LEED For Schools Committee
The
mission of the LEED for Schools committee is to be the primary
community resource for green initiatives within the heart of
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 a green school (private or public) can be
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 operational can account for the majority
of its operational cost. 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 rationale for greening our schools are clearly 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, utilze less energy, and save
more money than schools that do not embrace the 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 electrical consumption. Conserving
energy reduces utility cost, greenhouse gases, as well as the need
for additional power plants. As utility cost 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 final
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:
To get involved with the Green Schools Committee, contact us at leedschools@usgbcheartfl.org.
| | Chair - Mike Watts
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Mr.
Watts is 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, serviced, 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 approximately two dozen LEED certified projects across the
southeast. Presently, Mr. Watts sits on the board and serves as
Chair on the LEED for Schools Committee for USGBC’s Heart of
Florida chapter.
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