The 21st Century Green High-Performing Public School Facilities Act passes House
Posted: June 30, 2008
By Rick Fedrizzi, president and CEO of the U.S. Green Building Council
We at the U.S. Green Building Council are pleased to note the U.S. House of Representatives’ approval of H.R. 3021, the 21st Century Green High-Performing Public School Facilities Act. This bill would play a vital role in ensuring our nation is able to maximize scarce education resources by cutting school utility costs, all while nurturing student and teacher health, creating an ideal learning environment, helping secure our nation’s energy future, protecting our environment against climate change and wasteful use of resources, and creating a generation of “sustainability natives” who understand making responsible, healthy, green choices. We urge the Senate to follow the House’s lead and pass this important legislation.
Improving our nation’s school facilities is a vitally important objective, and this bill takes America one step closer to achieving this goal. USGBC is pleased to have worked with Rep. Ben Chandler and the House Education and Labor Committee in the consideration and advancement of H.R. 3021. The outcome is a substantial investment in our children’s future. It would provide more than $20 billion over the next five years to help states build and renovate schools to make them healthier, more energy-efficient and better for the environment.
One American in five attends school every day. The 21st Century Green High-Performing Public School Facilities Act is a significant financial investment in green school construction. It promises to yield positive health and performance benefits for our nation’s children and educators, encouraging improvements that maximize taxpayer dollars, decrease demand on municipal infrastructure, protect our environment and put money back into the classrooms.
Researcher Gregory Kats, in his 2006 study “Greening America’s Schools: Costs and Benefits,” found that green schools spend on average 33% less than conventional schools on energy costs and averaged a 32% reduction in water use. Those savings divert money from operational expenses to direct investment in teacher retention, textbooks, computers and other educational benefits. A 2005 Turner Construction survey of 665 executives at organizations involved in the building sector found that over 70% of those involved in green schools reported that reduced student absenteeism and improved student performance. A study of Chicago and Washington, D.C., schools found that better school facilities can add 3 to 4 percentage points to a school’s standardized test scores, even after controlling for demographic factors. Truly green schools provide more natural daylight, improving students’ ability to focus and nurturing their mental and physical health. Green schools that incorporate better acoustics as part of their holistic strategy help children hear their teachers, further ensuring optimal learning opportunities.
By their very nature, schools are an investment in the future, preparing the next generation of leaders and paving the way for tomorrow’s innovations. Because schools embody our hopes and aspirations for the future, we make an important statement about our dedication to that future by building, repairing and operating schools in the most responsible and sustainable ways possible.
The U.S. Green Building Council commends the leadership this bill represents and looks forward to its passage in the Senate.
Sincerely,
S. Richard Fedrizzi
President, CEO and Founding Chairman
U.S. Green Building Council
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