Green Schools Committee
The
mission of the the Heart of Florida's Green Schools Committee is to
be the primary community resource for green initiatives in North Central Florida’s K-12 school systems.
USGBC
defines a Green School as a school building or facility that
creates a healthy environment that is conducive to learning while
saving energy, resources and money.
Green schools benefit us all.
Students,
teachers, and other faculty members directly benefit from healthier
school environments, allowing the learning process to take place.
Technical advancements in areas such air quality control, enhanced
lighting and daylighting, optimized and automated temperature
controls, better acoustics, and cleaner facilities all help to
maximize attendance, improve teacher retention, reduce distractions
and minimize complaints that often hinder the learning process.
Children
in green schools (private or public) can benefit from higher
student performance. Multiple studies have documented the positive
effects on student behavior and performance resulting from green
school initiatives.
Green
public schools provide directs benefit to the community as well.
Being green involves the responsible utilization of resources. Energy
utilized to keep buildings running can account for the majority
of a school's operational costs. Optimizing temperature control equipment for
maximum efficiency, minimizing waste water, reducing the need for
artificial lighting, limiting solid waste, etc. all have positive
effects on school and county budgets, resulting in efficient use of
our community’s taxes.
While
the primary rationale for greening our schools are to improve the
learning environment for our children, clearly the results can
positively impact our entire community. Green schools produce higher
student performance; create less waste, utilize less energy, and save
more money than schools that do not embrace this philosophy.
Some ideas for Green School initiatives:
-
Energy
conservation –Energy conservation is the most common and has the
highest impact on a facility’s bottom line. Today, buildings
account for approximately 39% of the nation’s energy consumption
and 72% of the nation’s electricity consumption. Conserving energy
reduces utility costs, greenhouse gases, as well as the need for
additional power plants. As utility costs continue to rise, many
schools struggle with limited budgets and resources to manage cost.
Whether
it’s new construction, maintenance, operations, materials, etc.
the use of local resources minimizes the impact on the environment.
Reducing the transportation requirements to move resources from raw
material to final product to end user helps to lessen the need to
burn fossil fuels in the delivery of these products.
Minimize
waste & pollution: Recycling plays an important role in reducing
the negative impact on the environment. Processing waste into
reusable material lessens the need for new raw material and helps
reduce land, air, and water pollution produced from landfills and
incineration.
Additional Resources:
Local LEED Schools: Committee Chair - Mike Watts
Mr. Watts is currently employed as a Project Manager with Affiliated Engineers for Commissioning and Integration Solutions services. During his 15 years working as a contractor and 7 years in the consulting world. Mr. Watts has managed, designed, service, analyzed, optimized, programmed and/or commissioned numerous facility management systems including, Lighting Control Systems, Chilled Water Plant Automation systems, HVAC Control Systems and other energy related management systems. In this capacity, he has been involved with more than 2 dozen LEED certified projects across the southeast. Presently, Mr. Watts sits on the board and serves as Chair on the Green Schools Committee for USGBC’s Heart of Florida chapter. Mr. Watts can be reached at leedschools@usgbcheartfl.org.