Inside

Schools make many decisions about what to purchase, how to run their facilities and, when faced with a new building, how that building should be designed. David Orr writes that “buildings have their own hidden curriculum, curriculum that teaches as effectively as any course taught to them.” These decisions not only affect a school’s bottom line but what students learn and how well they learn. Studies have shown that in schools incorporating passive solar features, such as daylighting, or that use less energy, student grades improve and attendance is higher.

Sustainable design considers and incorporates efficient lighting and mechanical systems, environmentally friendly building materials, water conservation, and use of sunlight while also making those choices visible to the school community. These are examples of what you might find in a green school:

• Lots of natural light
• Occupancy sensors and high-efficiency electric lighting
• Non-toxic, green cleaners and low VOC paints
• High efficiency water fixtures
• Toilets flushed by rain water
• Salvaged and/or recycled products
• Locally produced goods including healthy school food
• Recycling and composting receptacles
• “Proof windows” that reveal sustainable construction practices from cotton fiber insulation to straw bale
• Employees engaged in all of these efforts and more from turning off lights and shutting down computers at night to biking and busing to work
• Educational signage and communication campaigns that make a school’s green choices clear to the community
• Curriculum that engages students in the sustainable practices of the school

The right purchasing decisions can create a healthy learning environment while supporting the local economy. A sustainable school buys local and organic food, doesn’t use materials with VOCs (volatile organic chemicals) or toxic ingredients, buys from area vendors and uses fuel-efficient vehicles. These are a few characteristics of a healthy, local school.