District Administration - August 2006 - (Page 44)

FACILITIES & CONSTRUCTION Burson is unsure of the savings, go green, usually committees are QUICK FACT: but light sensors have reduced light formed, architects are hired, and consumption by 30 percent based on plans are designed for a building. 74% test results of a similar installation A mong some giant green pro- of the nation's in Cincinnati's City Hall that Burson g ra m s underway are Cincinnati school buildings need replacing. helped plan over a decade ago. Public Schools, which has a $1 bil- S ourc e : 6th Annual Indoor Air Quality Tools for Schools National Symposium, U.S. EPA, 2006 Usi ng photovoltaic panels at l ion renovation and new construc- Pleasant Ridge Elementary School, t ion project in motion after decades a building in design now and which of living with dilapidated buildings, A nd not only are districts using will be LEED certified, is also turn- and Montgomery County Public green materials, they are teaching i ng the sun's rays into electricity. Schools in Maryland, where a Ger- green lessons to students. I think What happens is when our panels ma n architect with a green-oriented we have a responsibility to edu- are generating electricity our meters background is helping to create and cate the whole community, says [to utility companies] are running jumpstart an oasis of programs. Michael Burson, facilities director backward so we're reducing the Chartwell School in Seaside, Calif., for Cincinnati Public Schools. In our amount of electricity we buy from will open this year. It is targeting buildings, it's not rocket science to electric companies, Burson says. I LEED Platinum certification from understand the connection between think that's the biggest savings we'll the U.S. Green Building Council the two. We need to teach the next get in the new building. and expects be the fi rst such school generation to be more responsible T hen there is the north/south fac- in the U.S. in how we use natural resources. It i ng windows to maximize daylight Being green doesn't necessarily should connect to everything else we in classrooms. Experts say windows mean using LEED, Leadership in do. When you tell children to save, that face the north and south will Energy and Environmental Design to get in the habit of turning off the bring in the most natural light. standards, but being as energy lights when they leave, it will help Schools in Cincinnati, Montgomery efficient and as environmentally remind adults to follow suit. Hope- County, and Olympia, Wash., all friendly as possible. LEED Green f u lly, it can be institutionalized for benefit from this. Building Rating System is a national the next generation. I know that when it comes to the standard for developing high-perfor- preliminary design of every building ma nce, sustainable buildings. The Here are the top FIVE we start from there, Burson says. U.S. Green Building Council, a coali- major green avenues: But sometimes the hills of Cincinnati t ion of leaders from the building and streets often hamper plans to industry to promote environmentally Lighting place a school building in the opti- responsible and profitable places, ma l position. develops the LEED system. Living creatures need the sun to At Montgomery County School It's hard for people to get over survive. And that's where lighting in District, the green building pro- the hurdle. Green schools initially schools can be so healthy for students g ra m is part of the Green Schools are more expensive but in the long and staff alike. Cincinnati schools Focus group and north/south facing run, it saves money, says Tyler Pep- use occupancy sensors to turn lights windows is key. You can save up to ple, education program coordinator on and off. Some of them are in 50 percent of energy use per year, for Earth Day Network working with restrooms and even janitor's closets, with proper lighting, says Anja Cincinnati administrators. much-ignored rooms, Burson says. They are dual flush. They literally have number 1 and number 2 button controls no kidding. Timothy Byrne, project manager for facilities, Olympia Wash. Public Schools 44 August 2006 District Administration greenschools.w.indd 44 7/17/06 10:37:35 AM

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of District Administration - August 2006

Contents
Progress with Purpose
Future Vision
Integrity, Accountability, Continuity
A New Kind of Testing
Update
Inside The Law
Curriculum Update
Administrator Profile
District Profile
The Online Edge Odvard Egil Dyrli
Speaking Out Gary Stager
Principal Opinion Eamonn O'Donovan
Editor's Letter
Snapshots
Problem/Solution
Research Corner
New Products
By the Numbers
The Grass is Greener On This Side

District Administration - August 2006