| 09/27/2007 - Back to school: Schools learning to be green |
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By Dan Morel Back to school time in early September meant swapping the big green outdoors for the classroom environment once more. Anxious for class, and of course ready to learn, we watched our kids file off to their respective schools. The question is, while the kids spent summer running around greening themselves, did these schools pick up on the idea and do likewise? Studies across the world are showing that kids, K-12, perform remarkably better in green schools. From a financial perspective green schools simply cost less to run – a 2006 study by Capital E found green schools use 33% less energy and 32% less water. According to a report dubbed “Building Minds, Minding Buildings” from the American Federation of Teachers, looked at from a larger scale the numbers are simply staggering. If all new school construction and renovations from now on were built green, the energy savings alone would total $20B over the next 10 years. That means $20B more money to spend on books, projects, field trips and learning. Another study, performed by the Heschong Mahone Group, examined 21,000 students across North America and found that students who had natural indoor lighting, superior indoor air quality, and outdoor views had learning rates and test scores 10-21% higher than students that did not have natural light and outdoor views! Sadly, there are over 14 million children, roughly 25% of student’s in the USA, attending schools that are considered dangerous to their health. Unhealthy environments can have a vicious spiral effect, ultimately leading to a 12% decrease in annual earnings after graduation, according to Greening America’s Schools: Costs and Benefits.
So what are schools doing?
Eco-Schools
As an example, the program was adopted by the Province of Ontario in Canada and was supported by the following actions:
108 schools in six boards have adopted the program across Ontario. An independent analysis of schools in Toronto have shown that certified EcoSchools use 12% less electricity and 7% less natural gas.
LEED® for Schools “LEED is like a “nutritional label” for green, healthy schools so you know exactly where your children are spending their days. School buildings can earn LEED certification, which provides third party verification that the building was designed and is operating the way it was intended to be.” There are over 50 LEED-certified schools in North America and another 400 in certification. Several of the case studies already show impressive results. Overall LEED certified schools demonstrate a 20% increased performance on reading tests, a 24% increased performance on math tests, and instances of asthma are 38.5% lower. Another greening option for schools is via the supply chain. For instance, educational textbook publishers account for 20% of the publishing market and yet have been accused of lagging far behind in using recycled paper. The Green Press Initiative has been launched and is lobbying authors, readers & publishers to use best practices as set forward by the Forest Stewardship Council. The big battle is in explaining to district and regional bureaucrats that you can’t afford not to go green. Even if their initial budget doesn’t support it, creative financing options are now available for schools looking to retrofit themselves with more efficient technology. Charlotte-Mcklenberg in North Carolina installed a new high-performance heating, ventilation and air conditioning system that reduced expenses by over $550,000 per year. They locked into a financing agreement with the supplier to pay for the equipment using the energy savings. Ultimately creative ideas like this are needed to help our schools help our kids learn. Another option is to turn the problem on its head. Perhaps by helping the kids become shining green examples, they can help lead the schools in the same direction. Dan Morel is Director of Marketing & Product Development at Energy Advantage Inc. in our Burlington office.
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