total Disrepair, And It's Making Children Sick-- Business Insider National: March 14, 2013 [ abstract] It's been nearly 20 years since the federal government paid attention to the state of America's schools, and now they need $270 billion in repairs, according to a new study released by the Center for green schools.
On average, the nation's school buildings are more than 50 years old, a 1999 report from the National Center for Education Statistics states. And the last time the federal government conducted an extensive report on the state of America's school buildings was in 1995.
Now green schools, which is affiliated with the U.S. Green Building Council, is urging the government to start collecting regular data on how schools are maintained and how much money states will need to create healthy learning environments for students.
The report estimates it would cost $270 billion, or $5,450 per student, to repair our schools, which are plagued by poor ventilation, leaky roofs, and plumbing that backs up.
Ask inner-city residents in Brooklyn or Southeast D.C. how they feel about the state of their mold-ridden, badly heated neighborhood schools, and the problems become even more obvious.
-- Rebecca Baird-Remba Report: Half trillion need to update schools-- Associated Press National: March 12, 2013 [ abstract] America's schools are in such disrepair that it would cost more than $270 billion just to get elementary and secondary buildings back to their original conditions and twice that to get them up to date, a report released Tuesday estimated. In a foreword to the report, former President Bill Clinton said "we are still struggling to provide equal opportunity" to children and urged the first federal study of school buildings in almost two decades.
Clinton and the Center for green schools urged a Government Accountability Office assessment on what it would take to get school buildings up to date to help students learn, keep teachers healthy and put workers back on the jobs. The last such report, issued in 1995 during the Clinton administration, estimated it would take $112 billion to bring the schools into good repair and did not include the need for new buildings to accommodate the growing number of students.
The Center for green schools' researchers reviewed spending and estimates schools spent $211 billion on upkeep between 1995 and 2008. During that same time, schools should have spent some $482 billion, the group calculated based on a formula included in the most recent GAO study.
That left a $271 billion gap between what should have been spent on upkeep and what was, the group reported. Each student's share? Some $5,450.
To update and modernize the buildings, the figure doubles, to $542 billion over the next decade.
-- PHILIP ELLIOTT Green schools: Long on promise, short on delivery-- USA Today National: December 11, 2012 [ abstract] The Houston Independent School District took a big step in 2007 toward becoming environmentally friendly by designing two new schools to meet a coveted "green" standard set by a private-builders' group.
The nation's seventh-largest school district added features such as automated light sensors and a heat-reflecting roof, in hopes of minimizing energy use.
But the schools are not operating as promised.
Thompson Elementary ranked 205th out of 239 Houston schools in a report last year for the district that showed each school's energy cost per student. Walnut Bend Elementary ranked 155th. A third "green" school, built in 2010, ranked 46th in the report, which a local utility did for the district to find ways of cutting energy costs.
Poor equipment maintenance plagued the schools built in 2007, a problem that districtwide improvements are now addressing, said Gavin Dillingham, the district's energy manager until August.
"People have the mistaken impression that once buildings are LEED-certified, they're always going to run energy-efficiently," Dillingham said. "They don't."
The problems in Houston illustrate the little-discussed uncertainty of "green schools," which promise huge energy savings and rising student performance, but do not always deliver, despite their extra cost.
-- Thomas Frank Maryland invests $25 million to cut schools' energy bills -- Baltimore Sun Maryland: July 25, 2012 [ abstract] Public school districts across Maryland can now apply for state funding to reduce their energy consumption as part of a new $25 million "green schools initiative," the Maryland Energy Administration announced Wednesday. The effort is meant to help "accelerate" the state's goal of reducing its overall energy consumption by 15 percent in the next three years, the administration said. The funding will come from the state's capital budget for schools planning, the administration said. New construction efforts and changes to lightbulbs and heating and air conditioning units in schools will save the state an estimated $80 million over the lifetime of the new equipment, the administration said. School districts with engineering design costs incurred between June 15 and Oct. 15 of this year are eligible for reimbursement through the program, though costs associated with joined "design-build projects" are not eligible, according to the administration's website. School districts must apply for the funding on the administration's website by Nov. 9.
The project is being run by the state's Public Schools Construction Program and is part of a $373 million budget for school construction. In a statement, State Superintendent of Schools Lillian M. Lowery called the program an "outstanding opportunity" for the state's public schools districts.
-- Kevin Rector Sacramento students identify energy-saving projects for schools-- Sacbee.com California: July 05, 2012 [ abstract] In an innovative program, the Sacramento City Unified School District is relying on its students' expertise to make its schools more energy efficient.
The school district asked its students of all ages to become the experts by conducting "green audits" of their school facilities.
"Our students went around and evaluated our schools to see where we needed to make changes," said Terry Smith, principal at O.W. Erlewine Elementary in Larchmont Riviera. "They came up with the list themselves."
Fourteen schools and the McClaskey Adult Center were awarded a combined $5 million in bond funding for their student-generated green school ideas as part of the district's program called Project Green.
The $5 million was set aside out of remaining funding from the district's $225 million bond measure that passed in 2002.
Students presented their ideas in April to a panel of local experts in architecture, engineering, energy and water management.
"The kids spoke very knowledgably about their proposals," said district Trustee Patrick Kennedy. "It was very impressive."
Last month, the student teams learned how much their projects would be awarded.
-- Melody Gutierrez New resource to build healthier, green schools-- Hawaii 24/7 Hawaii: June 15, 2012 [ abstract] The Hawaii CHPS Criteria (HI-CHPS), a resource used to design and construct healthy, high performance, green schools, has been released for public use.
Hawaii becomes the 13th state to adopt a CHPS high performance school Criteria.
HI-CHPS was approved by the Board of Directors of the Collaborative for High Performance Schools, a national non-profit that brings local high performance school rating programs to states across the US.
“The state of Hawaii is one of the most climatically and ecologically diverse states in the union, which makes it the perfect candidate for a state-based green school rating program,” said Chip Fox, chairman of the CHPS Board of Directors. “Hawaii CHPS contains some of the most unique and state-specific credits we have seen yet. We are thrilled to have Hawaii join the ranks of states participating in the CHPS program.”
“The adoption of the HI-CHPS Criteria is the next step in our development of more eco-friendly and sustainable school facilities,” said Randy Moore, assistant superintendent for school facilities and support services. “Sustainability is of particular importance to Hawaii as an island state, and we are delighted to have HI-CHPS Criteria that have been created specifically for Hawaii schools. These criteria will be invaluable in the development of schools and our proactive response to both the educational need for environmentally sensitive classrooms and the societal need for energy efficiency.”
The HI-CHPS Criteria can be downloaded at: www.chps.net/hawaii.
The HI-CHPS Criteria was developed by a committee of K-12 school stakeholders under the guidance of the state Department of Education and CHPS. Hawaii’s unique climate posed the largest challenge for the advisory committee’s work, including creating prerequisites and credits appropriate to the year-round temperatures, rain and wind patterns, and humidity of the islands.
-- www.chps.net Phoenix Roadrunner Elementary abandoning trailer for sustainable schoolhouse -- The Republican Arizona: June 14, 2012 [ abstract] The classroom trailers common to school campuses nationwide are being taken off the grounds of a Phoenix school, Roadrunner Elementary. Southwest of Northern Avenue and Interstate 17, the Safari building at Roadrunner Elementary School is one of the nation's first LEED-certified school facilities to be funded by a blossoming non-profit, the green schoolhouse Series of Carlsbad, Calif. The "green" building, valued at $2.4 million but paid entirely by donations from various companies, will open this year, replacing classroom trailers and adding energy-saving appliances, solar panels and recycled materials that the builder believes will qualify it for the top LEED certification, platinum.
Principal Karen Menaugh said Roadrunner was chosen from 11 Valley schools that applied for the all-expenses-paid project because the school has reduced electricity usage and promoted recycling.
green schoolhouse Series and its partners are involved in another LEED building project for one other Washington Elementary School District site, Orangewood Elementary School, near 19th and Orangewood avenues in Phoenix. Projects also are planned for Rio Salado College, and nationally, at campuses in Chicago, San Diego and Seattle.
The green schoolhouse Series was founded in 1998 by Jeff Zotara and his father, Marshall Zotara, who own the public-relations firm Cause & Effect Evolutions, also in Carlsbad, Calif. After helping on various school-improvement projects, Jeff Zotara said he and his dad noticed a trend: Portables were parked on many of the campuses where they had renovated schools. An estimated 300,000 portables are in use at campuses nationwide, according to a 2011 report by the Modular Building Institute, an industry group. Portables are supposed to provide temporary relief for persistent problems such as overcrowded classrooms and deteriorating structures. For cash-strapped schools, they have become fixtures. "We realized these portables were built as a temporary solution, but they end up permanent," Jeff Zotara said. A 2004 study on classroom portables by the California Environmental Protection Agency found that portables can aggravate health problems in schoolchildren with conditions such as asthma and allergies.
-- Emily Gersema High Schools Go Green to Save Some Green -- USA News Education Report National: June 06, 2012 [ abstract] Schools may be closed for summer vacation, but they aren't getting a break from funding cuts. In fact, lawmakers in many state capitals aren't arguing over whether to trim education funding, but how much to cut. Illinois, for instance, cut $161 million in state aid for schools in a 2012-2013 budget approved last week. Oregon's Beaverton School District cut 344 jobs, eliminated elementary school art and technology teachers, and either cut off or decreased funding for several other programs this week in order to compensate for reduced state funding.
For high schools struggling to fill holes in their budgets, investing in energy efficiency may be the least of their concerns. But it should be near the top of their priorities, says Rachel Gutter, director of the Center for green schools, part of the U.S. Green Building Council, a nonprofit group. "This is something you can't afford not to do," Gutter says. "A green school … is actually one of the only opportunities, in a moment when budgets are already stretched so thin, to be able to unearth funds that are available for the taking." By turning off lights, powering down computers, and optimizing heating and cooling systems, schools can drop their average utility bills by as much as 25 percent, Gutter adds.
Installing motion sensors on light fixtures and swapping out light bulbs for more energy-efficient models, as well as other green enhancements, helped Loveland High School in Ohio save $350,000 in one year, according to the U.S. Department of Education. Loveland was one of 26 U.S. high schools recognized as a Green Ribbon School by the Department of Education and the Center for green schools. In total, 78 schools—50 percent of which serve high poverty areas—were honored for their commitment to the environment.
Officials at another Green Ribbon School, Gladstone High School in Oregon, created a green school Club, which helped shave $250 per month off the school's electrical costs by conducting energy audits.
-- Kelsy Sheehy The Impact of School Buildings on Student Health and Performance: A Call for Research-- McGraw Hill Research Foundation National: February 27, 2012 [ abstract] The McGraw-Hill Research Foundation and the Center for green schools at the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), today released a new white paper entitled, “The Impact of School Buildings on Student Health and Performance: A Call for Research,” at the 2nd Annual green schools National Conference in Denver, CO. The green schools Conference is dedicated to growing green schools across the nation. The new white paper, co-authored by Lindsay Baker, Researcher, PhD Candidate, University of California, Berkeley (on behalf of the Center for green schools at USGBC) and Harvey Bernstein, Vice President, Industry Insights & Alliances for McGraw-Hill Construction, part of The McGraw-Hill Companies, sheds light on the critical need for research around how the school building"through its design, maintenance and operations"impacts the health and performance of the students in those buildings.
The paper explored research from two perspectives: from the lens of the child’s experience with their built environment, and from how different stakeholders could play an important role in bringing that research to light.
To download a copy of “The Impact of School Buildings on Student Health and Performance: A Call for Research,” visit http://bit.ly/Green_Schools_White_Paper
-- MHRFAdmin Oklahoma Gets First LEED Gold K-12 Building-- Earth Techling Oklahoma: February 02, 2012 [ abstract] green schools have been cropping up all over the country in recent years, some of them far from noted green building centers. Such is the case with the the Jenks Math and Science Center in Jenks, Okla., (a suburb of Tulsa) which recently became the state’s first LEED-certified K-12 building. The project was built by Tulsa-based Manhattan Construction and designed by Tulsa-based GH2 Architects, and Michigan-based TMP Architecture, and has garnered LEED Gold certification.
Encompassing 91,580 square feet, the Jenks Public Schools Math and Science Center includes ten math classrooms, fourteen flexible science teaching studios, a student health center, a 200-seat multi-purpose meeting room and a 105-seat planetarium. Located in the center of the main Jenks high school campus " creating a visual and physical link between the Freshman Academy and senior high classroom buildings " the building was designed to encourage collaboration between math and science and also between the different grade levels.
-- Susan DeFreitas U.S. Schools Compete to Slash Energy Use in 2012 -- Huffington Post National: January 30, 2012 [ abstract] Students in more than 116 schools across the U.S. are competing to reduce their electricity consumption by participating in the 2012 national Green Cup Challenge (GCC) during peak winter energy usage, Jan. 18 to Feb. 15. (New York City and Chicago will launch separate Challenges on March 2). The national Challenge, now in its fifth year, is a project of the non-profit green schools Alliance (GSA), and is designed to raise awareness about energy conservation and provide concrete action towards reduction.
"Experts agree that the best way to save energy is to use less," says Peg Watson, GSA's founder and president. "You can't manage what you don't measure. The GCC teaches students that they have the power to save energy in their schools and homes, and that their actions can translate into positive change in the world," she says.
According to Energystar.gov, America's K-12 schools spend more than $7.5 billion annually on energy, but as much as 30 percent of that energy ($2.25 billion) is used inefficiently or unnecessarily. The GCC has shown that, through awareness and small behavior changes, those wasteful patterns can be reversed.
-- Veronique Pittman U.S. Department of Education to award environmentally-friendly campuses-- Pasadena Star News California: January 03, 2012 [ abstract] California schools can now apply for the inaugural Green Ribbon Award, which recognizes the nation's highest-performing environmentally-friendly, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson announced Tuesday.
"California is proud to participate in this new federal program to recognize schools with environmentally sustainable learning spaces that have boosted student performance," Torlakson said. "Not only do green schools save districts money and energy and protect the health of students and staff, but studies also show these learning spaces actually improve academic achievement."
The U.S. Department of Education unveiled the Green Ribbon Schools award in September. The program recognizes schools that save energy, reduce costs, feature environmentally sustainable learning spaces, protect health, foster wellness, and offer environmental education to boost academic achievement and community engagement. The award is part of a larger U.S. Department of Education effort to identify and disseminate knowledge about practices proven to result in improved student engagement, academic achievement, graduation rates, and workforce preparedness, as well as a government-wide aim to increase energy independence and economic security.
-- Staff Writer Sharon Middle School Kitchen Promotes Health Inside And Out -- Sharon Patch Massachusetts: January 02, 2012 [ abstract] Sharon Middle School students now get lunch on washable trays cleaned by environmentally friendly detergent.
The renovated school cafeteria strives for health in practice as well as menu, school district Food Service Director Carol Judd says.
Part of the $50.5 million school renovation and addition project, the cafeteria's expanded kitchen re-opened in mid-October after six weeks of serving salads and sandwiches prepared at the Heights Elementary School, Judd says.
Students now get served on heavy duty, food-safe trays that have replaced the former styrofoam ones, she says.
"It cuts back on the using (of) the styrofoam trays, so it's cost effective for the department. We put them right through the dish machine," Judd said during a recent tour of the cafeteria and kitchen.
"The premise of the school is to be a green school. We wanted to follow that through in the cafeteria and in the kitchen area. The initial cost of these was probably less than what we would pay for a year's supply of styrofoam. And we should get at least two, three years' use out of the tray."
-- Michael Gelbwasser Boston Public Schools Among 'Best Green Schools' in Country -- West Roxbury Patch Massachusetts: December 26, 2011 [ abstract] The Boston Public schools were recognized by the U.S. Green Building Council’s (USGBC) Center for green schools in their Best of green schools list.
The USCGBC recognized school districts for leadership increating healthy, energy efficient, and academically stimulating learning environments - in their first inaugural Best of green schools.
Schools from across the nation, from K-12 to higher education, were recognized for a variety of sustainable, cost-cutting measures, including energy conservation, LEED-certified buildings, as well as collaborative platforms and policies to green infrastructure.
This year Boston has experienced many green school accomplishments from increasing access to healthy food through the Local Lunch Thursday’s program to saving $75,000 in energy costs by installing occupancy light sensors (the lights turn on only when there is someone in theroom) in 19 schools. Boston also announcer the opening of Boston Green Academy, the first school in the district to integrate concepts of economic, environmental and social equity across the curriculum with the goal of preparing all students to live their lives responsibly and sustainably.
USGBC also recognized Boston Mayor Thomas Menino as a “Convener” for hosting the Research Summit on Childhood Health and School Buildings. The summit brought researchers together to explore the connection between school facilities and student health.
“The importance of a healthy school building and its impact on the ability to provide a positive learning environment can not be overstated,“ said Menino via press release. “I would like to thank the U.S. Green Building Council for their partnership as we continue to explore how we can be better caretakers of our planet.”
-- David Ertischek Green Schools Go Big!-- Earth Day Blog National: December 20, 2011 [ abstract] In what is perhaps the biggest demonstration of support yet for the green schools movement, over two-thirds of the nation’s states formally signed up to participate in the U.S. Department of Education’s Green Ribbon Schools program. Only in its pilot year, this resounding manifestation of support is uniting state departments of education, health, environment and safety to advance the goals of sustainability, environmental literacy and health in our nation’s schools. And don’t think this initiative is exclusive to one area of the country; 17 of the participating states have a Republican governor, 16 have a Democratic governor and 1 has an Independent governor, respectively.
If your school is located in one of the lucky 34 states nationwide, then you have an incredible opportunity to be named one of the greenest and healthiest schools in America! Modeled on the bipartisan success Blue Ribbon Schools program, which awards schools for academic excellence, the Green Ribbon Schools Program will recognize schools that excel in environmental literacy, sustainability facilities and operations, and improved student and staff health. Several states already have their applications out for review and potential submission; the remaining bunch will release their versions in the coming weeks.
-- Staff writer Honoring the People Pushing Green Schools to the Head of the Class-- Green Biz National: December 12, 2011 [ abstract] As a former teacher, I've seen first-hand the transformative effect that great educational environments can have on teacher motivation, student performance and community engagement. I also know that parents are unfailingly dedicated to their children's education and will do just about anything to give their kids an advantage in life.
Over the past year, we at the Center for green schools have witnessed thousands of volunteers, educators, school administrators and policy makers transforming our nation's schools into inspiring places where children learn and thrive. 2011 was a landmark year for the green schools movement, so you can imagine that it was tough to whittle down the long list of accomplishments to 10 big wins. But we did.
Today the Center, along with its founding sponsor, United Technologies Corp., released its "Best of green schools 2011" list, highlighting these 10 leading states, cities, districts and decision makers that have gone above and beyond in their efforts to ensure every student has the opportunity to learn in a healthy, safe environment.
With the Best Of list, we celebrate schools and regions from across the nation – from K-12 to higher education – for their commitments to measurable and innovative sustainability initiatives and their contributions to the Center's mission to green every school in America. This year's recipients ranged from federal collaborations to individual school victories. Here's a taste of trailblazers who rose to the top of our list:
-- Rachel Gutter Ohio leads nation in green school projects-- Dayton Daily News Ohio: December 12, 2011 [ abstract] Ohio leads the country with more green school projects under way than any other state, the U.S. Green Building Council said in a report released today.
The Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit released its first Best of green schools list recognizing recipients from across the country " from K-12 to higher education " for a variety of sustainable, cost-cutting measures including energy conservation.
In the state category, Ohio is the leader with 315 Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) green building-registered and -certified projects, including 19 schools registered this year.
The rating system contains nationally accepted benchmarks for the design, construction and operation of high performing green buildings.
“It’s wonderful and such an honor to receive this award because it shows the rest of the United States what’s happening truly in our state,” said Sue Meyer, a spokeswoman for the Ohio School Facilities Commission.
She also credited OSFC partners, including school districts, architects and construction teams.
Ohio has spent about $9.4 billion on renovation and construction of schools, Meyer said.
So far, more than 860 new or renovated buildings have been occupied.
Approximately 175 schools are under construction and 60 more schools are in the active design phase, Meyer said.
-- Margo Rutledge Kissell Global Green USA Launches Green Schools Mobile App to Help Create Healthier Classrooms and Lower Energy Bills-- The Student Operated Press National: December 11, 2011 [ abstract] "We are excited to launch this smart tool for green schools with the support of Lincoln MKZ Hybrid," said Global Green President Matt Petersen. "This mobile App will help further protect, educate and inspire our most precious and important natural resource, our children." Global Green is already collaborating with the San Francisco Unified School District to help create and implement school modernization protocols and standards that will lead to the greening of schools that will cost less to operate while improving student performance. This collaboration will also influence the green investment of the recently passed $531 million dollar school modernization bond. "Global Green has been an invaluable partner for the San Francisco Unified School District in our efforts to create healthier, greener classrooms, said Nik Kaestner, SFUSD Director of Sustainability."
