WASHINGTON, DC — Working with 11 education and environmental groups, the U.S. Green Building Council has formed the Coalition for Green Schools to launch the third year of its campaign to make America's classrooms more eco-friendly and healthier for students and teachers.
The USGBC summed up the recent efforts of its National Green Schools Campaign this week as the 2009-2010 school year got well under way.
As the newest component of the campaign, the Coalition for Green Schools brings together some of the largest and most influential organizations in education, architecture and classroom health to improve schools for kindergartners to 12th-graders.
Those groups are the American Architectural Foundation, the American Association of School Administrators, the American Federation of Teachers, the Association of School Business Officials International, the Council of Educational Facility Planners International, the Healthy Schools Campaign, National Clearinghouse for Educational Facilities, National Education Association, National Education Association - Health Information Network, National PTA and the National School Boards Association.
The coalition's kick-off event on September 8 included remarks from U.S. Department of Education Under Secretary Martha Kanter.
Soon after, Adobe Systems said it would support the U.S. Conference of Mayors' Alliance for Green Schools by funding renovations and repairs at three schools in Boston, Chicago and San Francisco. The mayors started their program in October last year, joining the USGBC's green school campaign.
Later this month, the USGBC hosts its 2nd Annual Congressional Advocacy Day, which is expected to bring more than 100 advocates from council chapters across the country to Washington, D.C. The plan is to connect with Congressional Representatives to underscore the importance of green schools, and to thank them for supporting stimulus funding that is making renovation and repair of many schools possible.
The number of green schools is growing. There are now 185 LEED-certified schools (of the estimated 126,000 in the country) and almost 1,710 others have been registered as LEED projects.
Among those recently earning LEED certification is the independent Windrush School in El Cerrito, Calif. Windrush recently attained LEED-Platinum certification, becoming one of only four U.S. schools to receive certification at the highest level possible under the USGBC's green building rating system. Windrush worked with the Ratcliff architectural firm on the project.
Image courtesy of Ratcliff architectural firm.