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What are green buildings and why do they Matter?
What are green buildings and why do they Matter?
1 in 6 people in the U.S. visit a school building on a daily basis, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. Across the U.S. there are 100,000 school buildings, and schools manage nearly 2 million acres of land. School facilities are the second most invested in infrastructure sector by local and state governments (after highways). Despite this large impact on our communities school facilities data is not well documented or tracked, and school buildings are falling behind industry design standards and codes, and often investments are not distributed in an equitable way. Many schools are in need of modernization to be resource efficient and promote health and safety of occupants. Well designed and maintained school buildings decrease absenteeism, improve student learning outcomes, and improve indoor environmental quality (America's K-12 Facilities, 2016).
The construction/renovation as well as the ongoing maintenance and operations of buildings have environmental, social, and economic impacts. Construction is a highly resource, energy, and costly process. Maintenance of indoor spaces through cleaning and pest management can contribute to health conditions such as asthma, headaches, and respiratory disease.
key mandates
key mandates
What are the key mandates and policies related to Green Buildings in California?
What are the key mandates and policies related to Green Buildings in California?
Green Buildings for school programs are defined as a philosophy and design framework that emphasizes sustainability throughout entire life-cycle of a building from planning, design, maintenance, operations, renovations and retirement. Green school buildings will minimize environmental impacts, provide a healthy learning environment for occupants, and a living laboratory for learning - see more definitions curated by the U.S. Green Building Council here.
Construction and renovation projects must meet the building codes enforced by the California Division of State Architects (DSA). California's building code (Title 24: Part 11) sets green building standards for school facilities.
Indoor Environmental Quality: AB 1173 led to extensive Indoor Air Quality recommendations for schools (pre-COVID-19, but many are relevant still) - see report here.
The Healthy Schools Act is a right-to-know law providing parents and staff with information about pesticide inside and outdoors at public school and child care centers. References are in AB 2260, AB 405, AB 2865, and SB 1405.
To learn see additional related laws and mandates visit HERE
green buildings Goals and Strategies
green buildings Goals and Strategies
What is a reasonable goal for an educational institution to reduce its ecological footprint from buildings, and what are strategies for achieving this goal?
What is a reasonable goal for an educational institution to reduce its ecological footprint from buildings, and what are strategies for achieving this goal?
Goal Examples: All construction and renovation projects achieve LEED Platinum Certification. Building operations use maintenance plans that have ecological and human benefits.
Goal Examples: All construction and renovation projects achieve LEED Platinum Certification. Building operations use maintenance plans that have ecological and human benefits.
Using sustainable building design can create facilities that have ecological and human benefits. There are many factors considered in this including:
Relationship of Building to Outdoors: Designers have considered how the building will work function efficiently in the environment. Occupants will be able to view the outdoors from their classrooms and receive natural daylighting.
Green Building Design Principles: Adopt policies to achieve green building design standards will ensure efficient and sustainable designs. Additionally, these principles can be applied to existing buildings to optimize those facilities. The most well known design standards for schools are Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), and the Collaborative for High Performing Schools (CHPS)
Project managers can use many different measurements for healthy Indoor Environmental Quality including:
Air Quality: See the resource page on Air Quality for more information on indoor air quality.
Lighting: Optimize lighting for the main purpose of the room. This involves considerations of daylighting, orientation of windows, light controls, and types of lighting (LED or Fluorescent).
Acoustics: Acoustics are essential to create a high quality learning environment. Acoustics are a combination of speech intelligibility, low disturbances, and sound quality. Good acoustics help students and teachers hear each other better, pay attention, and reduce distractions. Read further about Acoustics with AASHE.
Temperature: Thermal comfort is an important aspect of occupant happiness and comfort. Temperature has many factors including thermostat controls, humidity, air movement, and radiant heat.
Green Cleaning & Integrated Pest Management
Promote healthy indoor environmental quality and green buildings through policies and practices that reduce the use of toxic or harmful chemicals.
Green Cleaning: Adopt a purchasing policy and use guide for green cleaning products. Greener products and practices, such as the ones recommended by Safer Choice, will reduce potential health impacts like allergic reactions to cleaning chemicals.
Integrated Pest Management (IPM): IPM is a process used to solve potential pest problems while reducing risks to human and environmental health. All school staff in California are trained on IPM, which includes many aspects of green cleaning. Training and use of IPM practices are an essential part of green buildings.
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