-- NewsWire New K-8 School Planned for NYC Skyscraper-- School Construction News New York: November 16, 2011 [ abstract] Expected enrollment growth in the New York City school district, where land to build schools is not easy to find, prompted officials to think outside the box " but inside a high rise.
PS/IS 342, also known as The Riverside Center School, is a new public school that will occupy the first four floors of a New York City skyscraper.
The New York City School Construction Authority selected locally based Dattner Architects to design the school within Extell’s Riverside Center mixed-use development on Manhattan’s west side. The school will serve 488 pre-kindergarten through eighth grade students. It will feature more than 20 new classrooms, art and music rooms and a science suite, along with a library, gymnasium and cafeteria.
“What usually happens is, (the School Construction Authority) sees there’s a need for a new school because of the projected number of school age youngsters,” said a spokesperson for the New York City Department of Education. “They also look at schools in the neighborhood and utilization rates to determine whether a new school is needed.”
The project’s design will meet the green schools Guide, a LEED-equivalent system used for all NYC public school capital projects that Dattner Architects developed for the NYC School Construction Authority, officials from the firm said.
International design firm Atelier Christian de Portzamparc Architects and New York-based SLCE Architects designed the high-rise tower.
Dattner officials said the design and construction of the core and shell of the Riverside Center and the school interiors is being closely coordinated. Construction is expected to begin in 2014 and the school plans to open for September 2015 occupancy.
Authority officials said they have similar private-public partnerships like the planned PS/IS 342, including a Lower Manhattan school opening in September as part of a residential building and a similar project in East Harlem.
-- Staff Writer America needs to build more ‘green’ schools -- SunTimes Media National: October 30, 2011 [ abstract] In his jobs speech, President Barack Obama offered a bright solution " school construction.
As the president noted in his speech, “How can we expect our kids to do their best in places that are literally falling apart? This is America. Every child deserves a great school " and we can give it to them, if we act now.”
As proposed, the American Jobs Act would repair and modernize at least 35,000 schools " creating jobs in communities across the country.
In one groundbreaking example, Dr. Robert Pollin, of the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, has demonstrated that spending on education generates the largest number of jobs (23.1 per $1 million spent) of any government spending.
With such potential investment, we now have the possibility to further increase the rate of return for taxpayers by emphasizing green school construction. These efforts have the proven ability to significantly reduce a school’s energy, water and other resource needs. Such savings translate into real benefits for cash-strapped school districts.
On average, a green school utilizes 33 percent less energy, 32 percent less water and reduces waste by 74 percent when compared to a traditional school building. These savings alone can average $100,000 annually " enough to hire two new teachers, buy 250 new computers or purchase 5,000 new textbooks.
green schools can also reduce the following pollutants on an annual basis: nitrogen oxide (NOx), a principal component of smog; sulfur dioxide (SO2), a principal cause of acid rain, and carbon dioxide (CO2), the principal greenhouse gas.
-- Kathleen Rogers Americans Said To Want Greener Schools -- Earth Techling National: October 07, 2011 [ abstract] All over the nation, elementary schools and major universities alike have been installing renewable energy systems and garnering LEED certification for energy efficient buildings. How does the average American feel about Uncle Sam investing in green schools like these? According to a new survey, sponsored by United Technologies and the U.S. Green Building Council’s (USGBC) Center for green schools, nearly three out of four Americans support federal investment in school building improvements focused on creating healthier learning environments, saving tax dollars or lowering carbon emissions.
The independent survey included more than 1,000 Americans and was conducted via telephone from Sept.23 " 25, 2011, by GfK Custom Research North America. It revealed support not only for increased energy efficiency in the nation’s schools, but a failing grade in public perception for schools in general, with one in three of those surveyed reporting that the majority of U.S. schools are in “poor” shape. (Only six percent perceived U.S. schools to be in “excellent” shape.)
The U.S. Government Accountability Office reports that at least 25,000 U.S. schools are in need of extensive repair and replacement, and according to United Technologies and the USGBC’s Center for green schools, green schools save $100,000 per year on operating costs on average " enough to hire at least one new teacher, buy 200 new computers, or purchase 5,000 textbooks.
“A green school is an energy efficient school " meaning less money is spent on overhead like heating and cooling and more can be spent on keeping teachers in the classroom and getting them the resources they need,” said Sandy Diehl, Vice President, Integrated Buildings Solutions, United Technologies Corp., and a Center for green schools advisory board member, in a statement. The USGBC Center for green schools was launched in 2010 with United Technologies Corp. as the founding sponsor.
-- Susan DeFreitas GUEST OPINION: Building green schools will help the economy-- Taunton Gazette National: September 18, 2011 [ abstract] Despite the political banter of Washington, D.C., President Obama offered a bright solution in his jobs speech: school construction.
As the President noted in his speech, “ How can we expect our kids to do their best in places that are literally falling apart? This is America. Every child deserves a great school " and we can give it to them, if we act now.”
As proposed the American Jobs Act would repair and modernize at least 35,000 schools " creating jobs in communities across the country.
In one groundbreaking example, Dr. Robert Pollin of the University of Massachusetts-Amherst has demonstrated that spending on education generates the largest number of jobs (23.1 per $1 million in spending) of any government spending.
-- Kathleen Rogers Is Your Kid’s School Green, Clean, and Safe Enough for Dora the Explorer? -- Sustainable Business Forum National: August 04, 2011 [ abstract] As Dora gets ready for middle school, it’s made me wonder: is my kid’s school good enough for Dora? Would it hold up to her scrutiny not just as a place that recycles, but is it the kind of clean, safe, and sustainable environment Dora would approve?
This line of thinking led me to one of the other people who’s done a lot to shape the very foundations (pardon the pun) of green thinking: Rick Fedrizzi and the US Green Building Council.
While many of us have focused on The Environment with capital letters in the macro sense we’ve missed the environment in the micro, namely the environments we send our children to every day.
Improving these micro-climates could do wonders for our national health, contribute to our communities, and raise, in the word’s of the Center’s director Rachel Gutter, “…a generation of leaders we call sustainability natives…”
That’s why I’m so pleased that Rick will be announcing a major new initiative of the Center for green schools on September 26th at the COMMIT!Forum in New York City. I hope you’ll join Rick in the conversations that will flow throughout the Forum. Because right now, it’s not “just” about the environment. It’s about the environment in our kids’ schools. The air they breathe, the water they drink, the places they learn, play, and interact. These places not only nourish their bodies and minds, they shape the thinking of an entire generation of citizens and leaders.
-- Richard Crespin Live Oak, California School Facility Greenest in County-- Santa Cruz Sentinel California: July 19, 2011 [ abstract] As the 33 aging portable classrooms in the Live Oak School District reach their lifespan in coming years, the new buildings in their place will be "green" from the bottom up.
The first such project is under way next to Green Acres Elementary School on Bostwick Lane and is believed to be the first all-green school facility in the county.
-- Shanna McCord, Utah Schools Saving Green by Being Green-- The Spectrum Utah: July 15, 2011 [ abstract] Building green is better for the environment and for the checkbook, according to recent research and a group in Congress trying to promote more green schools.
Twenty percent of the U.S. population spends its days in school, between students, teachers, staff and administrators, and groups like the Center for green schools at the U.S. Green Building Council have been promoting environmentally-friendly green building practices to improve student performance and health and create more sustainable energy practices. Some members of Congress are on board as well, and U.S. Rep. Jim Matheson, D-Utah, who co-chairs the green school Caucus, said the group's kickoff meeting this week would help create dialogue about how to better promote green school construction. He said green building isn't just good for the environment, but kind to the taxpayers' wallets.
-- David DeMille First Federal Movement to Support Green Schools-- District Administration National: June 01, 2011 [ abstract] he first crop of Green Ribbon Schools, recognized for energy conservation, creating healthy learning spaces, school grounds, building operations and teaching environmental literacy, will be announced next year by the U.S. Department of Education.
The new initiative, launched April 26 on the heels of Earth Day, will be modeled after the department’s Blue Ribbon Schools program, which recognizes academic performance. This is the first time the federal government has launched a comprehensive green schools movement, and it will tie in with President Obama’s pledge to increase energy efficiency and make the United States a greener place.
-- Marion Herbert Elementary Goes Green with Garden, Trees, Birdhouses-- Dundalk Patch Maryland: April 26, 2011 [ abstract] One of the largest green projects Eastwood Elementary tackled as a Maryland green school was creating an outdoor habitat garden. Within this garden, teachers, staff, parents and students placed plants to attract butterflies in the warmer months and winter birds during the colder months. There are also birdhouses for bluebirds, and birdbaths to draw some local wildlife closer to the school. Eastwood Elementary was certified as a Maryland green school in 2009 after a committee of administrators, teachers, building maintenance staff, a parent and two students completed the application process. But earning Maryland green school certification is about more than an application process. It's about changing the way teachers and students view the natural environment. It's also about integrating environmental education into every aspect of learning.
According to Walls, one of the greatest challenges the school faced with regard to Maryland green school certification was finding the money to implement the projects they wanted to do. Luckily local companies, including Lowe's Home Improvement and Home Depot, came through with donations of trees and other plants for both the habitat garden and the playground project.
-- Timothy Dunn First California School Recognized as "CHPS Verified"-- Green Building Pro California: March 10, 2011 [ abstract] For the first time, a school in California has been recognized as meeting the rigorous high performance design and construction “CHPS Verified” standard of the Collaborative for High Performance Schools (CHPS). High Tech High Chula Vista (HTHCV), a charter high school in Chula Vista, CA, was awarded a CHPS Verified plaque today for completing the rigorous green rating program that verifies a school’s compliance with the CHPS green school building standard.
“High Tech High Chula Vista is a wonderful flagship for the CHPS program in California. As a charter school with a limited construction budget, but with a commitment to integrate sustainable principles into the lives of its diverse student population, HTHCV proves that all schools can be high performance schools,” said Bill Orr, Executive Director of CHPS. “The CHPS Verified plaque is not only a recognition of the school community for committing to high performance design, but also a charge to continue to bring these sustainable principles into play everyday.”
-- Staff Writer Grant Boosts Green Upgrades at Sacramento Schools-- The Sacramento Bee California: February 09, 2011 [ abstract] Plans for $100 million in green upgrades to Sacramento's school buildings received a boost from the national organization that certifies eco-friendly and energy-efficient buildings.
The U.S. Green Building Council on Tuesday named the Sacramento City Unified School District as one of the first school systems in the nation for its $300,000 green schools fellowship program.
The three-year fellowship will fund a full-time sustainability officer who will help direct the school district's energy efficiency programs, indoor air quality programs and its maintenance and transportation work.
-- Rick Daysog Fuel Cells Heating Up Irvine Schools-- http://articles.dailypilot.com/2011-02-04/news/tn- California: February 04, 2011 [ abstract] Thanks to fuel cells, students at University and Woodbridge high schools may be swimming in a sustainable pool next year. The technology was approved last month during an Irvine Unified School District school board meeting. Over the next 20 years, the fuel cells could save the district as much as $567,698 at each school. "We set up an effort about two years ago to go after renewable energy sources to help the district save money in the long run," said school board member Mike Parham. The first of the projects was a partnership with SunEdison and SPG Solar to install solar panels on 21 of the district's sites. The project could save Irvine $8 million in energy expenditures over the next two decades, according to the district's website.
The district has been researching other areas to use renewable energy, not only to cut costs but to also educate the students about the importance of the eco-friendly alternative, Parham said. The district initially met with the National Fuel Cell Research Center, which is based at UC Irvine, but decided the technology wasn't there yet. While at the green schools Summit, Parham and other school officials noticed the ClearEdge booth and after talking a bit, realized fuel cells weren't entirely out of the picture, Parham said.
The fuel cells, which are about the size of a refrigerator, convert natural gas into energy. The byproduct is heat. "If you don't have a way to use the heat exhaust, it's not cost effective," said Mark Sontag, the math and science curriculum coordinator and sustainable program supervisor for the district. With a new pool being built at Woodbridge, heat was definitely in need.
-- Joanna Clay Bureaucracy run amok in Balto. Co. schools
-- Baltimore Sun Maryland: January 20, 2011 [ abstract] It seems the Baltimore County Public School system is bent on prohibiting as many non-school day activities in its facilities as it can ("No fair — Parents protest ban on craft shows," Jan. 18). My children's elementary school was recently denied permission by BCPS's facilities department to hold an electronics recycling collection on a Saturday in the parking lot. The reason given was that there were liability issues (with household electronics?!) and the "uncertainty of 3rd party vendors" (i.e., the recycling agency, who has done this for us for several years).
Last year the school was denied permission to build some compost bins in a new interior courtyard. This project was planned to support our green schools curriculum by recycling grass clippings and plant cuttings, while giving children hands-on learning opportunities. In contrast, Baltimore City schools are encouraged to offer many kinds of green activities on school property.
As a taxpayer and a concerned parent, I feel that school facilities should be used for school and community activities which enhance the curriculum and which generate income for school functions. Additionally, third party vendors are often necessary for having a fundraiser that the community wants, and vendors can be selected who support educational goals. It is time for the BCPS's policies to be revised with the larger community in mind.
-- Susanne Ogaitis-Jones State to pay less of costs to build St. Mary's schools
-- Southern Maryland Newspaper Online Maryland: January 19, 2011 [ abstract] St. Mary's County government will be chipping in more on school construction projects over the next few years because the state has revised its public school construction funding formula.
The state currently pays 75 percent of public school construction projects in St. Mary's County. That will decrease in steps until it settles at 64 percent of construction costs in 2015, according to St. Mary's school officials
Brad Clements, chief operating officer for St. Mary's public schools, said the state reviews every few years what share of construction projects it pays.
The current 75 percent state portion is based on the county's wealth and effort to help fund such projects, Kim Howe, coordinating supervisor of capital planning and green schools, said.
St. Mary's County government currently pays for any land purchases, planning and the remaining 25 percent of construction through its capital budget.
The state/local cost share formula is based on a number of factors, according to a state capital improvements document, including percentage of students receiving free or reduced price meals, unemployment rates, enrollment growth and school construction debt.
The minimum state share allowed under the formula is 50 percent and the maximum state share is 97 percent.
-- JESSE YEATMAN San Bernadino School District Earns High Marks for Green Schools-- Press-Enterprise California: January 18, 2011 [ abstract] The San Bernardino City Unified School District has been selected as a model for building environmentally friendly, high-performance, energy-efficient schools. Last month, the district received the Green Building Leadership Award, presented during the annual Green California Schools Summit in Pasadena. The district was honored for its dedication to the implementation of green building standards during the modernization of existing campuses and the construction of new ones.
In recent years, the district has broadened its environmentally sensitive building practices, said Wael Elatar, facilities management/maintenance and operations administrator.
"Building green and high-performance schools not only helps the environment," Elatar said. "It also helps save the district money, which is vital in these tough budget times."
The district has undertaken 53 projects and 14 school projects. These projects are focused on creating energy-efficient schools, Elatar said. These projects feature key high-performance and green components, such as efficient LED lighting and low-flush toilets.
-- Staff Writer Northwood Students Demonstrate it's Easy to be Green-- RoyalOakPatch Michigan: December 11, 2010 [ abstract] More than 270 students at Northwood Elementary decorated napkins with an eco-friendly message in a poster contest as part of a Michigan green schools event.
The state of Michigan has an official Michigan green school Law that encourages all public and private schools to participate in energy saving and environmental activities that protect Michigan's resources. green schools, like Northwood, do things like recycle papers and reuse newspapers and magazines. They adopt an endangered species animal from one of several organizations that offer adoption and they plan energy saving programs.
Holding a poster contest to promote ecology concerns is another way to demonstrate a school is green.
-- Judy Davids Houston School District, City of Houston Team to Make Schools Greener-- KTRK.com Texas: December 07, 2010 [ abstract] The city of Houston and HISD are teaming up through a nationwide program to help make schools more energy efficient.
Last month Mayor Annise Parker and HISD Superintendent Terry Grier participated in the Greening of America's Schools Summit at the Redford Center in Utah to discuss the importance of greening school districts. Through the summit, the city and school district decided they'd share information about green practices through the mayor's director of sustainability, create more common gardens for initiatives such as SPARK parks and convene local superintendents for a local green schools summit.
"The City of Houston and HISD both have many resources that can be of use to one another," said Mayor Parker in a prepared statement. "The City of Houston is committed to applying any available resources to help our schools, especially those that can provide our children with a green, sustainable environment." "We look forward to building on our existing efforts and implementing new sustainability initiatives through this partnership with the City of Houston," said Dr. Grier in a prepared statement. "HISD has many opportunities to showcase how green initiatives can help save energy and costs while providing yet another learning experience for our teachers, students and staff."
-- Staff Writer New Jersey School Gains Big Solar Array -- EarthTechling New Jersey: November 26, 2010 [ abstract] From grid positive colleges to green-built classrooms, there are more green schools than ever before. Now, a New Jersey girls’ high school known as Bnos Bais Yaakov will be joining their ranks with a massive rooftop solar array.
When we say massive, we do mean massive. While there’s no word on exactly how many megawatts will be involved, the 25,000 square foot roof of the high school building will soon be home to a solar array expected to save Bnos Bais Yaakov $35,000 on its electric bills on an annual basis. At this rate, the system will pay for itself in three years.
A local company, Arosa Energy, will be handling the installation of this photovoltaic system, purchased by the school with the help of government incentives and solar renewable energy credits (SRECs) it will receive once the system is in operation. Currently, the Garden State’s green initiatives and government funding programs lead the nation for the shortest payback period on solar energy systems, and SRECs in New Jersey are worth twice their value in other states.
-- Susan DeFreitas Green Efforts Pay Off for Waynesboro, Virginia School District -- Newsleader Virginia: November 25, 2010 [ abstract] It's the little things that add up, Kaitlin Steck found when she nominated Waynesboro's school district for the green schools Challenge. Those little things — the sum of them — put Waynesboro above 54 other school divisions, garnering them first place in the statewide competition. Efforts include: Recycling, and using recycled materials; A no-idling policy for buses; Use of daylight instead of artificial light in classrooms; A ride sharing and walking policy; A modernization of heating systems.
"It was neat to find out all the things the schools already do," said Steck, department secretary for the office of instruction. "You might not know what is going on when you're sitting in central office." Steck said Berkeley Glenn's solar powered water heating system made Waynesboro stand out. Waynesboro took the top prize from the Virginia School Board Association in the less-than-5,000-student bracket.
-- Megan Williams How Does Your Green School Garden Grow?-- The Lake Oswego Review Oregon: November 11, 2010 [ abstract] : For the gardeners at Hallinan Elementary School in Lake Oswego " all 342 of them " this is not a fallow season. In fact, as the fall weather turns cold and rainy, they will have some of their busiest days as they prepare for next spring’s planting.
“This started out as a small project,” said principal Steve Mauritz. “We’ve never had a project at the school that generated as much support from parents and students,” he said. “Every parent wants their child to know where their food comes from.”
As miraculously as the growth of Jack’s magic beanstalk, enthusiasm for the project shot through the school roof. The simple classroom exercise to raise awareness of where foods originate mushroomed into 24 8-foot by 4-foot raised beds enclosed behind deer-deterring six-foot tall fencing. With the help of many parents, some of whom have landscaping and construction skills, a lawn was dug up and replaced with enough garden beds for each classroom to have two to plant as they wish.
Outside the fenced garden are compost bins; composting lunch leftovers will begin soon. This fall a rainwater recapturing system will be constructed and the water used to irrigate the beds. Hallinan is pursuing the “premier” Oregon green school designation, which very few schools in the state attain.
-- BARB RANDALL Washington State Voters Reject Green Schools Measure-- Business Week Washington: November 03, 2010 [ abstract] A statewide referendum authorizing bonds for school energy retrofits has been defeated in Washington. Nearly 57 percent of voters rejected Referendum 52 with 1.37 million votes counted Tuesday. About 2.4 million votes are expected statewide.
"It's disappointing to have lost," said Cynara Lilly, spokeswoman for the Healthy Schools for Washington campaign. "This was conceived with the best of intentions. It was an opportunity to create jobs while making our schools a healthier place. While the measure went down, we saw a fair amount of support." She and other supporters of Referendum 52 said the money was needed to pay for newer pipes, better insulation and other energy upgrades at public schools and colleges across the state. R-52 would have authorized $505 million in bonds to be paid back by extending the temporary sales tax on bottled water set to expire in 2013.
Opponents said the initiative would have saddled the state with too much debt and would not create the number of jobs promised. While there was no apparent organized opposition, the Washington Policy Center and Republican lawmakers have been vocal critics.
Under the measure, public school districts and public higher education institutions would have competed for grants to pay for construction projects, and at least five percent of the total amount would have gone to districts with fewer than 1,000 students.
