Schools, Advocates Reap Green Awards

by Jonathan McGaha | December 16, 2013 12:00 am

Educational institutions, individuals and initiatives were recognized for efforts to make schools sustainable facilities. The Center for Green Schools[1] at the U.S. Green Building Council[2] released its “Best of Green Schools” list on Dec. 17.

The “Best of Green Schools” list highlights schools, individuals and communities working toward the common goal of healthy, high-performing learning places. The list recognizes work done across the country to make schools better and honors the best examples in the green schools movement.

Rachel Gutter, director of the Center for Green Schools at USGBC, says when reviewing the nominations they experienced profound gratitude for the thousands of people catalyzing the green schools movement.

“This list represents exemplary leadership from schools, campuses, students, policy makers and more who are raising the bar when it comes to creating healthy, safe and resource-efficient schools,” Gutter says.

The ” Best of Green Schools” in 2013[3] include:

• K-12 School[4] – Lady Bird Johnson Middle School, Irving, Texas: LEED Gold Lady Bird Johnson Middle School is the first net-zero energy school in the state of Texas. At 152,250 square feet, the campus is the largest net-zero educational facility in the country.
• Higher Education Institution[5] – Emory University, Atlanta, Ga.: Emory University has identified sustainability as one of its top priorities to help restore the global ecosystem, foster healthy living and reduce the university’s impact on the local environment. Emory has among the highest number of square feet of LEED-certified space at U.S. campuses.
• Ambassador[6] – Lori Braunstein, Delaware Valley Green Building Council (DVGBC): As director for green schools at DVGBC, Braunstein developed an effective and comprehensive strategy for engaging and supporting teachers, students, facilities managers and administrators around sustainability programs in schools. She initiated the statewide Pennsylvania Green and Healthy Schools Partnership to bring together key stakeholders from the green building, environmental education and health and wellness fields around an agenda of green and healthy schools.
• Policymaker[7] – Colorado State Sen. Andy Kerr: Kerr has been one of the strongest proponents of green schools in Colorado and throughout the country for many years. In the spring of 2013, he successfully passed legislation that required all school districts in the state to build new schools, or to reconstruct schools to the highest possible energy efficiency.
• Moment for the Movement[8] – California Proposition 39, the Clean Energy Jobs Act: Under the landmark Clean Energy and Jobs Act, $2.5 billion over the next five years will be directed toward energy efficiency projects and repairs to promote healthy, high-performing schools in California.
• Business Leadership[9] – Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (HMH): HMH is helping to transform learning environments by driving the conversation around sustainability education and the Common Core. HMH also serves as a partner of the Center for Green Schools’ Green Apple program, making a financial contribution in honor of school customers who switch from physical textbook samples to the greener, virtual alternative.
• Community Event[10] – Green Apple Day of Service event at Duckett’s Lane Elementary School, Elkridge. Md.: Grimm +Parker Architects joined Dustin Construction and the students, principal and staff of Duckett’s Lane Elementary School on Sept. 29, 2013, to host and coordinate a student-led scavenger hunt for environmental features in and around the new school. Stations were set up to demonstrate how the building and site are teaching tools for their environmental literacy curriculum.
• Collaboration[11] – Celebrate Sustainability: This green partnership is among Virginia Tech, the town of Blacksburg, Va. and Sustainable Blacksburg, a local citizen’s group in the town. Every year the three organizations come together to program a week’s worth of events that recognize and celebrate the sustainability achievements of the school and the town over the previous year.
• Transformation[12] – The Green Schools Academy, as led by Jenna Cramer, vice president of green schools for the Green Building Alliance: The Green Schools Academy program brings together private, public, parochial and charter schools to work toward a culture of sustainability and transformation in healthy schools.
• Student Leadership[13] – Bluegrass Youth Sustainability Council, Fayette County, Ky.: The Bluegrass Youth Sustainability Council (BYSC) is a project-based organization composed of students from all Fayette County high schools. The BYSC meets monthly to discuss collaborative environmental outreach projects, partnership prospects and leadership and post-secondary opportunities in all areas of sustainability including energy management, outdoor classrooms, waste management, water quality and air quality.

For more information about the winners, visit the Center for Green Schools’ website[14].

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