GREEN SCHOOL PROMOTION

Did you know that even in schools, sustainable development is being promoted? Lifestyle about getting green inside and outside the classroom is one of the priorities of school administrations.

Schools are increasingly turning to "green" or sustainable design and its elements in the construction of new schools and the renovation of existing schools. This improves better quality on usage, consumption and environment.

Administration and educators teach students on the pros and cons of the sustainability and about green energy. They are teaching them the proper way of recycling, compositing, proper waste management and making use of alternative energy sources and investing in energy-efficient appliances. Many schools are already on the way to becoming sustainable schools. Many schools implemented a new HVAC strategy allowing for 100 percent outside air ventilation and reduced energy consumption. This strategy resulted in saving more than $100,000 annually in energy and an indoor air quality improvement of more than 300 percent (source: Green Education, an article).

Many schools around US and Australia are incorporating elements of sustainable design including the newest energy efficiency lighting system, T-5 fluorescents, solar tubes, other forms of daylighting, geo-exchange and heat recovery systems with energy reductions as much as 60 percent. Experiments and tests are being done if this is achievable and most of schools being tested agreed to this. Also in 2002, the first Gold LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) rated school in the nation opened outside of Statesville, N.C., Third Creek Elementary (source: Green Education, an article).

Within the overall architectural design of a building, particular attention is given to daylighting. What does dayligting do? Energy savings from daylighting are achieved in two ways - either from the reduced use of electric lighting, or from passive solar heating or cooling (source: Wikipedia).

The effect of daylighting has so many positive effects that they all agreed this should be implemented in schools and even adapted by government policies such as daylight saving time.

How to Go Green in School?

Below are the summaries for achieving this:

1. A mission and a goal statement for your school regarding GREEN and its effects is the best way to start.
2. Install solar panels on your campus.
3. Make people aware of your school's energy use. Posting your monthly usage and the difference on electricity bills plus the edge of it would help.
4. Environmental group for each student will create each student to get involved, be involved and stay involved.
5. Plant a tree and create a school garden for each batch of graduating students so that they would feel that they will be leaving a legacy in the campus as well as helping the school promote green concept.
6. Turn off all unnecessary electrical appliances after school class and over vacations and weekends.
7. Create a competition on energy essays, declamations, and even science-related projects out of waste materials.
8. Invite the local community to hear outside speakers present on environmental and sustainability topics.
9. Invest in a recycling program involving the entire school community.
10. These are just some of the ways to encourage schools in joining the bandwagon on getting green and promoting sustainable development in energy.