-- Phuong Lee Manhattan School Exceeds Green Expectations
-- ny1.com New York: October 13, 2010 [ abstract] At PS 272 in Battery Park City, carbon dioxide sensors adjust air-conditioning based on how many people are in a room; photocells detect sunlight and turn off classroom lights; and solar panels power half the building. For planners and architects, it's a showcase of environmental building practices. "This building surpasses the requirements of state energy code by 26 percent. And I'm pretty confident that at this point, it's the most sustainable building from an energy point of view in New York," said Daniel Heuberger of Dattner Architects. The building, which houses 900 students, was in the works even before the city required schools to be built green. The Battery Park City Authority helped pay for the extra features.
But the ideal of green school construction extends beyond brick and mortar benefits into what's actually happening in the classrooms everyday. Educators say they're using the building as a springboard for science and social studies classes on the environment and urban planning.
The solar panels on the roof, in addition to generating electricity, will also generate a steady stream of data, which can be sent to any computer in the building and which tells you in real time how much power the solar panels are generating, which panels are doing the most work and we hope the teachers will use it for science labs and other educational purposes," Heuberger said. There's also an outdoor science lab, soon to include a weather station.
Next door, the Skyscraper Museum is developing a whole curriculum based on the new school building. "They have a matched set of images of our building being built and the Empire State Building being built. And it's a curriculum that is based on primary resources and the kids are going to be comparing the two images to see about methods of construction, how it's the same and different, and what makes something sustainably built," Ruyter said.
-- Lindsey Christ New Schools in New Orleans, Sunnier, Greener-- Chem.Info Louisiana: October 11, 2010 [ abstract] Five years after Katrina flushed water through the failed floodwalls, destroying homes, damaging classrooms and dashing dreams, the opportunity to build green schools that save millions of dollars on energy bills is just within reach for the school districts that serve New Orleans. Hurricane Katrina knocked out dozens of schools along with thousands of homes, and for quite a while the mission was just to keep education alive and the three Rs solvent. But now, with the help of federal disaster dollars, the school district has launched an ambitious goal to build 40 new schools and renovate 38 others that are at least 30 percent more energy efficient than required by code.
The U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory helped stitch together a blueprint for what the new and renovated schools should become. Now that the first of the new schools have opened, NREL will monitor some schools to illustrate what works well and what opportunities were missed, helping the districts to push new school design teams toward ever more efficient designs.
-- National Renewable Energy Laboratory The Sun Rises on Green Schools-- Reuters National: October 08, 2010 [ abstract] Everyone is falling over themselves to green school facilities. For example, the U.S. Green Building Council has launched the Center for green schools, continuing its multifaceted National green schools Campaign. Schools registered in or certified by the LEED system represent over 200 million square feet of floor area. LEED schools use 30 percent less energy and water on average and reduce operating costs by nearly $100,000 per year. United Technologies is the founding sponsor of the center, which will provide a wide range of tools to school stakeholders in support of the transformation of schools to green.
At the Clinton Global Initiative two weeks ago, the National Wildlife Federation and green schools pioneer Jayni Chase and Serious Materials committed to the Energy Efficient Schools Initiative, a partnership to use science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) curriculum to lower barriers to retrofitting of 500 schools across the country over the next two years. Also on the hardware front, ZETA Communities is bringing its net zero energy precision-built expertise to educational facilities, the first one of which is a 4,000 square foot project for the Davis Waldorf School in California's Central Valley.
Farther south, PsomasFMG and Rosendin Electric have started construction on one of the country's largest school photovoltaic installations, a total of 9.6 MW in carport installations for the Antelope Valley Union High School District that will provide 80 percent of the district's energy needs and also reduce a large urban heat island by shading 4,000 parking spaces. And like the NWF/Serious Materials initiative, the Antelope Valley project will be used as a basis for a green STEM curriculum module.
-- Rob Watson Local Elementary School Uses Rain Garden-- kaaltv.com New York: September 21, 2010 [ abstract] A Rochester elementary school is now part of a growing number of groups doing its part to clean our water. It now houses a rain garden. The city is reaching out to a younger generation about an ongoing problem. "These are all the components that are in storm water, grass clippings, leaves, dog poop even soil from erosion that's occurred," said Allison Plute, Stormwater Educator for the City of Rochester. That's just a small list of what goes into our water.
Plute teamed up with officials at George Gibbs Elementary. Kids will learn the importance of keeping water clean through a rain garden. "This is a great way to have an outdoor classroom to explore plants and animals and storm water in action," said Plute.
Built this summer, it's the first rain garden at a Rochester school. This is how the rain garden works. Over the next few years, the roots on the plants will become nearly eight feet long, soaking up water before it runs into the street and becomes polluted. "I think they'll enjoy it even more as it starts to grow and they start to get their hands in dirt so it's exciting...we're a green school so I think this is a green opportunity and just another one of those tools for us to teach our kids," said Jane Drennan, Principal of George Gibbs Elementary.
The amount of rain gardens is expanding. Last year the city started giving $750 grants to people who want one in their yard. So far 11 grants have been given. As for the garden at George Gibbs, officials hope more people will latch onto the idea of having their own. "We've had several calls now from other elementary schools that say we want a rain garden at our school," said Plute.
-- Ellery McCardle Green Schoolyards as an Element of Reform-- Education Week National: September 01, 2010 [ abstract] Reduced class size. Longer school days. Accountability through testing. Better teachers. Managing the dropout rate. Dealing with unions. Serving special education and English-language-learning students. Safety in school. The list goes on. We know that public education is facing many challenges, and that there are many brilliant minds and kind hearts trying to find solutions to a complex set of problems. But let’s look for a moment at the end user who should be the focus of all this attention: the child.
What motivates a child to learn? Children are active and social beings who have an innate curiosity about the world around them. We should be using these attributes as a springboard into the vast and wonderful world of learning.
-- Kirk Meyer Make Sure Your Community Has a Green School Advocate -- SmartPlanet National: July 20, 2010 [ abstract] Okay class, your assignment for the summer recess is to read as much as possible about why and how we as adults can and should act to make school buildings greener " and why this isn’t just a great thing for operational efficiency, it’s a great thing to teach “Generation G.” Before you start protesting that this just isn’t a priority given all the other things the public education system needs, consider that addressing basic things like energy efficiency or climate control doesn’t just help schools save money it helps promote an environment that is more conducive to learning. Seriously, how much can a child be expected to focus on the lesson plan if he or she is about to pass out from heat or poor air circulation? If we have any hope of moving to year-round schedules in the future, we can’t expect kids to sit in stifling classrooms.
-- Heather Clancy San Antonio's First Green School Completed -- Express News Texas: July 19, 2010 [ abstract] Cibolo Green Elementary, in the North East Independent School District, is one of the first green schools in San Antonio. Built by Satterfield and Pontikes to meet LEED Silver standards, Cibolo Green features recycled building materials and energy-saving lighting throughout the school.
Built on a steeply graded site, the new school also features learning centers throughout the facility and viewing windows into the mechanical rooms and infrastructure, allowing students to see such building components as steel columns, insulation, piping and wiring. It also has an emphasis on multiple colors and natural light in the atrium, common areas and classrooms.
-- Elizabeth Allen, Omaha Public Schools Green Plans Blooming -- Omaha World-Herald Nebraska: July 10, 2010 [ abstract] The Omaha Public Schools is ready to show that Kermit the Frog was wrong: With commitment, it is easy being green — and it's saving money. The district's relatively new green schools Initiative already is paying off. Eight of the district's newest or recently remodeled schools have been recognized as Energy Stars. Running an Energy Star school costs about 40 cents less per square foot than a building with average efficiency. That means those eight OPS schools save the district a total of more than $300,000 a year in utility costs.
â€"The more efficient a building is, the more cost-effective it is to run,†said Craig Moody of the local stainability consulting firm Verdis Group. â€"This initiative is very much financially driven. Our goal is to make our schools as efficient as possible.â€
-- Michaela Saunders, 46 Mayors Team Up for Green Schools -- Union-Tribune California: July 09, 2010 [ abstract] Mayors in three South Bay cities are joining a green schools coalition. Cheryl Cox of Chula Vista, Ron Morrison of National City and Jim Janney of Imperial Beach announced their participation in the Mayors’ Alliance for green schools at Chula Vista High School. The alliance is a coalition of 46 mayors nationwide who will work with the U.S. Green Building Council to promote the building of environmentally sustainable buildings at public schools and to encourage green renovations in South Bay campuses.
Wednesday’s event was held in front of the construction site for Chula Vista High School’s new creative arts multipurpose building " a $9 million LEED Gold structure approved by South County voters as part of Proposition O in November 2006. Speakers praised the 25,729-square-foot building as setting the standard for future projects.
-- Wendy Fry, Massachusetts School Hailed for Green Work -- Gloucester Times Massachusetts: June 14, 2010 [ abstract] The Manchester Essex Regional High School green team — led by Eric Magers, a foreign language teacher — want their facility to stand as the "greenest school in America." The school has received a state "Green Difference" award that placed them in the state's top three green schools, recognizing MERHS's efficient design, recycling, composting and waste reduction programs.
Sarah Creighton, school building committee chairwoman, said the $49 million school facility received the highest level of pre-certification under the Massachusetts high performance schools program. The facility requires efficient lighting, air quality controls, efficient materials and conserve materials, resources and energy. The new high-school also maximized the National Grid and Keyspan utility rebates. The school's construction, Creighton noted, includes high-efficiency lighting that dims depending on sunlight, low-flow faucets and toilets, a 30kw photovoltaic (solar) power system that provides 40,000 kilowatt hours of clean electricity. Morrison mentioned that district received a new start along with the new building.
"It's not just the construction," said Paul Murphy, MERHS assistant principal. "It's the people inside." In conjunction with the environmentally sound design, the high school created a "green team" of committed students and faculty one year ago. The group, which comprised of 100 students and 25 faculty district wide, promoted several green initiatives within the school, ultimately reducing MERHS' waste output by 85 percent. The team, led by Magers, Morrison and Cavollano, instituted single-stream recycling, composting and electronic waste disposal in the school, and stainless steel compost bins stand as a common sight in school halls. The team also introduced what Magers called "terracycling" measures — designed to reuse wrappers, expo markers, and pens, among other refuse — and Nike-Grind, a national service that turns athletic shoes into athletic surfaces. According to Magers, the waste disposal efforts saved the school $1,000 over the course of 2009-2010.
-- Steven Fletcher Fairbanks, Alaska Middle School Students Win National Award for Green School Design -- Daily News Miner Alaska: May 17, 2010 [ abstract] The school of the future is a net-zero-energy building with three triangular wings, a solar array, green roof, spherical dome and astronomy aqua-tower, all straddling a river. And it resides in Fairbanks. SubZero Middle School is a futuristic model designed by 10 students from Barnette Magnet Middle School. On April 30, the group won first place and a $2,000 prize for Barnette in the nationwide School of the Future competition in Washington, D.C. The class spent a week in D.C. in late April, competing against seven other finalists and presenting its project before 20 judges.
“I’m most proud of it because it’s not some far-fetched idea. It’s very realistic,” said Eliza Lawler, who took a feeder guppy to Washington to stock the mockup of the Chena River. “You get a bunch of 12- and 13-year-olds together, and it’s amazing. It’s unbridled imagination,” said local architect Steve Keller, who helped students with the project and accompanied them to D.C. “They’re thinking like adults, but they don’t have the constraints that full-grown adults have.”
-- Molly Rettig Students Design Tomorrow’s Green Schools: CEFPI Competition Winner-- CEFPI National: May 03, 2010 [ abstract] The 2010 winners of the annual School of the Future Design Competition, centerpiece of School Building Week, April 26-30, were announced during an award ceremony in Washington, DC. Sponsored by the Council of Educational Facility Planners International (CEFPI) and the National Association of Realtors® in collaboration with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the American Institute of Architects, the American Federation of Teachers, the National Education Association and more than 20 other associations and private companies, the annual competition challenges middle school teams to think creatively as they design tomorrow’s green schools to enhance learning, conserve resources, be environmentally responsive and engage the surrounding community.
The Award of Excellence went to Barnette Magnet School, Fairbanks, AK with Lyme-Old Lyme Middle School, Old Lyme, CT capturing second place. Seneca Middle School, Macomb, MI, was the third place winner. Awards of commendation were presented to Heritage Year Round Middle School, Wake Forest, NC; Roskruge Bilingual K-8, Tucson, AZ; Howard University Middle School/Math & Science, Washington, DC and Kids Rethink New Orleans Schools (ReThink), New Orleans, LA.
-- Barbara Worth Pennsylvania Ranks Top in the EPA's 2009-10 College and University Green Power Challenge -- Green School and University National: April 22, 2010 [ abstract] The University of Pennsylvania, Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, and Pennsylvania State University in University Park were the top three purchasers of green power among the 54 institutions that took part in this year's challenge. Sponsored by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) the College and University Green Power Challenge encourages colleges and universities to use renewable resources such as solar, wind, geothermal, biomass, biogas and low-impact hydropower to provide the energy to run their campuses.
The University of Pennsylvania topped the list for the fourth year in a row purchasing more than 192 million kilowatt hours of green power in 2009-10 accounting for 46 percent of its power purchases and reducing its peak electric demand by 18 percent. Penn's commitment to green power will help make possible the construction of a 12-turbine, 20-megawatt wind farm in Pennsylvania. Carnegie Mellon acquired 86.8 million kilowatt hours of green power in 2009-10, which represents three-quarters of its energy consumption. Penn State acquired 83.6 million kilowatt hours of green power in 2009-10, about 20 percent of its total energy consumption.
-- Mike Kennedy Wake County, North Carolina To Review Costs of Green School Building Efforts -- News & Observer North Carolina: April 14, 2010 [ abstract] Wake County's environmentally green schools may be costing too much financial green for members of the school board's new ruling majority to keep in building plans. Chris Malone, chairman of the board's facilities committee, called for a financial review of Wake's green building efforts, which have led to features such as waterless urinals, natural lighting and recycled building material. Malone said these features can increase costs by as much as 5 percent and may no longer be justifiable when cash-strapped school leaders will need to ask voters in the next few years to approve a school bond referendum for hundreds of millions of dollars. "If we want a bond issue approved, we have to show voters we're saving dollars," said Malone, one of four newcomers swept into office in the fall.
But supporters of green schools said abandoning these efforts would be shortsighted. Green-school features are supposed to save money in the long haul, with lower electric and water bills because of greater efficiency. "I understand that these are hard economic times, but the costs will ultimately come back to the taxpayers," said Bae-Won Koh, chairman of the Triangle chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council. "They'll have to pay more later."
Wake County voters last approved a school bond issue in 2006 for a record $970 million. Plans for a follow-up bond issue have been delayed because of the national recession. With the possibility of a bond issue going to voters in 2011 or 2012, Malone said Tuesday that it's time to spend the next few months considering the planning assumptions that will be used for the next school building program. Among the areas targeted for review by Malone are Wake's long-standing efforts to design schools to be in compliance with the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program. The U.S. Green Building Council says LEED building standards can substantially reduce the emission of carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas. More than 1,100 schools have registered across the country for the LEED program.
Malone's call for a review occurs a week before Earth Day and at a time when global warming is a hot topic. Malone said he believes that man is causing the climate to change but thinks it uncertain whether humans are the major reason. Wake school administrators have noted that waterless urinals reduce water use by 20 percent and that designing buildings to use more natural lighting instead of electric lights can cut energy use by 20 percent to 30 percent. Doug Brinkley, past chairman of the Triangle chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council, also touted how green schools can help improve student learning by ensuring good air quality. Schools can use paints that don't release as many chemicals into the air that can irritate people. "It's more than just about saving money; it's about the health of those inside," Brinkley said.
-- T. Keung Hui Baltimore Grade Schools Go Green-- UrbaniteBaltimore Maryland: April 01, 2010 [ abstract] Baltimore’s grade-school students like the idea of having a planet to call home for a few more years. “Just because we’re young doesn’t mean we don’t care,” says Kayla Adams, a sixth-grader at the Stadium School, a small public charter middle school in Waverly. The Stadium School is one of sixteen Baltimore City schools that won thousand-dollar Sustainability Challenge grants in December to facilitate recycling, reduce waste, and create green spaces in their schoolyards. The grants came through a partnership of the Baltimore City Office of Sustainability, Baltimore City Public Schools, the Baltimore Community Foundation, and the city’s Cleaner, Greener Baltimore initiative.
Many of the Stadium School students participating in the Sustainability Challenge are also involved in a project-based class called Green Neighbors. “It’s important to recycle here at school because we waste a lot of good materials every day,” says seventh-grader Antrel McDowell. Kamryn Taylor adds, “I see all the garbage and think, ‘Is this what people think of the planet?’”
Some schools have taken eco-education a step or two further. Take the green school, another public charter school located in the old Shrine of the Little Flower Catholic School in Belair-Edison. As the name suggests, the fundamental three “r’s” of education have been expanded to include three more"reduce, reuse, recycle. “Each grade has an anchor project called an investigation that involves science and social issues tied to the local environment,” says green school director Kate Primm. Kindergarteners study pollinators; first-graders raise terrapins to be released in Poplar Island, a small island in the Chesapeake Bay that is being rebuilt using soil dredged from the Baltimore Harbor; second-graders grow underwater grasses that are transplanted in the Chesapeake Bay; and fifth-graders grow an organic vegetable garden. Each of these projects integrates traditional subjects with hands-on learning methods. For example, when planning and creating a garden, students must diagram and map out a site and calculate the cost of plants and other supplies"all activities that utilize math. “The students’ investigations are authentic applications they can apply in real life with meaningful context,” says Primm.
The green school and thirteen other city schools have been awarded “green school” certification by the Maryland Association for Environmental and Outdoor Education. Both public and private schools are eligible for the program. Schools qualify for this seal of eco-approval by demonstrating activities such as waste reduction, water-use reduction, habitat restoration, and community involvement.
-- Maren Tarro, Green Schools Designed to Catch Students’ Eyes-- Daily Journal of Commerce Oregon Oregon: March 30, 2010 [ abstract] : Students in the past may not have given much thought to how much energy their schools consume. But perhaps pupils will ask more questions when they see what makes their schools greener. More architects nowadays are choosing to open students’ eyes to green design by designing new school buildings with solar arrays, storm-water drainage systems and other sustainable building features exposed intentionally.
According to Scott Rose, a principal with DLR Group working on the new Petersen Elementary School in Scappoose, youths have minds like sponges, and will benefit from being able to see green building systems in action. “If nothing else, we want to use this building as a teaching tool,” Rose said. “If they can look at an exposed cistern with color-coded pipe showing how the rainwater is being recycled into the bathrooms, they will make the connections.”
Several studies performed in the last decade have lauded sustainable schools for improving the performance of teachers and students alike because of better lighting and air quality. However, data is still being collected on how learning in a high-performance school affects students’ concepts of sustainability.
John Weekes, a Dull Olson Weekes Architects principal, designed exposed systems for the new Valley View Middle School in Snohomish, Wash. He said the visible systems will encourage students to think more critically about their surroundings. All of Valley View’s mechanical equipment, boilers and water-reuse systems will be exposed or placed behind glass walls for observation. “Unless you can see it and touch it, you don’t understand how it works,” Weekes said. “Seventy percent of students are visual. Having these systems exposed shows there is more to a building than the rooms they happen to occupy. Then you can apply those lessons to math, science and physics in their curriculum.”
That is what science teacher Jason Hieggeoke has been doing at Da Vinci Arts Middle School. He has used a water garden, which drains storm water, as a living laboratory. “There aren’t many special places for kids in schools, and this is one of them,” Hieggeoke said. “We do water quality testing and look for invertebrates. We care for the garden so they learn about conservation. Sometimes they will see the pipes and ask where they are coming from, which gives me the opportunity to explain the storm-water system to them.”
According to Nancy Boyd, resource conservation director for Portland Public Schools, students at Da Vinci Arts Middle School also have been engaged by a net-zero music room constructed there last year. In the room, which features a solar system donated by the Bonneville Environmental Foundation, kids can visit an interactive kiosk to track how the photovoltaic panels power the building. “The students are definitely paying attention to the data,” Boyd said. “We’d love to know if there are other things we could do (with facilities) to help integrate that into the curriculum.”
-- Nathalie Weinstein L.A.'s Green Schools: Propane Buses, Solar Panels and Environmental Education -- Los Angeles Times Greenspace Blog California: March 08, 2010 [ abstract] What with budget cuts, teacher layoffs and increasing class sizes, the situation at L.A. Unified School District is grim. But there’s yet another issue. With 14,000 buildings housing 700,000 students spread over 710 square miles serviced by 1,300 school buses, the district is one of the largest users of water and energy in the state of California.
Now an ambitious sustainability program has been implemented to reduce the district’s environmental impact and, in the process, save money, improve student performance and serve as a hands-on teaching tool. In March, hundreds of decades-old buses will be upgraded to less-polluting, more-energy-efficient propane models. Eight schools, out of a planned 250, will have solar power installed. Still others will be outfitted with "smart" irrigation systems to reduce the millions of gallons of imported water the district guzzles each day, more than half of which is used for outdoor watering.
