Green Schools Academy
Green Building Alliance is committed to the vision that every child within a generation will attend a green school.
green school \ grEn skül \
n. a school building or facility that creates a healthy environment that is conductive to learning while saving energy, resources and money
WHY GREEN SCHOOLS?
Twenty percent of United States residents attend school every day - that's more than 56 million students and more than four million faculty, staff and administrators. Over 25% of these students and teachers attend schools that are considered substandard or dangerous to occupant health.
Green schools are healthier for students, teachers and the environment. When built right, green schools are productive learning environments with ample natural light, high-quality acoustics and air that is safe to breathe.*
Public and priviate schools alike are realizing that going green just makes sense. On average, green schools save $100,000 per year--enough to hire two new teachers, buy 250 new computers, or purchase 5,000 new textbooks. If all new school construction and school renovations went green starting today, energy savings alone would total more than $20 billion over the next 10 years.*
By promoting the design and construction of green schools, we can make a tremendous impact on student health, test scores, teacher retention, school operation costs and the environment
BENEFITS OF GREEN SCHOOLS*
- $100,000 savings per year
- Only 2% average increase in construction costs to build green
- $12 per square foot long-term direct savings
- 30%-50% reduction in energy usage
- 30%-45% reduction in water usage
*Source: USGBC. Kats, G. (2006) Greening America's Schools: Costs and Benefits
RESOURCES
PDF: The Facts on Green Schools
PDF: The State of our Schools Report
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