Green Building Resources

In times of severe budget constraints how is a school to work on increasing Indoor Environmental Quality? Here are some resources for all school districts.
One resource is the US Green Building Council, a nonprofit organization, originator of the LEED (Leadership in Environmental and Energy Design) rating system. The organization’s goal is to have every student in a green school in this generation. I know I’ve said it before but this is a wonderful goal, similar to putting a man on the moon, only better. With many volunteers in Green Schools Committees in most states, the USGBC is a great resource for green schools, for new construction and for renovations. A program developed here in our North Texas Green Schools Committee is Green in a Box, which contains information and Indoor Air Quality handheld testing tools in a lending library, so schools are able to check out a Green in a Box (GIB) kit that includes “7 Steps to a 21st Century Building Performance Using Your 20th Century Building”. This lending library is available to all schools, public and private, K-12 and higher education. A volunteer comes with each Green in a Box checkout. Green in a Box was developed in response to the question, “As a green building resource, what is the one thing the Committee can do to help schools with their needs?” Volunteers educate on the importance of providing a healthy place for students and staff while reducing expenses.
Volunteers are also available to speak to your group: administrators, school boards, school nurses, facilities and maintenance departments, teachers, students, PTA’s, parents, and the community to help educate on hows and whys of LEED and green schools.
A new program within the US Green Building Council is the Center for Green Schools. (I was thrilled to be invited to Washington DC to attend the formal launch of the Center for Green Schools in 2009.) The Center for Green Schools is envisioned as the resource that will help green schools become a reality. Check out the website for information.
The United States Environmental Protection Agency operates a Schools section to help schools to understand and develop IEQ programs. Their Tools for Schools program is a step-by-step aid, and their Healthy SEAT is a software program that is used to log data for IEQ programs. EPA also has student and teacher education opportunities.
Both USGBC and EPA can help schools implement green cleaning.
Many districts hire consultants when they’re in the planning stage of a project in order to help them achieve better learning outcomes by going green. However, many districts have no money for consultants yet want to go green. Here are some links as to how to obtain resources.
The EPA provides no-cost Green Schools Symposiums around the country - check their website. There is one in the planning stages for North Texas that is scheduled for April 23-24, 2012. We volunteers are working to provide scholarships for hotels for school personnel who want to attend, yet have no travel budget. Please stay tuned.
www.usgbc.org
www.centerforgreenschools.org
http://www.epa.gov/iaq/schools/resources.html
http://www.epa.gov/iaq/schools/pubs.html

Green Building Rating Systems and Schools – LEED for Schools

Of the three green school rating systems under discussion, more schools have been built using the LEED rating system than either CHPS or Green Globes. Let’s look this week at LEED for Schools. (LEED has several different categories – this discussion is specific to LEED for Schools only.) Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), as of 2009, uses 100 points. Another 10 points are able to be earned by the use of Innovation in Design and Regional Priority strategies. The 100 points are earned in five areas:

1. Sustainable Sites (SS)
2. Water Efficiency (WE)
3. Energy and Atmosphere (EA)
4. Materials and Resources (MR)
5. Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ)
And the two optional strategies:
1. Innovation in Design (ID)
2. Regional Priority (RP)

Each of the five mandatory strategies (SS, WE, EA, MR, and IEQ) are further broken down into prerequisites – mandatory requirements, and credits. Each LEED building must meet all the prerequisites in order to obtain LEED certification at any level. Once prerequisites are met the project uses credits as a “shopping list” based on the project’s environmental and performance goals for certification.

LEED certifications are awarded on the following basis:
LEED Platinum 80 points and above
LEED Gold 60-79 points
LEED Silver 50-59 points
LEED Certified 40-49 points

The prerequisites (required strategies) for Sustainable Sites are
1. Construction Activity Pollution Prevention and
2. Environmental Site Assessment
A total of 17 credits are available for Sustainable Sites. Each credit is worth from one to four points.

The prerequisite for Water Efficiency is
1. Water Use Reduction
Four credits are available for Water Efficiency, with each credit worth from one to four points.

The prerequisites for Energy and Atmosphere are
1. Fundamental Commissioning of Building Energy Systems
2. Minimum Energy Performance
3. Fundamental Refrigeration Managerment
Eight credits can be earned for Energy and Atmosphere. Each credit is worth from one to nineteen points.

The prerequisite for Materials and Resources is
1. Storage and Collection of Recyclables
Ten credits can be earned for Materials and Resources, with each credit worth from one to two points.

The prerequisites for Indoor Environmental Quality are
1. Minimum Indoor Air Quality Performance
2. Environmental Tobacco Smoke (ETS) Control
3. Minimum Acoustical Performance
A total of twenty two credits can be earned for Indoor Environmental Quality, with each credit worth from one to three points.

Optional credits:
Innovation in Design offers one to four points for Schools, with one point awarded for each Innovation achieved, or provide Exemplary Performance in an existing prerequisite or credit.

Regional Priority credits are new to LEED as of 2009. Regional Priority’s six credits are based on specific environmental zones. “A project that earns a Regional Priority credit automatically earns one point in addition to any points awarded for that credit. Up to four extra points can be earned in this way”. For more information on Regional Priority credits go to www.usgbc.org