Building on a 2005 recycling initiative, LAUSD is striving to slash greenhouse-gas emissions, energy use and water use by 10% from 2007 levels by 2013. It also will install 50 megawatts of solar photovoltaics " a move that could save the district more than $20 million annually on an electricity bill that normally runs $85 million.
So far, most of the changes have been funded with voter-approved state bond measures, utility incentives from Southern California Edison and the L.A. Department of Water and Power and grants from such agencies as the Air Quality Management District. An additional $120 million in federal Clean Renewable Energy Bonds also may be available to the LAUSD to help it go solar.
The 44 campuses the district plans to build by 2013 will be designed to comply with water and energy efficiency standards of the Collaborative for High Performance Schools, which also encourages better classroom acoustics, air quality, mold prevention and natural lighting. "People think of the whole green issue as focusing on energy, but it’s actually only one-fifth energy. It’s also focused on air quality, land use and human comfort," said Vivian Loftness, professor of architecture at Carnegie Mellon University and co-chair of a 2008 National Research Council report on green schools. "There’s a much broader set of issues."
For the green schools study, a 5-person panel of medical doctors, school officials and building experts looked at research linking green schools to health and student performance. It found that many green building practices aided learning. Insulated walls and double-paned windows don’t just save energy, they also reduce noise pollution. Increasing natural light in classrooms doesn’t just save electricity, it triggers melatonin production, which leads to healthy sleep cycles, and it makes textbooks and other materials more colorful and compelling to students, Loftness said. Using non-VOC paints reduces respiratory problems such as asthma " the No. 1 cause of absenteeism in schools.
-- Susan Carpenter New Schools Turning Green: Massachusetts Schools Using Geothermal Heat, Solar Panels and Energy-saving Technology-- Berkshire Eagle Massachusetts: February 27, 2010 [ abstract] Monument Valley Regional Middle School in Great Barrington is a quintessential example of a "green" public school building in Massachusetts. The 81,315-square-foot building in the Berkshire Hills Regional School District has motion-sensored classroom lights, recycled carpeting, an interior covered with environmentally friendly paint, and more than twice the insulation required. The $15.5 million project completed in August 2005 also has 88 solar panels that now produce $15,000 worth of electricity each year - or more than 13 percent of the $115,000 spent to power the building, according to school district officials.
But what sets Monument Valley apart from most green schools - new and renovated - is the geothermal heating system. Water pumped from a large underground aquifer activates the 63 heat pumps throughout the school. After the water circulates through the system, it's returned to the aquifer 350 feet below the surface. The renewable energy source heats 95 percent of Monument Valley at an annual operating cost of nearly $32,000 - a nearly 40 percent savings over using natural gas estimated at $54,000.
-- Dick Lindsey Nebraska State Senators Tout Building High Performance Green Schools-- Beatrice Daily Sun Nebraska: February 17, 2010 [ abstract] When it comes to producing high performance students, Sen. Ken Haar said it begins with creating high performance schools. Haar, the author of LB 1096, an act for schools to adopt the High Performance Schools Initiative, said one of the jobs of the Legislature is to educate the citizens. The High Performance School Act would allow schools to become more energy efficient and utilize a more natural environment - saving tax dollars through eliminating energy and water costs and creating a better environment for education.
“High performance school buildings produce high performance kids,” Haar repeated. “It’s not about buildings, it’s about students and teachers. In high performance buildings, or green buildings as some people sometimes say it, you see students performing better on test scores, there is less absenteeism, and there are healthier and happier students.” “High performance buildings save energy immediately, water immediately and taxes over time,” Haar said. Schools who choose to become high performance buildings also create jobs, the senator said. “You can’t outsource construction or retrofitting,” Haar said. “It creates local jobs and uses local supplies from local suppliers and loans from local banks.”
-- Chris Dunker, Green Schools Resolution Advances in Utah-- Salt Lake Tribune Utah: February 16, 2010 [ abstract] A joint resolution that would encourage the state Board of Education and Utah's school districts to build environmentally friendly and energy-efficient schools narrowly passed out of the House Government Operations committee on a 5-3 vote. Rep. Mark Wheatley, D-Murray, is sponsoring HJR20 to provide "more than just a gentle nudge" for school planners to consider having new construction meet Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification. By doing so, Wheatley said construction costs could increase 2 to 3 percent but annual energy savings would add up to about $100,000 per year -- which equates to pay for two starting teachers, 5,000 new books or 200 computers. In addition to overall cost savings, the new buildings would be better ventilated and therefore reduce the incidence of asthma, allergies and colds in students and teachers.
Susan Kuziak, of the Utah Education Association, spoke in support of HJR20. "There are buildings, older and some newer ones, where you get what's called sick-building syndrome," Kuziak said. "A good, healthy environment is important to quality education." While resolutions do not carry the weight of law, Kuziak urged HJR20 to pass "to encourage people to try to accomplish better things."
The resolution cleared the committee with three lawmakers voting against it. HJR20 now advances to the House floor for further discussion.
-- Cathy McKitrick Green Schools Go Beyond Recycling-- Mother Nature Network National: February 04, 2010 [ abstract] There is a new trend popping up across the nation in schools that are not only "going green" they truly are green...from their passive solar heating to their intense environmental coursework. And rather than limiting environmental education to an occasional workshop or class project, these schools lace environmental themes into every aspect of their curriculum.
These green schools, as they are being called, go beyond recycling and tree planting to teaching kids about problems like sooty air, environmental legislation, and social justice. Some schools, like The Urban Assembly School for Green Careers, a high school in Manhattan, New York, focus on teaching hands-on skills like installing insulation and solar panels to prepare students for entering the work force after graduation or pursuing college degrees in fields like engineering.
-- Jenn Savedge Kentucky House Votes To Create Green Schools Caucus-- Kentucky Post Alabama: January 26, 2010 [ abstract] The Kentucky House voted to create a General Assembly green schools Caucus that will support healthy, environmentally-friendly schools statewide. The green schools Caucus, created by the passage of House Resolution 24, will encourage the construction of more "green schools" -- energy efficient, water efficient, environmentally-sustainable schools designed to improve learning and save school districts money. Currently there are three green schools under construction in the state: two in Warren County and one in Kenton County.
HR 24 co-sponsors Reps. Mary Lou Marzian, D-Louisville, and Jim DeCesare, R-Bowling Green, proposed the creation of the green schools Caucus after traveling to Washington, D.C. to learn more about the green school concept. The health and learning benefits soon became clear, Marzian told fellow lawmakers before today’s floor vote.
"Our teachers do such a wonderful job educating our children but, as you know, our buildings and our school buildings sometimes are quite lacking," said Marzian. "There has been data collected that kids who go to green schools have less absences for asthma. They make better grades, they do better in school, and our teachers have better attendance."
DeCesare, who represents part of Warren County, said green school technology is a good investment. "For a one percent investment on the front end of a green school, you get that back ten times," DeCesare said. "Learning is better when you are in a green school." House Majority Leader Rocky Adkins said Kentucky is a leader in green schools construction and renovation, adding "it’s amazing what’s taken place in the area of energy efficiency and conservation."
The three green schools now being built in Western and Northern Kentucky will be among the nation’s first "energy net-zero" public schools, according to HR 24.
-- Jessica Noll Washington State Bill Promotes Green School Makeovers-- Seattle Times Washington: January 20, 2010 [ abstract] Voters would decide whether to launch a statewide package of energy-efficient school makeovers under a bill approved by the state House. The plan, organized by Rep. Hans Dunshee, D-Snohomish, is aimed at spurring specialized construction jobs and capturing electricity savings at public buildings. If approved by the Legislature and endorsed by voters in November, the projects could feed about 38,000 jobs and save taxpayers about $190 million per year in energy costs, Dunshee estimates.
The state would sell about $860 million in bonds to finance the projects with grants. K-12 public schools and public colleges or universities would get the lion's share, although some local governments and other entities could compete. State taxpayers would be on the hook for about $1.5 billion over 20 years to pay off the bonds, including interest. Dunshee characterized the bill as a bold investment that will reward taxpayers with energy savings, improved infrastructure and needed jobs. He also noted that the state's 9.5 percent unemployment rate last month, reported earlier in the day, was the highest in a quarter-century.
The House approved the measure 57-41. It now moves to the Senate. It was the first significant bill approved by either body this session. Republican House members objected to the plan, nicknamed the "Jobs Act," citing its expansion of state debt.
-- Curt Woodward School district hopes to leverage the green-- Union Leader.com New Hampshire: October 26, 2009 [ abstract] The Governor Wentworth Regional School District is looking to add more than $1 million to the $40 million in state building aid it is already slated to receive as part of a $67.2 million school building and renovation project.
Superintendent of Schools Jack Robertson said the district could receive an additional 3 percent in state building aid, as much as $1.2 million, if the building program meets energy efficiency and environmental standards set by the Collaborative for High Performance Schools.
"It would make a huge difference to us if we qualify," said Robertson, noting that the $6.8 million geothermal heating and cooling system that would be part of the project gives the project a leg up in accumulating the points needed to win the green school designation.
-- Roger Amsden Oregon Green Schools-- Sandy Post Oregon: October 13, 2009 [ abstract] There are approximately 1,500 computers in use in the Oregon Trail School District, according to the district’s facility operations director, Jim Seipel. To protect these machines from viruses, it is necessary to keep them on 24 hours per day, 365 days per year. “There’s two days a week where it’s worthless to have them on,” Seipel explained. But not all is lost. In the summer of 2008, the district purchased a software package to manage the electricity the computers used by putting them in sleep mode when not in use. While the software package cost approximately $30,000 and yearly renewals will be $2,000, and it wasn’t fully installed on every computer until that fall, the results were dramatic. “It almost paid for itself in savings the first year,” Seipel said. “It’s $30,000 we didn’t have before.”
-- Garth Guibord USGBC Launches National Green Schools Campaign
-- Dexigner National: September 17, 2009 [ abstract] As school doors across the nation open for the new school year, the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) is set to launch year three of its National green schools Campaign, a broad-based initiative involving policy makers, teachers, parents and students who want to substantially improve the indoor environmental quality of America's schools, along with making them more energy efficient, water efficient and resource efficient.
On September 8, USGBC and 11 educational and environmental groups kicked off the Coalition for green schools at a meeting featuring remarks by Martha Kanter, Under Secretary for the U.S. Department of Education, about the multiple, but critically important pathways for greening America's schools. This first ever alliance between the nation's leading educational and environmental organizations brings together the country's strongest advocates for healthy, safe and sustainable K-12 learning environments prized for their contribution to higher test scores among students, higher retention among teachers and lower absenteeism rates for both groups because of improved indoor air quality.
-- Staff Writer Schools going green big-time-- Baltimore Sun Maryland: September 07, 2009 [ abstract] Approaching Evergreen Elementary, it's clear right away that there's something different about this new school. A pair of silo-like structures squats in front of the two-story brick building - cisterns storing rainwater for flushing the toilets. Then there are the cactuses and other plants growing atop the entrance canopy - put there to soak up more rain.
Evergreen represents the latest in green school design in Maryland. The $20 million elementary school, which started classes last week in this woodsy, suburban community in St. Mary's County, has been designed and built to save bundles of energy and water, and to reduce the building's impact on nearby streams and wetlands. It's also been planned to hammer environmental consciousness home to its 600 students. It is, contends county School Superintendent Michael Martirano, the greenest school in the state.
He might get some argument on that - Montgomery County has built or rebuilt four schools now with enough energy-saving and environmental features to qualify for the second-highest rating given by the U.S. Green Building Council. But there's no doubt that green schools are starting to spread across the state.
St. Mary's school officials say Evergreen, like the Montgomery schools, is in line to get a "gold" rating under the green building council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or LEED, rating system. Among other features, it boasts a geothermal heating and cooling system, waterless urinals and low-flow faucets, and a white reflective coating on the flat portions of the roof to keep the building from needing as much air conditioning in warm months.
Small patches of the roof also sprout plants - with the cisterns, part of a system meant to capture 90 percent of the rain that falls on the school. There is a bank of photovoltaic cells mounted on a sloped portion of the roof, and even a small wind turbine that powers one outlet. Though their contribution to the school's energy diet is tiny, the gadgets are meant to be teaching tools, not just bells and whistles.
"This is more than just a school," said Martirano as he showed a reporter and photographer around, giving what he estimates was his eighth tour of the new building. "It's a full immersion in the energy conservation issues [students] are going to experience as adults."
-- Timothy B. Wheeler Going Green Could Mean More Green
-- Sun Sentinel Florida: September 02, 2009 [ abstract] According to district officials, there are a variety of reasons for the Palm Beach County school district to go green: green schools result in higher student achievement, it saves money and it is good for the environment. For me, these are all great reasons. Yet, above all, I think the district going green shows the communities in Palm Beach County that green is not a fad – it is an easy way to save money. As one of the largest school districts in the state – with 186 schools – our school district has a chance to lead the way in going green by showing other districts it can be done. The district's cost-saving, Earth-friendly initiative started with Pine Jog Elementary School being a LEED Gold Certified School, the first in the state.
The district has also been going green for several years with recycling programs in about 100 schools. These programs recycle paper, plastic and aluminum. What I like about these original recycling programs is that faculty and students started most of the recycling efforts, which often began as ways for clubs and organizations to raise funds for their school. This year, the district is taking this program a step further by passing policies that make recycling and energy conservation mandatory. The goal is to have 100 percent of schools participating by the 2010-11 school year.
Last school year, the district also began using "Green Seal" certified cleaning products which, according to Vickie Middlebrooks, public affairs specialist for the school district, "produce fewer chemical allergens and add fewer fragrances." This can mean fewer asthma attacks and allergic reactions by the students and staff. Other cost-saving measures will include the custodial staff switching to microfiber cleaning cloths and replacing liquid soap with foam soap in all restrooms. The hope is that these changes will result in about $250,000 in annual savings because less custodial supplies will be used.
-- Editorial Oregon Schools: It's Not Easy, or Cheap, Being Green -- The Oregonian Oregon: July 27, 2009 [ abstract] green schools can save energy, they're healthier for students and they offer real-life lessons on sustainability, but Oregon school districts remain cautious about building them. Of the 27 new schools approved by Oregon voters in 2006, about one in four have been or will be built to national green standards. School boards cite cost as the main reason they haven't pushed for such schools. But there appears to be a move by some districts to build green without the expense and perceived hassle of meeting national standards. Green is a nebulous term, they say, and they don't need a certificate to prove their new schools were built to be sustainable.
But how do taxpayers know the schools are truly green? Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) is widely known as the industry standard for green structures. Like a Nike swoosh, a LEED medallion on a school brings a level of recognition. At least five schools across Oregon have received LEED certifications and have the medallions to prove it. Another 16 new public schools are expected to be approved for certification within the next year. Created by the U.S. Green Building Council, LEED offers four levels of achievement from "certified" to "platinum" based on sustainability points. The catch is it costs a bit more and requires a lot of collaboration and paperwork to prove the schools meet green performance standards.
Districts that build to what some school officials call "LEED equivalent" don't have the medallion or the cost because they can choose which standards to meet and there is no mandatory third-party assessment of the environmental work. "LEED equivalent is an honor system," said Portland architect John Weekes, known nationally for his work on sustainable schools.
More new schools are on the way across Oregon after voters in 2008 approved at least 15 new buildings from Salem to Redmond. Of five districts contacted, all plan to build green schools, but officials are still weighing whether to go with LEED or the equivalent.
Sherwood School District wants to prove its schools are green. The 4,500-student district is finishing construction of two schools it hopes will bring LEED gold ratings. "We believe the ... LEED certification is the highest and most rigorous measure," said Sherwood Superintendent Dan Jamison. The program can add between 1 and 3 percent to the cost of construction, according to Oregon architects and a study commissioned by the U.S. Green Building Council. For a $15 million elementary school, that can be as high as $450,000. It can tack as much as $1 million onto construction of a high school. But several Portland architects said that's changing as the economy cools demand for products and the availability of green building materials improves, which reduces prices. In addition, the Oregon Department of Energy offers grants and tax credits through its High Performance School Program. In Sherwood, Jamison said a drop in construction prices is expected to save the district $3 million on its green schools. "Perhaps that made the decision (for LEED) easier for us," he said.
-- Wendy Owen North Carolina's First Green School Nearly Ready for Teachers -- Hickory Record North Carolina: July 06, 2009 [ abstract] As construction on Snow Creek Elementary School nears completion, the environmentally green initiatives being incorporated into the school become more evident. "Right now, I've been told that we're still scheduled to be the first green school in North Carolina (under the new criteria)," said Rick Sain, construction coordinator for Catawba County Schools.
The new criteria for schools has an increased emphasis on indoor environmental quality, better daylight, better acoustics and low-emitting materials, because young children are more susceptible to toxins, according to the U.S. Green Building Council. It also requires schools to have 10 hours of student curriculum per student per year, using the green aspects of the school as a teaching tool. The initial rating system was designed primarily for offices. In April 2007, the U.S. Green Building Council created a new rating system specifically for schools. "We're a little bit behind schedule, but the school should be ready for the staff to start moving things in by the end of July," Sain said.
Green items featured throughout the school include a sediment pond to treat storm water runoff, shade trees to keep the school cooler and large skylights in the lobby area to let in natural light. The classrooms feature more windows than are in many schools' classrooms, although not enough to qualify for green standards, Sain said. Every room in the building has automatic sensors to turn on the lights. In addition, each classroom is outfitted with light switches to control if the teacher wants all the lights off, on or turned to low. Motion detectors can activate the outside lighting of the school, as well. After hours, the inside of the building can be set to be completely dark, with lights only coming on when a door is opened, Sain said.
Another green initiative at Snow Creek Elementary includes controlling the building by an automation system, which will allow administrators to turn of the heating and air conditioning at the school at a set time. The water fountain's cold water also will be turned off at a set time, likely at 3 p.m., Sain said.
-- Sarah Newell Williamson Performance Enhancements-- Athletic Business Ohio: July 02, 2009 [ abstract] You don't have to spend a lot of time searching the Internet to find study after study proclaiming the benefits of so-called green schools — facilities that create healthy, learning-conducive environments while saving energy, resources and money. Reports of improved test scores and reduced student absenteeism caused by illness come from all regions of the country. For example, at Third Creek Elementary School in Statesville, N.C. (the country's first LEED Gold-certified K-12 school, completed in 2002), test scores from before and after students moved into the building provide compelling evidence that learning improves in greener, healthier facilities. And an analysis of two school districts in Illinois found that student attendance rose by 5 percent after cost-effective indoor air quality improvements were made.
But can a similar parallel be made between green schools and increased performance on the basketball or volleyball court or in physical education classes? Ron Kull thinks so. "There would be no reason why you couldn't draw that same correlation," says the senior associate with GBBN Architects in Cincinnati, who is heavily involved with Cincinnati Public Schools' $1 billion facilities master plan. By 2013, CPS will be home to 54 first-class new or renovated schools — almost half of them LEED Silver-certified or higher. "If you're talking about how a student performs in certain environments, why wouldn't it apply to athletic facilities just as much as it does to classrooms?"
Seven years into the district's master plan, Cincinnati is fast becoming the site of one of the largest concentrations of sustainably designed schools in the country. Some of the green strategies include the addition of daylighting and stormwater management systems, geothermal energy technologies, low-flow plumbing fixtures, and low-VOC furniture, paints, carpets and adhesives. Increased recycling and composting efforts, reduced idling of school buses on school property, and improved overall air quality also are part of the plan. At the district's Pleasant Ridge Montessori School, which opened last August and is among the first building projects to be completed, an air-delivery system forces air to rise from the floor and through the ceiling, where it is filtered before re-entering the ventilation system with fresh outdoor air.
Gymnasiums also are a key part of the CPS master plan. Many elementary and secondary school gyms will feature heat-reducing roofs, ample daylighting from glare-reducing windows, high-output fluorescent lights and energy-efficient ceiling fans. Sensors will control the lights and fans to save energy, while also making the spaces more comfortable and conducive to extended periods of activity.
The ultimate goal, according to Robert Knight, GBBN's sustainable design initiative coordinator, is to marry energy efficiency with healthier indoor conditions. "The human body, just like the human mind, performs best in certain environments," he says. "At the professional level, the collegiate level and the high school level, people are looking for ways to create a competitive athletic advantage, and you do that through better indoor environments."
"The community has pushed us to be more aggressive with LEED," says Michael Burson, director of planning and construction for CPS, which enrolls 33,000 students (including more than 10,000 at 16 high schools). Almost half of the money used to fund the master plan is coming from a $480 million school construction bond approved by city voters in 2003. The Ohio School Facilities Commission, the agency charged with overseeing a statewide campaign to help districts fund, plan, design, and build or renovate schools, is kicking in another 23 percent, with the rest of the dollars coming from other local and state sources.
-- Michael Popke School Facilities Bill Stuck in Senate Limbo-- Education Week National: June 11, 2009 [ abstract] A bill awaiting action in the U.S. Senate could set aside up to $6.4 billion in fiscal 2010 for modernization, renovation, and repair projects aimed at producing school facilities that are energy efficient and environmentally friendly.
