As school doors across the nation open for the new school year, the 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.
On the heels of the Coalition event, Adobe Systems announced its support of the Mayors’ Alliance for Green Schools by funding renovation and repair projects for three schools identified by the Alliance in three U.S. cities including Boston, Chicago and San Francisco. The Alliance, initiated in October 2008 by Mayor Martin Diaz of Miami and Mayor Greg Nickels of Seattle in partnership with USGBC, is a coalition of mayors across the country looking to promote the benefits of green schools in their communities.
Later in September, USGBC will host its 2nd Annual Congressional Advocacy Day, bringing more than 100 advocates from USGBC Chapters to Washington, to call on their Congressional Representatives about the importance of green schools, and to thank them for their support of the stimulus funding that is helping make the renovation and repair of many schools possible. USGBC has also begun year two of its 50 for 50 Initiative. 16 have been established so far, with another dozen in formative stages.
Fully twenty percent of the nation’s population spends their days in a K-12 school, and too many of those schools are substandard by any measure. Green schools cost less money to operate and use substantially less energy and water. Those savings add up and put money back into the classroom. On average, green schools save $100,000 per year, which could pay for two new teachers, buy 100 new computers, or purchase 5,000 new textbooks.
