Spurred by Rising Costs Schools Turn Green

[Enlarge Photo]

Schools across the country are slowly turning green. Encouraged by rising utility bills and a public desire to engage in eco-friendly practices in the community, more schools are being retrofitted with green features, while others are being built green from scratch.

It was only a few years back that the green movement really took off. But even as homeowners participated in curbside recycling and businesses stemmed industry emissions, schools were relatively off the radar. That's all changing today. While green practices may cost a little more up front, schools are learning that in the long run they can save money and take a step in the right direction for the environment. Schools use a number of resources, so there's a big opportunity for savings by cutting down.

In June 2008, the U.S. House of Representatives sent a bill to Congress requiring any new schools being built with federal money to incorporate some green elements. Districts in New Jersey, Hawaii and Florida already require that schools make efforts to reduce and recycle, as well as look for other ways to be eco-friendly. Ohio has taken the lead in the U.S. green school movement. That state already has 100 certified "green" schools and several hundred more are up for certification.

The eco-friendly changes schools are making run the gamut. You can find waterless urinals, solar panels, design elements that play off of natural light, recycled elements in school playgrounds, and the planting of gardens.

In fact, planting gardens is one simple step any school district can take as an initial green effort. Choose plants that are found locally and will be tolerant to schoolhouse conditions, such as high traffic and perhaps infrequent watering. Students can also create a compost pile, reducing the amount of food waste that goes to landfills.

Paper usage and waste is another factor at most schools. Teachers can encourage the use of dry-erase boards in lieu of notebooks for working out assignments. Or, work can be submitted via the Internet to reduce the reliance on paper even further. Many teachers now post lesson plans and other important information on personal Web sites, further limiting the amount of paper being distributed through the classroom.