The U.S. House of Representatives passed the bill May 14 in a 275-155 vote, split mostly down party lines with Democratic support and Republican opposition.
“This is landmark legislation, because it’s the first sign that the federal [government] is getting involved in the facilities part of education,” said John K. Ramsey, the executive director and chief executive officer of the Council of Educational Facilities Planners International, or CEFPI, based in Scottsdale, Ariz.
The bill, HR 2187, would set aside $32.4 billion over five years for environmentally friendly, or “green,” school modernization, repair, and renovation projects over the next five fiscal years"2010 to 2015"distributed through Title I formulas. It would also provide an additional $100 million for each of those five years for schools damaged by Hurricane Katrina.
The total cost of the bill is expected to be about $32.9 billion.
“It costs too much. It borrows too much. It controls too much,” U.S. Rep. Howard P. “Buck” McKeon, the ranking member of the House Committee on Education and Labor, said of the bill in a May 6 statement.
But supporters point to the cost savings on energy and the need for modern facilities.
A “green” building can save a typical school enough money in energy costs to hire another full-time teacher, said Andrew Goldberg, the senior director of federal relations for the Washington-based American Institute of Architects, who based his savings estimate on data published in a 2006 report on green schools.
-- Katie Ash Palm Beach County school district slows construction-- Sun-Sentinel.com Florida: June 05, 2009 [ abstract] The bulldozers crunching dirt on the former Atlantic High property are a reminder that school construction continues in Palm Beach County.
It's just on a smaller scale compared to recent years, because of declining enrollment and funding reductions.
Districtwide K-12 enrollment is projected to drop by nearly 600 students in the fall, which would be the fourth annual population decline blamed on the weak housing market. Enrollment is down about 5,000 students since 2005. The number of students is expected to drop again in 2010, before rebounding slightly the following year.
For the first part of the decade, the district ordered several new schools each year to serve a population that grew by an additional 4,000 to 5,000 students annually. That demand has mostly dried up, except for some isolated projects and modernization needs.
Crews with Suffolk Construction Co. are at the beginning stages of a highly anticipated, $30.8 million green school project: A new Plumosa Elementary School of the Arts to serve south county students beginning in August 2010.
It's a big upgrade for the small Delray Beach neighborhood school off Seacrest Boulevard that opened in 1954, and in recent years added a focus on band, dance, theater and other arts offerings.
Officials hope that within five years they can start work on phase two: a $62.8 million middle school expansion that will share with the lower grades a renovated auditorium previously used by the high school.
-- Marc Freeman Holt's 'Green Schools' initiative included in U.S. House bill -- Holmdel Independent New Jersey: May 28, 2009 [ abstract] Abill passed by the U.S. House of Representatives authorizing $6.4 billion over five years for school construction includes funding to help schools become more energy efficient.
Rep. Rush Holt (D-12th District), a member of the committee, included an initiative in the 21st Century High-Performing Public School Facilities Act to provide schools with federal funding to make energy-efficient upgrades, according to a press release from Holt's office.
Holt's initiative would make schools eligible for funding to receive technical assistance from their state to reduce their carbon footprint. The overall legislation would ensure that school districts quickly receive funds for school modernization, renovation and repairs that create healthier, safer and more energy efficient teaching and learning climates. The bill awaits Senate approval.
New Jersey would receive an estimated $119.5 million in fiscal year 2010 if the bill were enacted. Estimated grants to local school districts include: Red Bank District, $105,000; Tinton Falls, $43,000; Monmouth Regional, $43,000; Red Bank Regional, $35,000; Middletown District, $170,000; Matawan-Aberdeen Regional, $160,000; Holmdel, $47,000; Keyport, $62,000; Eatontown, $76,000; West Long Branch, $36,000; and Shore Regional, $13,000.
Estimates for how much each New Jersey school district would receive can be found at the website http://edlabor.house.gov/documents/ 111/pdf/publications/HR2187estLEAgrants fy09%20only-20090513.pdf.
-- Staff Writer Shining a (Natural) Light on Green Schools -- New York Times National: May 28, 2009 [ abstract] Faced with a large stock of deteriorating public school buildings, school districts across the country are experimenting with new construction and renovations that save energy as well as improve educational facilities. Even though Congress cut the $16 billion originally proposed for school construction from the stimulus bill, the U.S. Department of Education will award states $48.6 billion under the bill’s fiscal stabilization fund to fill budget gaps in public schools and universities. School construction, renovation and repair projects can qualify for the money if it’s applied to “green” buildings.
A school addition that doesn’t use electric lights, heat or air-conditioning may sound like something straight out of “Little House on the Prairie,” but several architects and researchers from the Pacific Northwest hope to see such features become standard in new classroom construction nationwide. A prototype green classroom addition under construction at the Da Vinci Arts Middle School in Portland, Ore. includes natural daylighting, passive heating and cooling systems, solar roof tiles and other green features that yield a 70 percent efficiency improvement over Oregon building code requirements. The architecture firm SRG Partnership worked with the University of Oregon’s Energy Studies in Buildings Lab to design the 1,500-square foot music classroom and studio in order to achieve a LEED-platinum rating and net-zero energy use. One of the more unique features of the Da Vinci addition is the university’s experimental natural lighting system, called “the halo,” which provides enough light, even with overcast skies, so that there’s no need to flip on a switch at all during the school day. The system channels the sun’s rays through a skylight and into a diffuser on the classroom ceiling set at precisely the right angles to spread natural light evenly throughout the room. After dark, the lights are on but they’re mounted inside the diffuser so that the light is amplified and dispersed, using only 0.4 watts per square foot " or half of the energy used to illuminate a regular classroom, said G.Z. “Charlie” Brown, an architect and director of the university’s buildings lab.
Portland Public Schools plans to rebuild or remodel every building in its portfolio over the next 20 years and hopes to integrate as many green features as possible, said Nancy Bond, a resource conservation specialist for the district. The Da Vinci addition is a pilot project for the district to decide which new technologies will be included in future sustainable classrooms, she said.
-- Libby Tucker Local schools may get more green to go green -- The Leader Newspapers New Jersey: May 26, 2009 [ abstract] Local school districts may soon find some help becoming greener. The 21st Century Green High-Performing Public School Facilities Act (H.R. 2187), passed by the House of Representatives Thursday, May 14, seeks to make public schools more energy efficient, create clean energy jobs, reduce dependence on foreign oil and lower energy costs.
“Our schools should be safe and healthy learning environments for our children,” U.S. Rep. Steve Rothman (D-9), who voted for the bill, stated in a press release. “This bill gives us a chance to upgrade our school buildings and boost student achievement while creating good local jobs and preventing an increase in local property taxes to pay for it.”
Of the $6.4 billion authorized nationally for school facilities projects under the act, the Lyndhurst School District would receive $104,000; North Arlington would receive $71,000; Rutherford and East Rutherford, $51,000 each; Carlstadt and Becton Regional High School, $29,000 each; and Wood-Ridge $16,000 for fiscal year 2010.
These allocations would be intended for school modernization, renovation and repairs that would create a greener, healthier environment that is more conducive to teaching and learning. They were calculated using the same percentage of funds that school districts receive under Part A of Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, with the exception of a $5,000 minimum allocation for each district.
“The quality of a school isn’t just important for our children’s health " it’s critical for their learning,” Rothman noted in his press release. “We must invest resources to provide the kind of safe, clean and healthy schools that our children deserve.”
The bill would require 100 percent of funds to be used by 2015 toward green building projects that make schools more energy efficient and better able to rely on renewable sources of energy. It would ensure fair wages and benefits for green-collar workers.
Other highlights of the act include boosting the economy through job creation and community enhancement and allowing schools to play a role in combating global climate change by lessening their carbon footprints.
Eco-friendly schools have been shown to consume 30 percent less energy, 30 percent less water and emit 40 percent less carbon dioxide than conventional schools. Evidence also indicates that the improved ventilation, air quality, lighting and temperature controls of such schools foster greater student achievement.
On average, green schools save $96,760 per year and $70 per square foot in the long term, according to the press release.
-- Colleen Reynolds Green bill could provide $2.7M for local school renovations-- Madison Messenger Virginia: May 20, 2009 [ abstract] Danville and Pittsylvania County public schools could see an additional $2.7 million for renovations in their combined budgets in 2010, thanks to a green schools bill making its way through Congress.
The House of Representatives voted last week in favor of H.R. 2187, or the “21st Century Green High-Performing Public School Facilities Act,” which will make investments to modernize, upgrade and repair school facilities across the country, according to a House news release.
If passed, the bill will provide more than $6 billion nationwide, with nearly $12 million for the 5th District.
Of the 22 cities and counties in the district, Danville Public Schools is estimated to get the largest portion with $1.75 million. Next is Henry County with $1.24 million, followed by Pittsylvania County with $949,000.
The estimates come from the Congressional Research Service, which takes a variety of factors into account for its funding formulas.
“Clean energy investments are win-win scenarios,” Rep. Tom Perriello said in a statement. “This bill saves money for our schools, creates clean energy jobs and boosts student achievement by upgrading our school buildings and giving students and teachers a safe, environmentally-friendly learning environment.”
The bill would require school districts to publicly report the educational, energy and environmental benefits of projects, how they comply with green building requirements and the percentage of funds used for projects at low-income, rural and charter schools.
-- Catherine Amos Kosmas Helps Pass Legislation to Modernize Central Florida Schools, Create New Jobs-- TMCnet Florida: May 20, 2009 [ abstract] Today, Congresswoman Suzanne Kosmas (FL-24) voted to pass legislation to provide funding to Central Florida schools for modernization, renovation and repair projects, as well as to encourage energy efficiency and the use of renewable resources in schools. Florida would receive over $278 million to improve schools and turn them into "green buildings" through the 21st Century Green High-Performing Public Schools Facilities Act (H.R. 2187), which passed the House 275-155. The green schools Act includes an estimated $5.6 million for Brevard County schools, $17.6 million for Orange County, $3.7 million for Seminole County, and $8.6 million for Volusia.
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Modernizing schools and making them more energy efficient is an effective way to lower costs and save taxpayer dollars. A green school typically utilizes about 30 percent less energy and 30 percent less water, saving thousands of dollars per year.
"This bill provides critical funds to modernize our schools and turn them into 'green buildings,' which will help our environment while creating jobs in the process," said Congresswoman Kosmas. "The funding will help ensure that schools are able to make needed repairs, bring their buildings up to safety codes, and create healthier learning environments for Florida's children. In addition, these fiscally responsible investments will provide long-term benefits by saving taxpayers thousands of dollars per year in energy costs."The legislation included an amendment offered by Congresswoman Kosmas, along with Reps. Bobby Bright (AL-2), Henry Cueller (TX-28) and Al Green (TX-9), that would set aside more than $300 million for school districts in regions that are suffering from significant economic distress or are recovering from natural disasters.
-- Staff Writer School Libraries to Benefit from Green Schools Bill-- School Library Journal National: May 18, 2009 [ abstract] School libraries stand to gain some more money if a green schools bill recently passed by the House gains passage by the Senate.
By a vote of 275 to 155, the House last week overwhelmingly approved legislation to modernize, upgrade, and green America’s school. The 21st Century Green High-Performing Public School Facilities Act authorizes $6.4 billion for school facilities projects and ensures that school districts will quickly receive funds for school modernization, renovation, and repairs.
The goal is to invest billions of dollars to repair and renovate schools to create safer, healthier, and more energy-efficient learning environments for students. At the same time, the legislation is part of the effort to revive the U.S. economy and fight global warming by creating clean energy jobs that will help put workers in hard-hit industries back to work.
School libraries will benefit from this bill because it states that modernization, renovation, or repair of school libraries is an allowable use of funds.
This bill is separate from the recently passed stimulus funds, and a companion bill has not yet been introduced in the Senate.
The American Library Association strongly supports the legislation, cosponsored by Representatives Ben Chandler (D-KY), Dave Loebsack (D-IA), and Education and Labor Committee Chairman George Miller (D-CA), saying that modern school libraries will help students gain the skills necessary to achieve and succeed in a 21st century global workforce.
Over the last eight years, the Bush administration provided almost no direct general federal funding for school improvements. According to recent estimates, the nation’s schools are hundreds of billions of dollars short of what it would take to bring them into good condition. The American Society of Civil Engineers gave American schools a “D” on its national infrastructure report card for this year. And a recent report by the American Federation of Teachers estimates it would cost almost $255 billion to fully renovate and repair all the schools in the country.
-- SLJ Staff Abercrombie: Hawai‘i schools could get $18 million in ‘green’ grants-- Lihue Garden Island Hawaii: May 17, 2009 [ abstract] U.S. Representative Neil Abercrombie said Hawai‘i schools would be eligible for $18.18 million next year for building modernization, renovation and repair under the 21st Century Green High-Performing Public Schools Facilities Act approved by the House this week, a news release states.
The green schools Act authorizes $6.4 billion for the first year of a five-year program to help school districts across the country make their buildings more energy efficient and reliant on renewable sources of energy.
“Most importantly, our keiki will benefit from the green schools Act because research shows a direct correlation between the quality of school facilities and student achievement,” Abercrombie said in the release. “So, these funds to help Hawai‘i school districts renovate and modernize school buildings will actually improve the teaching and learning climate, health and safety.
“The second group of winners from this legislation will be the taxpayers of Hawai‘i,” Abercrombie continued. “By requiring school construction and modernization to meet green school standards, savings from lower energy bills can amount to thousands of dollars per school per year, money that can be used to hire teachers, buy computers or purchase textbooks instead. The bill also generates long-term savings for schools by reducing energy expenses.
“The third beneficiary will be Hawai‘i’s economy, because the program will create good-paying jobs in the construction industry. In fact, the bill’s language stipulates that construction jobs will have to be paid fair wages and benefits under the protections in the Davis-Bacon Act,” he said.
“And finally, the aina itself benefits because green schools reduce pollution by using about 30 percent less water and energy than conventional schools, and they emit almost 40 percent less harmful carbon dioxide.”
-- The Garden Island House Approves $6.4 Billion for Green Schools-- Associated Press National: May 14, 2009 [ abstract] The House on Thursday passed a multiyear school construction bill with the ambitious goals of producing hundreds of thousands of jobs, reducing energy consumption and creating healthier, cleaner environments for the nation's schoolchildren. Opponents, almost all Republicans, objected to the cost associated with the 21st Century Green High-Performing Public School Facilities Act. The cost would be $6.4 billion in the first year with similar outlays approved over the next five years. It passed 275-155, and now goes to the Senate, which did not act after the House passed similar legislation last year. The situation has changed this year. While then-President George W. Bush threatened to veto the measure, objecting to a costly new school construction program, President Barack Obama made school improvement projects an element of his economic stimulus initiative.
The bill would provide states with money to make grants and low interest loans so school districts could build, modernize and repair facilities to make them healthier, safer and more energy-efficient. The funds would be allotted under a formula based on a district's share of students from low-income families, but the bill guarantees that every district that receives federal money for low-income students will get at least $5,000. A majority of the funds — rising to 100 percent by 2015 — would have to be used for projects that meet green standards for construction materials and energy sources. Those include the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System and Energy Star. The measure also approves a separate $600 million over six years for public schools in Mississippi, Louisiana and Alabama damaged by hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005. Among the amendments approved were items that would make reducing asthma a guideline for green schools and allow funds to be used for playground equipment, phys ed facilities, greenhouses and gardens.
-- Jim Abrams It's Easy Being Green: Schools Remodel for Sustainability -- Center For American Progress National: May 13, 2009 [ abstract] Last week a House panel approved the 21st Century Green High-Performing Public School Facilities Act, a bill that would authorize $6.4 billion in 2010 for school construction projects that meet certain environmental standards. Projects that could qualify include maximizing green space, finding more efficient ways to control room temperature with windows and building materials, maximizing daylight, using organic compound cleaning products and tapping into renewable energy sources like solar power. The bill would provide additional funding for such projects until 2015, by which time all publicly-funded school construction projects would have to meet environmental standards.
Ten states across the country already require new school construction to use renewable energy sources, but this bill would ensure that all students have access to healthy, eco-friendly environments. Schools around the country have already taken diverse and creative steps to integrate environmental measures into their construction and curriculum. The cafeteria at Scarsdale High School in New York serves vegetables grown in an organic garden on campus. Students and teachers planted the garden together, which in only a few months generated over 600 pounds of produce. Other schools have utilized roof space to create gardens or install solar panels.
Energy-efficient building requirements are fiscally conservative in the long run as finite resources and expanding demand will make energy prices continue to rise. One study shows that schools undertaking these measures save an average of $70 per square foot, 20 times the initial cost of building retrofits and installation. These savings will free up much needed money to address educational programs and other pressing needs in our public schools.
Finances aside, these schools conserve many other resources. Not only do they use about 30-50 percent less energy than their conventional counterparts, conserving electricity and natural gas, they also use about 30 percent less water through strategies such as rainwater catchment and reducing irrigation needs for playing fields. Eco-friendly schools will also significantly reduce harmful emissions. A single green school could lead to an average emission reduction of 1,200 pounds of nitrogen oxide, 1,300 pounds of sulfur dioxide, and 585,000 pounds of carbon dioxide.
Many of our nation’s schools are in poor decay and ready for overdue renovations. Outdated building materials contribute not only to wasted energy and inefficiency, but they also contribute to increasing health problems for students. Hazardous materials like asbestos are still only optional for districts to remove. Children across the nation suffer increasing rates of asthma and other allergic conditions, partly from exposure to harsh building materials. New laws would revitalize school building codes, making them healthier learning places for students and teachers alike.
-- Staff Writer Earth Day: Schools Go Green -- Greenbay Press Gazette Wisconsin: April 23, 2009 [ abstract] An increasing number of area schools are going green or greener for Earth Day today, using measures great and small to make a difference for the planet. From solar panels to energy-efficient building design, educators say doing good for the Earth also can be great for learning.
The Shawano School District also hopes to save some money by going green, though officials acknowledge it will take some time for the investment in a new Earth-friendly school to pay off. The district is scheduled to break ground today on its new primary school, which is described as an Earth-friendly building that will feature geothermal heating and cooling, day lighting, sensor lights and other energy-saving elements. The building for early childhood through second grade will be certified as Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design — commonly known as LEED, district administrator Todd Carlson said. The building, which is expected to open in 2010 and replace the district's Lincoln Elementary School, is the first primary school in the country to seek the LEED stamp of approval, Carlson said. Increased energy efficiency is more expensive, Carlson acknowledged — the new school will cost more than $20 million. But officials say they are confident their investment will be worth it. "We're very cost-conscious of where the fuel prices are going to go," Carlson said, "and we know what paybacks can come on certain things like geothermal heating. … We also wanted to set an example, not just for ourselves, but for the students that we're teaching." Because the new school's students are young, there won't be a lot of direct learning opportunities for them related to the new green school. But officials plan to turn the school's construction into a learning opportunity for high school students, who can learn science and technology lessons as it's built.
-- Kelly McBride Students Help Build New, Green School -- Salt Lake Tribune Utah: April 20, 2009 [ abstract] From their art class window, Hillside Middle School students can see their biggest project yet: a new environmentally friendly school building. The Salt Lake City School District is rebuilding Hillside as a LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) school building, and students are helping. Buildings must meet certain environmental standards in order to become LEED certified. Utah now has two LEED-certified schools and another four, including Hillside, working toward certification.
The new Hillside building, which is being built next to the current one, will feature "light shelves" outside windows to reflect light into classrooms and hallways, while shading them from direct light to save on cooling and artificial lighting costs. The new building will also feature evaporative cooling rather than air conditioning. It will have acoustic ceiling tiles in classrooms, carpets made of recycled materials and furniture from the old school. Many of the school's building materials, including concrete blocks and sheetrock, will come from within a 500-mile radius to cut down on the pollution from transporting them. Most of all, it's an interactive lesson for many of the students who will eventually walk its hallways. With the help of artist John Schaefer, the school's seventh- and eighth-grade art students are creating art installations and at least 24 signs explaining the school's green features for future generations of students and visitors.
-- Lisa Schencker Investigators: Green school claims oversold-- KING5.com Washington: March 25, 2009 [ abstract] The new Gray Middle School in Tacoma isn't really gray, it's green.
It has impressive environmentally friendly features everywhere you look. Some of them include banks of windows for lots of natural light, recycled beams from an old high school, rubber flooring that doesn't require chemicals, drought tolerant landscaping, and a filtration system that circulates fresh air all day long.
Pete Wall, director of planning and construction for Tacoma Public Schools, says Gray Middle School is a success in terms of providing a great learning environment for students.
"This building I think is our best effort to date," said Wall.
Gray is one of about 35 schools under construction or built in the state so far using new guidelines.
When the green schools law passed four years ago, supporters touted the small costs and big benefits of the program.
Many of the positive aspects of the green schools initiative are detailed in a video produced by the Washington state Department of Ecology and the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction. The video can be accessed by anyone by going to the Superintendent of Public Schools' Web site.
