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For many schools, “Going Green” once meant turning out the lights after leaving the classroom, filling the recycle bins, and celebrating Earth Day. Not anymore. Although such activities remain staples of environmentally conscious school systems, that consciousness has exploded in an era of high energy prices, global warming threats, and multiplying concerns about the health of students in today’s school buildings.
Built-in window blinds in classroom windows at the Pleasant Ridge Montessori School in the Cincinnati Public Schools (CPS) allow the amount of daylight coming in to be adjusted.
"We've evolved to a greater understanding of what the definition of a sustainable school is. Schools are starting to look at the greenhouse gases they produce and asking, ‘What’s my community footprint?” says Ari Kobb, senior manager for energy and environment at Siemens Building Technologies, one of an increasing number of companies working with districts to reduce their impact and save money.
“The standards for sustainable schools are constantly changing and improving. In some ways they are a moving target,” adds Ariel Dekovic, the communications and membership manager of the Collaborative for High Performing Schools (CH PS), a San Francisco-based organization that “verifies” schools as sustainable. CH PS-verified schools have proliferated to more than 40 and embody the group’s signature priorities of creating healthy, comfortable, and well-lit spaces for learning, as well as conserving energy and water.
To be sure, district leaders and their school boards have been listening to calls—from former Vice President Al Gore’s campaign on global warming to President Obama’s push for alternative energy sources—but an even greater driving force has been the emergence of new green technologies, ranging from water- and electricity-saving sensors to more efficient heating and cooling equipment. “For schools it’s exciting because these are the kinds of technology that five to 10 years ago might have been out of the realm of possibility,” says Dekovic. The U.S. Green Building Council’s Rachel Gutter adds that in the past, school administrators didn’t necessarily have the framework, community experts, models or the availability of products. And Gutter, senior manager for the schools sector, says that more basic green building materials have become cost-effective. “Nowadays, the prices for paint finishes and lower emitting furniture are comparable to their out-gassing counterparts” (which slowly emit chemicals into the air during their lifetimes), Gutter points out.
Where can district administrators interested in energy efficiency, managing carbon footprint, and creating learning friendly environments turn? Over the past three years, national, state, and local organizations dedicated to sustainable schools have ratcheted up their standards, support, and recruitment efforts. Here is a sampling of the most successful.
The Shallowater (Texas) Independent School District has been using wind energy from five turbines—three at its high school (above) and one each at its middle school and intermediate school.
The Gold Standard
The standard for school sustainability comes from the U.S. Green Building Council, which for the past decade has evaluated commercial construction in categories such as materials and resources, energy and atmosphere, indoor environmental quality, and innovation and design. This rating program, or LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design), awards points that add up to Silver, Gold, or Platinum certification, as determined by a third-party inspection.
In 2007, the USGBC created LEED for Schools, which covers new construction and renovations and fits school-specific needs such as classroom acoustics, mold prevention and air quality. “Youngsters particularly are more susceptible to environmental toxins,” Gutter says. “And improved acoustics let students hear better.”
Since 2007, the number of LEED-certified schools has multiplied from about 80 to 150, and more than 400 schools planning or engaged in construction projects have registered for eventual certification. “Despite the economic downturn, we haven’t seen a slowdown at all,” Gutter says, adding that one or two schools register every day.
LEED schools can earn up to 69 points for a myriad of sustainable features. They get one point for achieving a 20 percent reduction in water use, and additional credits for reaching 30 percent and 40 percent. The Optimizing Energy Performance category provides up to 10 points, which incrementally reward improvements of 14 percent to 42 percent for new buildings and 7 percent to 35 percent in building renovations. And using recycled materials and certified wood, adding “cool roofs,” which deflect heat, and recycling construction waste also add credits.
