What is a green school?

A green school, also known as a high performance school, is a community facility that is designed, built, renovated, operated, or reused in an ecological and resource-efficient manner.

 

Green schools protect occupant health, provide a productive learning environment, connect students to the natural world, increase average daily attendance, reduce operating costs, improve teacher satisfaction and retention, and reduce overall impact to the environment.

Green schools lessen the impact of building construction on the environment and set an example for future generations that environmental quality is essential to our long-term well being.

 

They also have benefits in several key performance areas:

The benefits of going green to teachers and students

The benefits of green schools are massive:

 

• Protect Student and Teacher Health - Schools designed with attention to proper ventilation, material selection, acoustical quality and other indoor environmental factors, can expect improved student and teacher health and higher attendance; 
• Better Student Performance - Attention to site planning and adequate daylighting has been shown to heighten student performance by as much as 25%; 
• Lower Operating Costs - Operating costs for energy and water can be reduced by 20% to 40%, allowing more money to be used for teacher salaries, textbooks and computers; 
• Provide a Unique Educational Opportunity - When advanced technology and design in new schools are made visible, buildings can become teaching tools and important features of science, math, and environmental curriculum.

Green Cross Australia's US affiliate leads green school development in the US

 

Global Green USA establishes collaborative partnerships with local governments, affordable housing organizations, and other public and private entities to facilitate the development, adoption, and implementation of sustainable policies, programs, and practices. 

 

These partnerships inform and direct education, policy development, and advocacy efforts at the local, state, and federal levels.

 

Global Green USA also partners with housing developers and public agencies to 'green' select affordable housing projects.

 

In 2004, Global Green launched a new effort, The Green Schools Initiative, focused on greening K-12 schools.

 

This effort integrates the green building principles developed by Collaborative for High Performance Schools (CHPS) with broader neighborhood and regional issues including energy generation, stormwater management, joint-use of school facilities, and the growing movement to use school buildings as teaching tools.

 

Global Green is working to ensure that these policies are fully implemented and that other districts are aware of the benefits that CHPS and green schools provide.

 

When Global Green expanded its effort in New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, schools became a critical component of its rebuilding efforts there.

 

The goal of this initiative is to create healthier classrooms and more energy efficient schools that in turn improve student performance and save money for school districts, while helping to protect the environment and reducing carbon emissions.