-- SUSANNAH FRAME What Schools Are Doing to Become More Green -- Epoch Times National: March 14, 2009 [ abstract] Many schools around the United States have set up new learning environments for students"ones that are environmentally friendly as well as equitable in terms of the quality of education they provide. One of the principal goals that schools have established in this regard is to reduce their carbon footprints. The green schools Alliance based in New York City is one such organization that has taken the initiative to get schools around the nation to come aboard and take the initiative to create local school policies that will foster this commitment. So far, the green schools Alliance has over 175 schools in 30 states, the District of Columbia, the Virgin Islands, and also in Honduras and Russia. Schools participating in the alliance make the promise to reduce their carbon footprints. There are several ways they go about doing this.
Some schools, like the Discovery Charter School in Tracy, California, and a certain Microsoft School of the Future in Pittsburgh, Penn., have gone almost completely paperless. Other school districts are constructing their new schools to be more energy efficient by installing energy-efficient lighting, heating, and hot water systems. They are also making sure the electronic devices they buy are low-power output devices or that they carry the Energy Star certification. At the same time, they are taking many steps to reduce wasteful habits. For example, schools are reducing water consumption; generating less waste in the classroom, cafeteria, or offices; recycling all paper, plastic, metals, and glass; and furthermore passing these habits on to the students.
-- A. Darin Stimulus would include 'green schools'-- Louisville Courier-Journal Louisiana: February 02, 2009 [ abstract] In 2007, my office received several letters from a group of eighth graders in my district describing the crumbling conditions of their nearly 60-year-old school building. Wires were dangling from classroom ceilings, chipped paint lined the hallways, toilets were broken, windows were cracked, supplies were old and outdated, and the latest technologies were only a dream.
It saddened me that some of our Kentucky students had to learn in such an environment. While many of our schools are in good condition, there are a number of other schools in our state and throughout the country that are in need of repair and improvement.
The American Society of Civil Engineers recently gave American schools a "D" on their Infrastructure Report Card and estimated that the average public school is over 40 years old. The U.S. Department of Education went further, stating that over 75 percent of the nation's schools are in various stages of disrepair.
Not only are some of our schools physically crumbling, but the achievement gap between American students and their international counterparts is widening. An Education Week study stated that students in the U.S. ranked below several non-industrialized countries in math and science scores -- with only Turkey, Greece, Italy and Mexico scoring lower in math. Additionally, Kentucky students fell behind in their access to technology, scoring a "C," according to Education Week.
Recently, Kentucky's budget crisis has forced additional cuts that imperil our schools and the learning environment of our children. In the wake of this fiscal crisis, I recently filed and secured House passage of the 21st Century Green High-Performing Public School Facilities Act. This legislation provides federal funding for schools to update or fix facilities and upgrade or install educational technology -- providing up to nearly $33 million to Jefferson County schools alone. While this new law will not address all of the challenges faced by our school systems, it is a good start toward providing a better learning environment for our children. Also, we can all be excited about the fact that this new law contains energy efficiency standards that will immediately begin to save our schools money in energy costs.
-- BEN CHANDLER Pursuing a 'Green' Economic Stimulus -- Pocono Record National: January 04, 2009 [ abstract] A massive stimulus package of nearly $600 billion holds promise for the economy, and could mean more federal spending on infrastructure and energy efficiency projects.
The retrofitting and construction of green schools — the largest construction sector in the United States — will [create jobs]. Between 2006 and 2008, we spent $80 billion on school construction. If we build those buildings green, they cost less than 2 percent more to construct; however, they pay for themselves in a few years. Consequently, municipalities with major school systems are increasingly looking at "green building" and renovation as they work to update school facilities and save the district money in utility bills. A green school can save a school enough money to hire two additional teachers — all while preventing 585,000 pounds of CO2 from hitting the atmosphere. Which, at the end of the day, helps solve a bigger problem: The economy is in a crisis, but the impacts of climate change are far greater in the long run. Fortunately though, there's no need to sacrifice one for the other.
-- Kathleen Rogers School Modernization, Broadband Access Keys to Obama's Plan to Provide Jobs -- eSchool News National: December 09, 2008 [ abstract] To boost the sinking economy, government needs to invest in modernizing and upgrading school buildings, expanding broadband internet access, making public buildings more energy efficient, and launching a public works program to rebuild the nation's highways, said President-elect Barack Obama in a Dec. 6 radio address. The address came a day after the government reported that employers cut 533,000 jobs in November, the most in 34 years. The plans are part of a vision for a massive economic recovery program Obama wants Congress to pass and have waiting on his desk when he takes office Jan. 20.
He offered no price estimate for the grand plan, nor stipulations for how the money might be divided or its effect on the country's financial health at a time of burgeoning deficits. However, a recent report by the Center for American Progress suggested a spending plan of $350 billion in the first year of economic stimulus and recovery.
My economic recovery plan will launch the most sweeping effort to modernize and upgrade school buildings that this country has ever seen," Obama said in the address. "We will repair broken schools, make them more energy-efficient, and put new computers in our classrooms. Because to help our children compete in a 21st-century economy, we need to send them to 21st-century schools."In the Center's report, they recommend that a total of $20 billion be spent to address the nearly one-third of schools that have one or more temporary buildings housing an average of 160 students each--and the hundreds of billions of estimated dollars needed to bring school facilities to good condition. The report suggests that $7.25 billion should be spent immediately to support state and local green school construction and modernization projects. It suggests an additional $12.75 billion be spent on school districts to eliminate years of deferred maintenance, particularly in schools in low-income communities. The study claims that those two measures could create 250,000 skilled maintenance and repair jobs and supply $6 billion of materials and supplies. Obama's proposed upgrades to schools are part of a larger plan to make all public buildings more energy-efficient. The U.S. government currently pays the highest energy bill in the world, according to the president-elect.
-- Maya T. Prabhu The Little Green Schoolhouse
-- Washington Independent District of Columbia: December 03, 2008 [ abstract] The sixth-graders in Marti Goldstone’s science class at Horace Mann Elementary are working on a project that could save their D.C. public school a lot of money. They are conducting an energy audit of their entire school. They calculate how much energy each classroom, gym, cafeteria, office, etc. uses, how much electricity each item in a room consumes, which appliances eat up too much electricity and what adjustments can be made to save energy.Goldstone is one of about 100 teachers nationwide who have teamed up with the conservation group the Alliance to Save Energy in an effort to make schools greener by identifying wasteful practices and adopting more energy-efficient measures to replace them. The group’s energy-audit exercise is part of its green schools program. For public school teachers like Goldstone, the energy-audit lesson is a great opportunity for students to use math, science and social studies in pursuit of an important environmental goal. For superintendents of school districts, the project is worthwhile for another reason " it can save them money.
Many schools spend thousands of dollars a month on energy bills, said Emily Curley, who runs the green schools program at the Alliance to Save Energy. Even such simple no-cost acts as turning off classroom lights and computers and adjusting thermostat settings can save schools between 5 percent to 15 percent of their energy bills, she said. “That’s pretty significant, especially for public schools that might not have the upfront funding for big [green] renovations.” Still, some public school districts have spent money to conform new construction, or retrofit existing buildings, to green standards. A few districts are required by law to make their campuses more energy efficient. Montgomery County in Maryland, for one, passed a measure requiring all its public schools achieve LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification. LEED, which is administered by the U.S. Green Building Council, is the most widely used green-building rating system in the nation.
-- Suemedha Sood Fayetteville: Green Schools a Growing Concept -- Arkansas Democrat Gazette Arkansas: November 24, 2008 [ abstract] Sensors measure sunlight streaming through large windows at Butterfield Trail Elementary School, dimming or shutting off electric bulbs when natural light will suffice. It is one of many energy-saving features in a new addition to the school set to open in January. A reflective roof coating will lower the building’s temperature, air conditioners are 24 percent more efficient than typical commercial units, and sensors will shut off lights when rooms are unoccupied. After a year of occupancy and exhaustive documentation by project engineers, Fayetteville administrators hope the U. S. Green Building Council will grant the building LEED certification, affirming its environmentally friendly construction and energy-saving features.
“If we’re going to do the right thing, let’s underscore it,” said Dick Johnson, assistant superintendent for the Fayetteville School District. “Everything we do is observed and interpreted, and this is a branding that’s recognized nationally.” LEED, an abbreviation for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, has slowly spread from commercial to public spaces as taxpayers have become more engaged in “green” building construction, Johnson said. But while some school leaders strive for the designation, others resist it, claiming the label elevates project costs without guaranteed return and raises questions from the public, sensitive to every increase in a building’s budget.
The U. S. Green Building Council ranks buildings seeking certification on a 69-point scale, adding points for designated building features and materi- als. Buildings that score at least 26 points receive certification, and those scoring higher receive silver, gold and platinum ratings, according to the council’s Web site. In 2007, the council launched an accreditation scale specifically for schools that awards points for the acoustic qualities of classrooms and for using the building as a tool to teach about environmentally friendly building techniques.
-- Evie Blad Boston Elementary School Goes Green -- wbztv.com Massachusetts: November 19, 2008 [ abstract] There is a new trend when it comes to education -- green schools. In these eco-friendly classrooms, the environment is not only part of the lesson plan, it is core to the way the school functions. The Mary E. Baker School in Brockton is a new green school with an enrollment of almost 800 K-6 students. Unlike other states, there is no mandate for new schools to be built green in Massachusetts, but the state does provide substantial financial support for schools that opt to build green. Take a seat in Paul Anderson's sixth grade class and you'll get a lesson on solar panels. But the students don't need to open a text book to see this renewable energy source. Instead, a quick field trip to the roof of the school brings the lesson to life. Almost 200 solar cells face the sun, generating enough energy to power 10 homes for a year.
Sunlight is also harnessed to light up classrooms, cutting electricity bills and improving the learning environment. Research studies have shown that students perform better in the glow of natural versus artificial light. The heating and cooling systems used in the school are closely monitored to maximize energy efficiency and smart classrooms shut off air flow and ceiling lights when students are out on recess. Total energy savings are expected to be $60,000 a year. By studying long term operating costs at the school, the state hopes to determine the effectiveness of the many energy saving measures used at the Baker School.
-- Mish Michaels Chicago School Unveils Earth-friendly Makeover -- Chicago Tribune Illinois: October 25, 2008 [ abstract] With innovations such as solar panels and a biodiesel bus, Bloom High School in Chicago Heights is going green. The Earth-friendly makeover was unveiled as students planted trees and installed rain collectors. The south suburban school is one of the first in the country to make such major environmental changes, courtesy of a $175,000 grant. The campus now boasts a greenhouse, solar panels that power 20 classrooms, energy-efficient light bulbs and power strips, a restored prairie and a living wall"a vertical row of plants that filters air and water. Science Club members have already been using a bus that runs on biodiesel fuel made from used vegetable oil. Maria Avalos, 16, worked on a school mural dedicated to recycling.
The project was organized by Earth Day Network and paid for by the Wal-Mart Foundation. The organizations work together to identify urban schools that have taken steps to become more sustainable. Sean Miller, educational director for Earth Day Network, said young people understand the problems facing the environment and want to reduce their carbon footprint. Bloom High School has 1,600 students, most of whom are low income. The network says green schools improve attendance and test scores.
-- Emma Graves Fitzsimmons U.S. Mayors Work for Greener Schools -- Consulting-Specifying Engineer National: October 21, 2008 [ abstract] On October 1, a group of U.S. mayors announced the formation of the Mayors Alliance for green schools. The group comprises a coalition of mayors working to group the leadership and creativity of mayors across the country, to promote the benefits of green schools in their communities. Developed in partnership with the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), the Alliance will work to accelerate implementation of programs supporting the 2007 U.S. Conference of Mayors (USCM) resolution calling for green schools for all children within a generation. According to USGBC president and CEO Rick Fedrizzi, there are green school Advocacy committees in 80 local USBGC chapters across he country; those groups will be at the disposal of the Alliance in developing and promoting sustainability-minded programs. “As first responders to the needs of their communities, mayors are the vanguard of sustainable development in our country,” says Fedrizzi. “USGBC wants to do all we can to support them, especially in this critically important initiative.” The announcement was led by Miami Mayor Manny Diaz and Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels. Also voicing their support were San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom; Austin, Texas, Mayor Will Wynn; Des Moines, Iowa, Mayor Frank Cownie; and Grand Rapids, Mich., Mayor George Heartwell.
-- Staff Writer Eco-friendly Schools Offer Students Fresh Lessons -- USA Today National: October 20, 2008 [ abstract] On the outside, Great Seneca Creek Elementary School looks much like any other. But inside, it is unmistakably green. This was the first public school in Maryland to receive certification as "eco-friendly" — a concept catching on in schools around the nation. Eco-friendly schools offer ways to save energy, improve air quality and educate students about the environment. Great Seneca fifth-grader Eddie Graves explains it best. "It doesn't use as much water," he says, citing the waterless urinals and motion-activated faucets. He's standing in the library, where a slanted ceiling helps light bounce off the floor-to-ceiling windows.
This year, Florida, Maryland and Anchorage approved policies requiring that new schools be green. Six other states — Connecticut, Hawaii, Illinois, New Jersey, Ohio and Washington — also require new schools to meet green-building standards. More than a dozen cities — including New York, New Orleans and Washington —do the same. Other states — including Pennsylvania, Massachusetts and California — offer financial incentives. "Momentum is really starting to pick up," says Dennis Van Roekel, president of the National Education Association. He says green schools give kids a living laboratory to learn about the environment.
-- Wendy Koch New Orleans Schools are Going for the Green -- Times-Picayune Louisiana: October 20, 2008 [ abstract] The Samuel L. Green Uptown, and across town at St. Paul's Episcopal School in Lakeview, are two schools that are becoming models of eco-conscious education in New Orleans. Spun off of the flagship Edible Schoolyard in Berkeley, Calif., two years ago, the Samuel L. Green program takes up one-third of an acre and features extensive organic flower and vegetable gardens, as well as a fully-staffed outdoor classroom that hosts classes three to five times a day. Although sustainable gardening is a hallmark of the program's output, the Edible Schoolyard is more about fully integrating outdoor, hands-on, environmentally friendly activities with the school curriculum, program director Donna Cavado said. Like the Edible Schoolyard, St. Paul's Episcopal School has begun incorporating environmental components into its curriculum, with plans for an even deeper integration into its overall mission.
The greening of St. Paul's involves much more than just student classwork and extracurricular activity. Since last fall, the school has worked to build a sustainable vision for its entire Lakeview campus. Head of school Merry Sorrells said she was inspired to propose bold changes to the school's mission after touring a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certified green middle school under construction in Washington, D.C. "Outside of that building there was a simulated wetland that they were using for water filtration," Sorrells recalled. "When I saw that I thought, 'The city and our wetlands need saving. This is a way to take part in making our educational system a sustainable one, and to have an impact on wetland recovery.' "We don't have to simulate a wetland. We have a wetland, and our kids can be a catalyst to bringing them back." Faculty and parents galvanized behind her message of the school leading by example with a healthy lifestyle. Working with architectural firms specializing in green school design, St. Paul's has begun to develop a formal master plan for improving the health and efficiency of existing buildings and outdoor spaces, as well as the construction of a new LEED-certified classroom building.
-- Molly Reid Green School to Set Standard for all New Palm Beach County Schools -- South Florida Sun-Sentinel Florida: August 15, 2008 [ abstract] The new Pine Jog Elementary is the model for all green public schools set to join the area's landscape, including an elementary west of Boca Raton that could open in 2010, said Joseph Sanches, facilities management chief for the school district. "It's going to be a great learning opportunity for us," he said, also citing plans to apply green standards at older schools set to be modernizedFive years in the making, Pine Jog Elementary showcases an abundance of environmentally friendly building features. The school sits on land west of West Palm Beach had been part of a 150-acre preserve filled with saw grass marsh, pines and other natural habitats.
The school's neighbor is Florida Atlantic University's Pine Jog Environmental Education Center, which has taught area children to respect and protect nature since 1960.
Despite initial objections from environmental activists wishing to preserve the site, the district budgeted $37.6 million to build the school and a new, green home for FAU, which opened last month. As part of the package, the district is leasing 15 acres from the university for $1 a year until 2104.
-- Marc Freeman Greener Fields of Learning in Florida County -- Herald Tribune Florida: June 16, 2008 [ abstract] When it comes to building schools with good air quality, pleasant lighting and fixtures that save water and energy, Charlotte County leads Florida. While Charlotte has lagged behind its neighbors in setting other green trends, such as buying land for preservation and passing laws to limit fertilizers, its schools have received national recognition for eco-friendly designs. Though Charlotte is ahead in building green schools in Florida, it is not alone. Sarasota school officials are are visiting Charlotte for ideas on creating classrooms that conserve natural resources and the district is building two green schools for certification in North Port. The Manatee County School District is building a green school near Bradenton. Both counties have been incorporating green technologies, such as recycled materials and efficient lighting, in their new schools for the past year or so.
At Neil Armstrong Elementary School in Port Charlotte, students sit in airy classes with soft, adjustable lighting. They use low-flush toilets, recycle paper during recess and spell vocabulary words on electronic boards instead of using chalk or dry-erase markers. When teachers and students leave their classes, they usually turn out the lights. If they do not, sensors do the job for them. And at the end of the day, janitors wield reusable mops and rags that swish nontoxic, odor-free soaps. Neil Armstrong is the second public school in the state to receive certification from the U.S. Green Building Council for its energy-efficient design.
-- Kate Spinner South Carolina County Planners Shopping Possibility for Green Schools -- Beaufort Gazette South Carolina: June 16, 2008 [ abstract] The schools of Beaufort County's future could operate with dramatically lower utility costs and offer a healthier, more comfortable environment for students and faculty that can improve learning. Schools built with green goals in mind experienced an average of 33 percent lower utility costs with an up front premium of only 1.65 percent above regular construction costs, according to a study of 30 green schools across the country. Impressive facts like that flew from the podium one after another at a joint committee meeting of the Beaufort County Council and Beaufort County Board of Education on Tuesday, where Joel McKellar, a research assistant with the Charleston architecture firm LS3P and chairman of the Lowcountry branch of the U.S. Green Building Council, briefed the committee on the benefits of building green schools.
The topic is particularly relevant because the school district has a five-year facilities plan calling for more than a quarter billion dollars in new schools and major renovations. As part of that plan, school officials put a bond referendum before county voters in April, who narrowly authorized borrowing $162.7 million. To date, North Charleston Elementary School is the only school in the state to obtain the green building council's increasingly popular Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification. County planning director Tony Criscitiello, whose department arranged McKellar's presentation, said the county's comprehensive plan will include a chapter entirely about sustainability. The document is meant to guide county development for the next 10 years.
-- Jeremy Hsieh Hawaii Schools Could Receive $20.5 Million In New ‘Green’ Construction Grants
-- Hawaii Reporter Hawaii: June 05, 2008 [ abstract] U.S. Representative Neil Abercrombie said Hawaii schools would be eligible for $20,546,800 in funds over the next five years for building modernization, renovation and repair under the 21st Century Green High-Performing Public Schools Facilities Act approved by the House this week. The green schools Act authorizes the five-year program to help school districts across the country make their buildings more energy efficient and reliant on renewable sources of energy.
“Most importantly, our keiki will benefit from the green schools Act because research shows a direct correlation between the quality of school facilities and student achievement,” said Abercrombie. “So, these funds to help Hawaii school districts renovate and modernize school buildings will actually improve the teaching and learning climate, health and safety.”
Since 2001, the federal government has provided very little to help states and school districts pay for school construction and repair. The measure requires school districts to publicly report the educational, energy and environmental benefits of the projects, how they comply with green building standards and the percentage of funds used for projects at low-income and rural schools.
-- Dave Helfert Maryland Green Schools Honored -- Washington Post Maryland: June 01, 2008 [ abstract] The Maryland green schools certification was earned by three dozen schools and an additional 32 schools earned re-certification this year. The schools incorporate environmental education into their curriculum, model best management practices at their school and address community environmental issues. Maryland green schools model environmental management techniques include planting trees to control erosion on school grounds, establishing natural habitats on campus, and conserving water by installing low-flow devices on school sinks. The Maryland green schools Award Program was created in 1999 and 201 schools have earned the right to fly the green school flag. The program is managed by the Maryland Association for Environmental and Outdoor Education in partnership with the Department of Natural Resources and other state agencies.
-- Staff Writer Michigan Schools Go Green to Save Green
-- Detroit News Michigan: May 27, 2008 [ abstract] The Hartland Consolidated School District spends 30 cents apiece for foam insulators to place on electrical outlets to keep the wind out. Teachers close the blinds at night, turn the lights out on vending machines, recycle drawing paper and place draft guards along the bottom of doors. By changing their energy consumption habits, and with a minimal cash outlay of $1,500 for the program, officials say the district saved $115,000 last year and reduced its electrical consumption from 4 million kilowatt hours to 1 million. "We've done pretty well with our nickel," said Kristine Moffett, district energy manager. "We didn't have a lot of money to spend so I did a lot of research and found out things like 40 percent of a building's heat loss comes through the windows."
Hartland is not alone in its move toward environmentally friendly, or "green," school buildings. Proponents say less toxic, naturally lit green buildings can reduce illnesses such as asthma and promote a better learning environment. And school districts across the country are finding there are sizable money savings in making notoriously energy-guzzling school buildings more efficient. Many, like Hartland, are achieving those savings largely by changing their consumption habits. Others, like Fraser, are laying out cash to upgrade heating and cooling systems, confident that the energy savings over time will pay for the upgrades. Many are being spurred by the Michigan green schools Initiative, which has enticed a growing number of schools -- 124 to date -- to go green by cutting energy consumption, reducing their use of toxic chemicals, recycling materials and other measures.
-- Shawn D. Lewis Blueprints for a Green School -- San Diego Union-Tribune California: May 17, 2008 [ abstract] Talk with Dax London about his plans for the future High Tech High Quarry Falls School and you'll hear about sustainable development, green building standards and the basketball court he wants to add to the roof. London, 15, is one of 45 students at Point Loma-based Gary and Jerri-Ann Jacobs High Tech High School learning about city planning, environmental awareness, property rights and more through designing a green school slated for Mission Valley.
During the â€"Gravel to Green†project, students from Isaac Jones and Peter Jana's 10th-grade classes are acting as architects for the 700-student kindergarten-through-eighth-grade charter school planned for a 3Â1/2-acre parcel in the proposed Quarry Falls development. No architect has been chosen to design the school, but officials say it is possible some of the elements from the Gravel to Green project would be incorporated into the campus.
-- Jennifer K Mahal Schools Tapping into LEED Building Trend -- Environmental Protection Magazine National: May 01, 2008 [ abstract] The U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification program for green schools has a registration rate of one school a day. green schools are more energy and water efficient, which save taxpayers money. They also have significantly improved indoor air quality, and that results in healthier kids. Michelle Moore, senior vice president at the council, says â€"energy savings alone could pay for 5,000 new textbooks per school per year." According to Moore "Pennsylvania, Michigan, New Jersey, Oregon, and Virginia have the most LEED-certified schools to date, and many local school districts and state departments of education are beginning to develop and implement policies that require schools to be built green." The state of Ohio is leading the way. Hundreds of new and renovated schools are set to meet higher energy efficiency and environmental standards through the Ohio School Facilities Commission's adoption of the LEED for Schools Rating System as part of its school design standards. When the commission did the math, it determined it could save more than $1.4 billion in taxpayer money over the next 40 years through energy consumption reductions.
-- Staff Writer Palm Beach, Florida Schools Commit to Green Building -- Palm Beach Post Florida: April 13, 2008 [ abstract] Low gas-emitting paint and carpeting, lights tripped by motion sensors, solar roof fabric and waterless urinals are just some of the environmentally friendly staples that will be found in new Palm Beach County schools. The school board is the first in South Florida and perhaps in the state to pledge an all-green building program. It joins school districts in Colorado, Ohio and Maryland that have promised to build to national standards that consider conservation in construction practices and the use of natural environment in design. "It's everyone's responsibility to do as much as they can in conserving all aspects of the environment," board member Carrie Hill said. "We're basically protecting the future."
In August, the district will open Pine Jog, its first school certified by the U.S. Green Building Council. Two new elementary schools will follow a year later. A fourth green school, a middle school breaking off of Pahokee Middle/Senior, is in the design phase. Eco-friendly schools cost roughly 2 percent more to build, an extra $600,000 for a typical $30 million elementary school, said Joseph Sanches, the district's chief of facilities management. It takes about seven years to pay off the extra cost in utilities and other savings in the 50- to 60-year life of a school. But school districts that consistently build green have gotten the added cost down to 1 percent or nothing, said Rachel Gutter, the Green Building Council's schools sector manager.
-- Laura Green Editorial: Building a Sustainable, Green School -- Sandy Post Oregon: April 10, 2008 [ abstract] Results of a recent community survey indicate that Oregon Trail School District citizens understand the need for a new high school, and for making energy, safety and security upgrades at our elementary and middle schools. That is very good news. Our community has also made it clear that they expect a new school to be functional and sustainable, with “green” characteristics. As the Oregon Trail School District’s superintendent, a parent, and a taxpayer, I echo those sentiments.
While the terms “sustainable” and “green” are often used interchangeably, they are more complementary than they are synonymous. A green school is designed and built with a focus on achieving a healthy living environment for our students and staff, as well as one that is energy efficient. Sustainability seeks, through the building design, construction and long-term operational practices, to protect our environment for future generations. According to Merle Kirkley, president of the Council of Educational Facility Planners International, “Building green is part of a comprehensive effort that includes sustainability, indoor air quality, energy conservation, and all other matters that pertain to the environment and the overall health of students and faculty.” Most importantly, evidence strongly suggests that the operation of sustainable, green schools leads to increased academic performance, decreased absenteeism and significant cost savings.
-- Shelly Redinger The Real Value of Designing a Green School -- The Wellesley Townsman Massachusetts: April 03, 2008 [ abstract] Wellesley is designing its first green school, and decision-makers are weighing which sustainable design elements should be included. Some green features have direct financial payback " the most notable a reduction in energy use " while others improve productivity by creating a healthy learning environment. But some green features are worth doing because they transform the way engineering, technology and environmental science can be taught.
green schools across the country are now recognized for a higher mission than energy-efficiency, superior indoor air quality, and treading lightly on the environment. green schools actually foster a different kind of learning and kids emerge as different kind of citizens, more vested in and accountable for the world around them. Many green schools are linking their building technologies, based on principles of sustainability, directly to the curriculum. The Sidwell Friends Middle School in Washington, D.C., is a good example. The school is nestled in constructed wetlands that treat building wastewater on site and recycle it for graywater use in the building. Rainwater is filtered on the school’s green roof, or directed toward a “biology pond” that supports a native habitat. At Sidwell Friends, students regularly observe the interconnected role that water and buildings play in natural habitat support.
-- Pamela Posey Building Green Schools in Ohio Now May Save Later
-- Columbus Dispatch Ohio: April 01, 2008 [ abstract] New environmental standards will increase the cost of Columbus' 15-year school-construction plan, but also could improve long-term energy costs and student learning, a school district official said. The state requirement will add about $500,000 to the cost of building each new elementary school, which will have to meet standards in energy efficiency and environmental sensitivity, Columbus schools facilities executive Carole Olshavsky said. The Ohio School Facilities Commission, which helps fund and manage Columbus' half-billion-dollar school-construction program, recently adopted construction standards set by the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design for Schools Rating System.
-- Simone Sebastian Maryland Senate Votes to Require Green School Construction -- WTOP News Maryland: March 20, 2008 [ abstract] New government buildings, including schools, would have to be energy-efficient "green" buildings under a bill approved by the Maryland Senate. The bill, which now heads to the House, sets a requirement that large buildings funded by state tax dollars meet standards to be considered "green" as an attempt to reduce energy costs. The requirement will take effect for school construction after 2009. The bill passed the Senate 40-5. Opponents say the requirement would drive up the cost of public construction and could slow the building of new schools. The bill allows schools to ask for waivers to the requirement. It also exempts buildings that aren't fully heated or cooled, such as garages and warehouses.
-- Staff Writer Connecticut School Designated for Green Cleaning Project
-- Record Journal Connecticut: March 19, 2008 [ abstract] Head Custodian John Beardsley stood over a kind of environmental divide at Platt High School. He gestured to the foyer before him and explained that it had been waxed using traditional chemicals four times since August. The adjoining hallway had been waxed once in that time with a "green" sealant containing no substances harmful to the environment. "It takes a lot less to get to that shine," Beardsley said of the environmentally friendly wax. Though a number of schools have been experimenting with such cleaning agents, the district has designated Platt as the city's green school pilot project.
-- Andrew Perlot Palm Beach County: Green Schools Cost More, But Will Pay for Themselves -- Sun-Sentinel Florida: March 06, 2008 [ abstract] It costs more to go green, but big benefits are coming for local schools built with environmentally helpful features. That's the message from Palm Beach County School District officials, who provided a clearer outline of the potential expenses and savings for building green campuses. Earlier, the School Board expressed reservations while approving $585,620 for extra green design costs on three previously approved school construction projects scheduled for the next two years.
The county will get its first look at a green school in August, when the district opens a $37.6 million elementary campus next to the Pine Jog Environmental Education Center west of West Palm Beach. Green buildings feature environmentally sensitive and recycled building materials, an emphasis on natural light and low-flow plumbing fixtures. It costs an extra $150,000 to $225,000 to design a typical 120,000-square-foot elementary school to meet the standards of the U.S. Green Building Council and receive a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design rating, said Joseph Sanches, district facilities management chief.
-- Marc Freeman California Awards Green Schools Grant -- GreenerBuildings California: March 03, 2008 [ abstract] California's State Allocation Board issued the first award under the High Performance Incentive Grant program aimed at encouraging green building practices in schools. The state will give $107,000 to Animo Venice Charter High School in Los Angeles to help fund construction of the its new campus. The grant program earmarks $100 million for green school building projects under Proposition D. Schools built with state funds are encouraged to incorporate green building principles under California's Green Building Initiative, signed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger in late 2004. The grant program uses criteria ro assess and assign a score to green attributes to help determine the grant amount.
-- Staff Writer Ohio District's Schools Going All Green
-- Cincinatti Enquireer Ohio: March 03, 2008 [ abstract] North College Hill is aiming to become the first green school district in Ohio. With passage of a bond issue in November and funding from the Ohio School Facilities Commission, North College Hill has the $38 million needed to build an environmentally correct elementary school, middle school and high school by 2011, district officials said.
But how to do that is still under discussion. Teams of teachers, residents, administrators and architects meet regularly to discuss green strategies. Should roofs be white to deflect sunlight and cut energy costs, or would “green roofs” work better, with soil and gardens that absorb rain water as well as heat? Should windows be large to let in sunlight, or smaller and higher to lighten rooms while keeping temperatures moderate? Can walkways and skateboard paths replace new parking spaces? These and other questions confront North College Hill and dozens of Ohio school districts as the state strives to lead the nation in the so-called green schools movement. Cincinnati is at the forefront.
-- Denise Smith Amos Green Schools Healthier, Smarter?
-- Honolulu Advertiser National: February 28, 2008 [ abstract] Schools featuring clean air, plenty of natural light, wastewater recycling, renewable power and other ways to lessen their impact on the environment also offer health and educational benefits for students and faculty, said a leading congressional advocate of that style of school construction. Rep. Darlene Hooley, D-Ore., a co-founder of the Congressional green schools Caucus, said studies have found that students attending so-called "green schools" are healthier, with fewer incidents of asthma, colds and flu, and have improved academic performance, up to 18 percent higher. At the same time, building of green schools across the U.S. is expected to save $30 billion in energy costs over 10 years and cut carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere by 33.2 million tons.
-- Dennis Camire U.S. Representative Courtney Urges Greener Schools to Save Millions -- The Day Connecticut: February 27, 2008 [ abstract] U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney, D-2nd District, is trying to bring federal help to Connecticut's failing schools. They're not failing academically, but environmentally. Connecticut school buildings scored an average of 26 out of 100 in energy efficiency based on the Energy Star rating developed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, according to a 2006 study conducted by the Institute for Sustainable Energy at Eastern Connecticut State University. Schools were scoring so low that institute officials thought something was wrong with the rating system, said William Leahy, the group's director of operations.
Courtney said the study spurred his decision to help found the Congressional green schools Caucus, a group of lawmakers from across the country that advocates for enhanced school energy efficiency. Two weeks ago, Courtney announced he was co-sponsoring legislation introduced by U.S. Rep. Rush Holt, D-N.J., that calls for the secretary of U.S. Department of Education to authorize competitive grants for school construction projects that enhance energy efficiency. â€"It is eye-popping, in terms of the waste that is occurring in Connecticut public schools,†Courtney said. The savings that could be realized by improving energy efficiency in schools would bolster the quality of education and make it easier for towns to pass their annual budgets, he added.
-- Erin Kutz 'Green Team' Monitors School's Eco-Response -- Washington Post District of Columbia: January 31, 2008 [ abstract] Last year, the Montgomery County school system saved $1.2 million in electricity costs through conservation measures implemented by Green Teams, said Anderson, who initiated the green schools program five years ago. "Electricity is our most expensive fuel, and [conservation measures] can make a huge difference here," she said. Anderson said that the measurement tools help students and staff members understand the concept of energy, which can be difficult to grasp because it isn't tangible. "But if you can measure it, it suddenly becomes real," she said. Green teams focus on conserving energy by promoting actions such as turning off lights and computers when not in use. With the help of teams, some schools have reduced the amount of fluorescent lighting and replaced bulbs with more efficient ones. Teachers have been given desk lamps for classrooms and offices if they pledge to turn off overhead lights for two or more hours each day. The teams also have encouraged staff to help reduce "plug-in" electricity loads by removing mini-refrigerators and microwaves from classrooms, Anderson said.
-- Julie Rasicot School in Green-Elite -- Coloradan Colorado: January 28, 2008 [ abstract] Bethke Elementary in Tinmath might be one of the first green schools certified under the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or LEED for Schools Program. Poudre School District officials have partially submitted paperwork to certify the new Timnath area elementary school with a LEED gold certification, the second highest certification for green schools. It costs approximately $5,500 to become certified, said Rachel Gutter, schools sector manager for the U.S. Green Building Council. The new LEED for schools came in April when USGBC officials realized schools needed different standards than the LEED for new construction certification, Gutter said. "There was a tremendous demand in the marketplace for more green school construction," Gutter said. "We wanted to specifically address the needs of schools." Under the new rating system, schools have different requirements for daylight and acoustics in the classroom, as well as more stringent air quality standards. The USGBC also awards points for schools that engage their inhabitants, acting as an interactive learning tool. "One of the things we're trying to do is to heighten that awareness and create those opportunities to ask questions about how the building operates," Franzen said.
-- Hallie Woods Green School Goes for Gold -- Contractor Pennsylvania: January 09, 2008 [ abstract] Armed with the knowledge from building its first “green” elementary school, Radnor Township School District officials here decided to embark on an even more ambitious sustainable school project. In some ways, the district was ahead of its time when it began the Radnor Elementary School’s design process in 1998, prior to the release of the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design rating system. Presently, district officials are seeking LEED-Gold certification after completing the district’s new $48 million Radnor Middle School this year. Many of the elements that make the district’s new school eligible for LEED certification are a residual effect of the community’s forward thinking, according to Leo Bernabei, the school district’s director of operations. “The community and school district’s interest is in supplying the best possible learning environment for the students and staff and to be environmentally responsive to the larger community more so than achieving any certification or getting any plaques,” Bernabei said.
-- Brian Wasag Green School Buildings Making a Surge -- eSchool News National: December 17, 2007 [ abstract] School systems nationwide are beginning to realize the benefits of "going green" when building new schools, according to experts who follow school construction trends. Though the initial building costs can run higher, schools are seeing a return on their up-front investment through a reduction in monthly energy costs. Another important (and often unexpected) side benefit has been a boost in student achievement resulting from more healthy, productive, and comfortable learning environments.
John Weekes, an architect who is a member of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Committee on Architecture for Education, says "green," or environmentally friendly, school buildings aren't just a West Coast concept anymore. "Of course, places like California have been thinking green for a while, but it's really all over now--the Pacific Northwest, the upper Midwest, and the Northeast," he said. "Recently, it's also been [occurring in] the Southeast. It's certainly [a] mainstream [concept], but not entirely even across the board. Every region has its own rate."
-- Meris Stansbury Green Schools Get Better Results -- Coloradoan Colorado: November 28, 2007 [ abstract] Mike Stohlgren can get a glimpse of the outside world in every classroom. With solitubes, large windows and lots of natural lighting, Stohlgren never feels like he's going to school in a cave. "My grades are better, and I'm sure that's why," joked Stohlgren, a 10th-grader at Fossil Ridge High School. But Stohlgren's sense of humor isn't too far-fetched. Studies have shown green buildings can increase productivity and improve health for those who spend large amounts of time in them.
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or LEED, certified buildings have more natural lighting and exposure to outdoors, which can improve productivity, said Ashley Katz, communications coordinator for the U.S. Green Building Council. "LEED-certified spaces offer a connection to the outdoors with large and operable windows, which makes it more pleasant to spend your day," she said. Students in Pennsylvania moving from a conventional school to a 2002 LEED gold building had a 19 percent increase in average Student Oral Reading Fluency Scores compared with test scores from the previous building, according to a study done by George Kats, funded in part by the U.S. Green Building Council. A study by the California Energy Commission found that having a better view out a window was consistently associated with better performance.
-- Hallie Woods District Hopes Green School Will Save Money, Environment -- Gloucester Daily Times Massachusetts: November 27, 2007 [ abstract] It may not have the glitz and glamour of solar panels or wind turbines, but the new Manchester Essex Middle and High School will be green all the same. Sarah Creighton, chairwoman of the School Building Committee, is the first to admit that some energy-saving features in the new building - waterless urinals, for example - are not likely to interest the average student. Other items might generate a bit more enthusiasm due to the technology. Photo sensors, for instance, will automatically dim the electric lights when natural light is sufficient. Of course, there will be some features that students and teachers might find downright inconvenient, such as the reduced air conditioning. But to the building committee, a combination of things that are both economically and environmentally sound - including some that may require sacrifice on a hot day - is the most responsible way to make the new school a green building.
-- Kristen Grieco Oregon's Green Schools Save Green, Impact Learning -- KGW.com Oregon: November 26, 2007 [ abstract] Mr. Speakman's fifth grade classroom at Ash Creek Intermediate, in Monmouth, looks like a typical social studies class you'd find anywhere in America. His students are studying Christopher Columbus. They're focused on their lesson. They don't notice the lights are off. The don't notice the daylight spilling through the windows, flooding down circular skylights and pouring through skylight boxes in the hallway. They simply notice Christopher Columbus was way off target when he mistakenly landed in America. But teachers notice the difference. And so do taxpayers.
"It's just tremendously positive." That's how Ash Creek Principal Barbara Whelander describes her "green school." She leads me through the hallways, points out the energy efficient florescent lights that automatically turn off when there's enough daylight. She says "we need to be good stewards of those dollars that the public trusts us with - I think we've done that here."
-- Amy Troy Commissioners OK Green’ High School Construction Method
-- Watauga Democrat North Carolina: November 07, 2007 [ abstract] Watauga County is taking the “LEED” in building a new energy-efficient school, pursuing what could be the first high school facility in the state that is certified as “green.” LEED is a certified rating for structures judged on a “whole-building approach to sustainability” based on site development, water conservation, energy efficiency, materials selection and indoor environmental quality.
The county could pursue a “Silver LEEDS” certification, one of four different levels granted through achieving performance benchmarks. Among the green techniques discussed for the school are the strategic placement of windows for daytime interior lighting, capturing and reusing rainwater, and a geothermal collection system that would use underground pipes for heating and cooling. Commissioner Mary Moretz said while the county would face additional costs up front, the techniques would result in long-term savings, particularly given the collaboration with ASU. Supporters say green schools have better teacher retention rates, save enough money to fund additional teachers and supplies, and provide a positive environment that can help boost academic performance.
-- Scott Nicholson Patrons Enjoy Look at Striking New Energy-Efficient Elementary -- Saline County Voice Arkansas: November 07, 2007 [ abstract] Hurricane Creek Elementary School opened as the first ecofriendly elementary in Arkansas. A "green school," Hurricane Creek becomes the second Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certified school in Arkansas, say Benton School District officials. Bryant's Bethel Middle School was the first. The school's design allows it to rely heavily on natural light. Though the project cost $10.4 million, reduced maintenance and energy costs save the school $65,780 and $24,280 a year respectively. The design is overall expected to save the community $8.5 million over the building's expected 50- year lifespan.
Bryant patrons approved the millage increase to fund the project in 2003. In subsequent months, state Sen. Shane Broadway accompanied Dr. Richard Abernathy, Bryant school superintendent, to Austin, Texas searching for ideas for new schools in development. The two visited J.J. Pickle Elementary School, and were intrigued by the design. After discussing the options, as well as the various hurdles and potential obstacles, the idea to steer the Bryant district toward environmental friendliness was born. Principal Beggs said Hurricane Creek was an architect's dream. "It takes my breath away."
-- Jason Woods U.S. Green Building Council Launches Green Schools Web Site -- U,S, Green Building Council National: October 17, 2007 [ abstract] A new Web site launched by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) gives students, parents, teachers, school administrators, elected officials and community members a new resource in the effort to ensure a future of green schools for every child within a generation. “The new site, Build green schools (www.buildgreenschools.org), will be a vital tool for the grassroots green schools movement, helping the site’s visitors to promote healthy, nurturing, environmentally friendly schools in their own communities,” noted Rick Fedrizzi, President and CEO, U.S. Green Building Council.
Build green schools is filled with facts on the benefits and costs of green schools, including the ways green schools foster learning, decrease student and teacher absenteeism from respiratory and other illnesses, reduce energy and water bills, and provide models for teaching the world’s future leaders about sustainability to benefit communities for generations to come. It is complete with profiles of schools that have already gone green, examples of policies governments and school districts have instituted to ensure future schools are green, an extensive list of resources and links, and even a social networking site for visitors to share their experiences, best practices, and creative ideas.
-- Press Release U.S. Green Building Council Launches “Green Schools Advocates” Program
-- Consulting-Specifying Engineer National: October 11, 2007 [ abstract] Dozens of architects, PTA presidents, school board members, school superintendents, and others from across the country are ready to begin a grassroots effort to further the vision of green schools for every child within a generation. Some 64 “green school Advocates” from U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) chapters nationwide were in Washington, D.C., during the last week of September to receive training to go back to their communities and organize green school committees. Local chapter “green schools Advocacy Committees” will work with decision-makers, parents, teachers, and others who are passionate about giving children the healthiest, safest places to learn and grow"all while saving school districts money, contributing toward mitigating climate change, and improving our environment.
“The local USGBC chapters are a critical component in the council’s vision of green schools for every child within a generation,” said Rick Fedrizzi, USGBC president, CEO, and founding chair. “There are now chapter members from across America who are engaging in local outreach and education.”
-- Staff Writer Shades of Green: School Energized for Future -- Sacramento Bee California: October 09, 2007 [ abstract] There is momentum building worldwide for environmentally sound school designs. Increasingly, green schools are viewed as sound investments in the environment, student performance and the bottom line. Now, schools looking to incorporate green design into new or revamped buildings can apply for state funding. The state Department of General Services' Office of Public School Construction(OPSC) said last week that schools can apply for $100 million in High Performance Incentive Grants. High performance schools are defined as those that feature energy- and resource-efficient classrooms. "Studies have shown that there's a 20 percent improvement in math and reading test scores for students in well lit classrooms," said Rob Cook, an executive officer with OPSC. "Maximizing natural light is a great element to integrate into schools."
-- Ngoc Nguyen Regulations Passed to Begin Funding 'Green Schools' for California
-- Business Wire California: October 03, 2007 [ abstract] The Department of General Services' Office of Public School Construction announced that regulations have been approved to allow it to begin the process of awarding $100 million in High Performance Incentive Grants to California schools for more energy and resource efficient "green" classrooms. The funding was approved by California voters last year as part of Proposition 1D. In December 2004, Governor Schwarzenegger signed an Executive Order that ushered in the State's Green Building Initiative and encouraged schools built with State funds to be resource- and energy-efficient, while creating safer and healthier learning environments. The High Performance Incentive Grant program will promote the use of high performance attributes in new construction and modernization of projects for K-12 schools. These attributes include using designs and materials that promote energy and water efficiency, maximize the use of natural lighting, improve indoor air quality, use recycled materials and materials that emit a minimum of toxic substances, and feature acoustics that help the teaching and learning process.
-- Press Release Little Green Schoolhouse
-- Time Magazine National: September 20, 2007 [ abstract] Flat strips of lush, submerged grass rise in terraces from the courtyard of Sidwell Friends' new middle school in Washington like rice paddies in a mountainous Chinese village. Part of a man-made wetland connected to the school's water system, the plants filter liquid waste, just as real wetlands do with rainwater. Even if Sidwell middle school isn't quite a wetland, it can still lay claim to being the greenest school in the U.S., becoming the first institution to earn a platinum rating from the U.S. Green Building Council, an architectural watchdog organization.
More and more public and private schools have begun replacing their wheezy old buildings with energy-efficient new ones--or at least upgrading the structures they have. New Jersey is requiring all new school buildings to meet stricter environmental standards, and California and Massachusetts have made millions available to green their classrooms. It all comes at an opportune time: with baby-boomer-era buildings reaching the end of their life span, the U.S. must embark on a new wave of school construction anyway.
If the initial cost of going green is high--and it can be--the savings can be even greater. Currently, the energy bill for primary and secondary schools in the U.S. is $6 billion--and that's per year, more than is spent annually on computers and books combined. green schools can also inculcate green values in students at an impressionable age.
-- Bryan Walsh Green Schools: Color Them Healthy Places of Teaching and Learning -- Seattle Post-Intelligencer National: September 13, 2007 [ abstract] During the 1950s and '60s thousands of schools were built across the county, but now those learning facilities have aged to the point that they desperately need modernization or replacement. In the next 10 to 20 years, the U.S. will spend hundreds of billions of dollars on school construction. Each of those schools will last an average of 80 years.
Because buildings are the No. 1 contributor to climate change through their greenhouse gas emissions because of the massive amounts of energy they consume, we have a tremendous chance to address this situation. We can employ a smart, economically viable, environmentally responsible approach to creating schools or we can allow first-cost objections to cloud the judgment of school boards and follow the business-as-usual approaches that will result in a slew of cheaply constructed, energy-hogging schools littered throughout the nation that fail to create better learning environments.
It is imperative that we design the next generation of schools to teach about a more sustainable way of living, use minimal energy, eliminate the creation of toxins and waste and be interdependent with natural systems. This country's educational infrastructure desperately needs a modernized green school system. Green, high-performance schools are not a panacea. They will not solve all of the ills in the nation's school system but they will provide a foundation for a better education, in which teachers will more easily be able to focus on what matters most -- teaching -- and students will focus on what matters most -- learning.
-- R.K. Stewart San Francisco School Avoids Landfill, Reborn as Green School of the Future -- TreeHugger Newsletter California: September 11, 2007 [ abstract] Designed with the idea of fostering an atmosphere where independent thought and personal social responsibility are the norm rather than the exception, the Waldorf School’s newest addition to their thousand strong campuses around the world is an interesting take on the future of high schools everywhere. Essentially, they’ve taken the initiative to completely redesign their high school building in San Francisco.
So what have they chosen to include in this, the high school of the future? Well, for starters how about the fact that rather than demolishing the old building they simply saved the pieces, and through a bit of technological wizardry were able to put them all back together again. Of course, this time they’re in a much greener configuration. With a smarter usage of natural light, heat and ventilation, the addition of a 99% efficient boiler, smart sensors that pump outside air in if C02 levels get too high inside, infrared and C02 sensors to locate vacant rooms and adjust ventilation accordingly, new energy-efficient windows, and even cabinets and counter tops made from recycled paper and glue composite they’re aiming to help students put those lessons on independent thought and personal responsibility into action. And ultimately, in fact, they’ve even made the grade as San Francisco’s first LEED Gold high school.
-- Kenny Luna Better Test Scores by Green Building Design?
-- Times-Picayune Louisiana: July 20, 2007 [ abstract] The quest for higher student test scores seems to be never-ending. But perhaps our search has been fruitless because we've been looking in the wrong places. Green thinking. That's the message of Global Green USA, the American affiliate of Green Cross International. The group contends that schools built or renovated along green building principles are healthier and more cost effective in the long run. Perhaps, most importantly, these schools also promote improved test scores and better attendance on the part of both students and faculty. "Public school advocates have been so focused on the curriculum and the teachers for so many years that the quality of the buildings that the students are learning in has generally been pushed to the background," said Beth Galante, the director of Global Green New Orleans. "Our report references a study of 2,000 classrooms in three school districts that found that children performed 26 percent better on reading tests in classrooms with maximum natural daylight versus those in rooms with the least amount of natural light," Galante said.
"green schools use an average of 33 percent less energy than conventionally designed schools. Studies find an average asthma reduction of 38.5 percent in buildings with improved air quality," she said.
-- Lolis Eric Elie U.S. Mayors Support Green Schools Resolution-- GreenBiz News National: July 05, 2007 [ abstract] The U.S. Conference of Mayors unanimously supported a resolution that urges Congress to fund K-12 green school projects and research. At the organization's 75th annual meeting, Mayor T.M. Franklin Cownie of Des Moines, Iowa, introduced the resolution in the wake of a green schools movement taking shape across the country.
More than 30 schools have received LEED certification, while almost 300 others are on a certification waiting list. "Studies show that children in green schools are healthier and more productive because of improved indoor air quality, lower levels of chemical emissions and a generous provision of natural day lighting," Mayor Cownie said in a statement. "The benefit of cleaner indoor air quality -- a key emphasis of green schools -- have been linked to lower asthma rates, fewer allergies, reduced absenteeism, and increased teacher retention rates."
The U.S. Green Building Council administers the LEED rating system for schools. It emphasizes classroom acoustics, master planning, indoor air quality, mold prevention, energy efficiency and water conservation. LEED certified green buildings use a third less energy, as much as 50 percent less water, and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 40 percent, the USGBC said. It estimates that it costs $3 per square foot more to build a green school that a conventional school. Based only on energy savings, the payback begins within one year. Energy savings alone would total $20 billion during the next 10 years if all new schools and renovations were executed in a green manner, the USGBC said.
-- Staff Writer N.Y.C. Green School Rules Released -- New York Construction New York: June 29, 2007 [ abstract] The New York City Department of Education and its School Construction Authority division have released new standards for green design to serve as a roadmap for contractors and architects as they take on the city’s $3 billion school capital program. The N.Y.C. green schools Guide and Rating System released this spring was the result of a more than 18 month-long collaboration between the schools agencies and several consulting firms, led by Dattner Architects of New York, DVL Consulting Engineers of Hackensack, and Viridian Energy & Environmental of Norwalk, Conn. The system will bring the schools into compliance with Local Law 86, a citywide measure enacted in January that requires all municipal construction projects to meet minimum sustainable design standards.
-- Staff Writer New Orleans Schools Sow ‘Green Seeds’ -- New Orleans City Business Louisiana: June 24, 2007 [ abstract] Closing windows while the air conditioner is running is common sense and Global Green USA believes it is the key to raising test scores and reducing energy use at school. The Santa Monica, Calif.-based environmental organization is making public buildings nationwide more environmentally friendly through a $2-million grant from the Bush-Clinton Katrina Relief Fund for its Green Seed Schools Program in New Orleans. Five Green Seed schools in the New Orleans area will receive $75,000 each, said Beth Galante, Global Green New Orleans executive director. “First and foremost, we’re looking for neighborhoods of the city that are coming back,” she said. “We want to focus on schools of relatively modest size so we can try and ensure we can have a significant impact with our funding.”Galante said the goal is to reduce school energy consumption as much as 20 percent.
Test scores have been proven to increase by more than 25 percent in green schools according to independently published articles in the American School Board Journal, the National Clearinghouse for Educational Facilities and in pubications of the Virginia Polytechnic Institute.
-- Stephen Maloney Green School Takes Lots of Green -- Palm Beach Post Florida: May 29, 2007 [ abstract] The windmills will have to go. So will the distinctive, angled metal roofs, designed to reflect sunlight. But hopes of building the state's first certified green elementary school at Pine Jog Environmental Education Center in Palm Beach County remain very much alive. First, the school district had to get around the environmental problems caused by dropping the new school into Pine Jog's 150-acre suburban wilderness. Sure, some had complained that putting a school in a preserve was akin to destroying the forest to save it. But district officials would be careful, preserving trees and applying "green" building standards set by the U.S. Green Building Council.
The first bill came in at $1.5 million to replace all those slash pines and cabbage palms that had to be killed or moved to build the green school. The school district gulped. They had budgeted $250,000.
The first construction bids on building the school and a $3 million center for Pine Jog come in at an astronomical $38 million. Only $28 million has been budgeted, and that's up from $20 million originally. School district officials, to say the least, are scrambling. They blame the high costs of steel, cement and fuel. They're cutting costs but not, they say, at the expense of the school's green virtues. Not all of them, at least. They found $4 million in duplication, knocking the bid immediately to $34 million. Then the hard work of cutting costs without losing green certification began. Switching to a traditional flat roof saves $1 million, but they lose some green points. Eliminating the windmills, meant to drive irrigation pumps, saves a mere $50,000.
-- Joel Engelhardt Campuses Moving to Forefront of Green Building, Education
-- San Francisco Chronicle National: April 20, 2007 [ abstract] Just a few years ago, the idea of a "green school" probably referred to the color of paint on exterior walls. Even as the world debated the best ways to slow or stop global warming, schools were often off the radar. Saving the Earth lagged far behind education's top priority of raising test scores. But that's changing.
Today, schools are increasingly going green -- planting gardens, installing solar panels, following environmentally sound construction guidelines, using eco-friendly cleaning products and educating students on environmental issues. Ultimately, all this provides a healthier learning environment, which in turn improves student learning, educators have found. As an added bonus, energy costs go down and the Earth is better off. "I think that (schools) are realizing being green can save them money and help them improve test scores," said Deborah Moore, executive director of the Berkeley-based green schools Initiative.
-- Jill Tucker Charlotte County, Florida Working to Get Future Schools Designated as Green-- Charlotte Sun Florida: April 16, 2007 [ abstract] The Charlotte County school district is taking steps to ensure its future buildings are environmentally sound. The School Board voted unanimously to accept a proposal from TLC Engineering to provide Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design commissioning at Baker Pre-K Center, Peace River Elementary and Neil Armstrong Elementary. TLC will provide professional engineering services for the mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems at the schools, which were damaged by Hurricane Charley in 2004. The total cost is $140,000, but the "green" buildings will actually save on operational costs. According to the LEED Web site, certified green schools save an average of $100,000 per year, as the buildings consume about 30 percent less energy and water. "We're trying to do that with as many of our schools as we can," said Superintendent David Gayler about the green schools designation. LEED uses a national rating system for design, construction and operation of nvironmentally friendly structures. It evaluates performance on five key areas of human and environmental health, including water savings, energy efficiency and materials selection. LEED will be used in the construction of other schools destroyed by Hurricane Charley, including East Elementary, Punta Gorda Middle School and Charlotte High School.
-- Staff Writer Schools Set Standards With LEED Certification-- Green Options National: April 12, 2007 [ abstract] With all the buzz around green building, it's no surprise that K-12 schools around the country are starting to see the benefit of sustainable design. In fact, there are 32 K-12 buildings in the US and Canada that have already been LEED-certified. Incorporating environmentally elements such as energy-efficient lighting, heating, and cooling, locally-sourced materials, renewable energy sources, non-toxic sealants, adhesives, and paints, green roofs, and greywater systems, schools are creating buildings that are working models of sustainability, providing excellent tools for lessons along with the obvious benefits to the environment. Not only is the environment benefitting, but green school design serves other purposes, as well.
-- Kelli Best-Oliver New York City School Maintenance and Construction 'Going Green'-- CBS News New York: March 20, 2007 [ abstract] The New York City Department of Education and the School Construction Authority announced the publication of the NYC green schools Guide and Rating System, which will be used to guide the sustainable design, construction, and operation of new schools, modernization projects, and school renovations. The guide and rating system will assure compliance with local law, which established sustainability standards for public design and construction projects. The implementation of the green schools Guide and Rating System makes New York City one of the first and largest school districts in the nation to have sustainability guidelines required by law.
Sustainable schools will conserve energy and water, reduce operating costs, promote a healthy environment, and help teach environmental responsibility, officials said. Energy efficiency measures required by the GSG, including high efficiency building envelope and HVAC systems, will ensure that NYC's "green schools" save energy costs by at least 20 percent. Water-conserving plumbing fixtures such as metered faucets, dual flush toilets, low-flush urinals, and low flow showers will result in the reduction of potable water usage in each school by more than 40 percent. Efficient classroom lighting fixtures will save energy and provide high quality illumination. Stringent acoustical standards will ensure that instructional spaces are isolated from outside sound interference.
-- Staff Writer Green Schools for Better Education-- Stanford Daily California: March 02, 2007 [ abstract] All parents want their children to be healthy and do well in school. Elementary schools are places of learning where impressions and ideas that last a lifetime are formed. But existing schools are often built on tight budgets and to the bare-minimum standard necessary to meet building codes. Building codes, however, are rarely designed to enhance the learning environment for children. A new approach toward building schools is needed.
A recent study by Greg Kats of Capital E definitively shows that schools could be “healthier, more comfortable, and more productive” by using well-known green building techniques for an initial cost premium of under 2%, but with cost savings of twenty times the cost of going green over the lifetime of the school. Building green means designing a building so that it is constructed in an environmentally sensible way, with environmental criteria as one of the foremost, if not the top, priority when making design decisions. Green buildings considerably reduce water and energy consumption, and are healthier for their occupants.
-- Jonas Ketterle Builders Pressed to Help Pay for Oregon Schools -- The Oregonian Oregon: November 29, 2006 [ abstract] In the fast-growing Evergreen school District just north of the Oregon-Washington border, builders face a school impact fee of as much as $6,819 a house. Ten miles down Interstate 205, in the fast-growing North Clackamas School District, developers pay nothing for schools. North Clackamas Superintendent Ron Naso wants his district to impose a school fee. But for years, Oregon's Legislature hasn't let local governments charge for schools. Builders say the fees would slow housing construction -- a key driver of the economy -- and further increase home costs.
-- Scott Learn and Amy Hsuan Study Shows Going Green Saves Schools $100,000 a Year
-- GreenBiz.com National: November 02, 2006 [ abstract] A new national report finds that building "green" would save an average school $100,000 each year - enough to hire two new additional full-time teachers. The report breaks new ground by demonstrating that green schools - schools designed to be energy efficient, healthy and environmentally friendly -- are extremely cost-effective. Total financial benefits from green schools outweigh the costs 20 to 1. With over $35 billion dollars projected to be spent in 2007 on K-12 construction, the conclusions of this report have far-reaching implications for future school design.
Sponsored by the American Federation of Teachers, the American Institute of Architects, the American Lung Association, the Federation of American Scientists and the US Green Building Council, the report includes a detailed analysis of 30 green schools built in 10 states between 2001 and 2006. The analysis demonstrates that the total financial benefits of green schools are 20 times greater than the initial cost, and include energy and water savings, and improved student health and test scores. If all new school construction and school renovations went "green" starting today, energy savings alone would total $20 billion over the next 10 years.
-- Staff Writer Green Buildings May Affect the Way Students Perform on Tests-- McGraw Hill Construction California: September 08, 2006 [ abstract] Green buildings may have a measurable effect on the way students perform on tests, said the CEO of the U.S. Green Building Council. Early research has shown that students perform 20 percent better on tests inside green buildings, said Rick Fedirizzi, CEO of the Council. Other early research has shown that green buildings increase worker productivity, influence earlier releases from hospital stays and can even increase retail sales per square foot, he said. The founding chairman for the U.S. Green Building Council talked about green building last month at a one-day symposium called "Investing in the Future: Building green schools" at the California Science Center in Los Angeles. Sponsored by Turner Corp., Global Green USA and U.S. Green Building Council, the symposium invited architects, school administrators and builders to talk about how green schools can be built and what their effect has been, especially in cost savings.
-- Staff Writer Green Making the Grade at Washington Schools
-- Seattle Times Washington: September 22, 2005 [ abstract] Ben Franklin Elementary in Kirkland opened this school year as one of the newest schools to be constructed under the state's "green school" standards. Other districts, including Seattle, Northshore and Arlington, also are using elements of the green standards in new construction. Ben Franklin, of the Lake Washington School District, was designed to be more environmentally friendly, using natural light and ventilation and natural materials such as rubber and wool. The school cost $9.8 million to build, about the same price as for a conventional school, said Kathryn Reith, spokeswoman for the district. The new building is at least 35 percent more energy efficient than the old one and will save 40,000 gallons of water yearly by using waterless urinals. The new school has carbon-dioxide monitors in each classroom that trigger louvers, which let in fresh air to keep students and teachers from feeling drowsy. Overhead lights dim when the natural light is bright enough, and motion sensors turn the lights off when the room isn't in use. Windows facing south are shaded to keep the light from causing glare in the room, and the light is diffused and bounced farther back into the rooms with the help of light shelves. The school is an example of a trend toward using sustainable resources in school construction. These new, environmentally friendly school designs will become standard for public schools seeking state matching funds for construction beginning in 2007.
-- Rachel Tuinstra Sustaining Learning in Green Schools-- The Green Guide California: September 17, 2004 [ abstract] A number of new initiatives for school facilities will improve children's health, enhance their learning, and leave a lighter footprint on the environment. In the Los Angeles Unified School District new schools will, among other things, conserve energy, use less water in cafeteria food preparation and dishwashing, install low-flow toilets, and have enhanced ventilation to ensure healthy indoor air quality.
-- Lori Bongiorno Green Schools Come at a Price-- The Greenville News South Carolina: July 12, 2003 [ abstract] After spending $2 million to study energy-efficient green schools, the Greenville County School District plans to have three of 72 new schools certified as LEED green buildings, and to use some energy-saving technologies in every new school built. The CEO for the company managing construction for the district said the $863 million budgeted for the schools doesn't allow for enough money to certify every building. The energy-saving techniques include more natural light to illuminate classrooms, motion detectors to turn off lights when a room isn't being used, and digital climate control to cool or heat rooms as needed. Energy costs are a major expense for the school district. Money saved on energy bills could be used to hire more teachers or buy supplies for classrooms.
-- Jason Zacher |
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