Study shows going "green" would save average school $100,000 a year, paying for two new teachers
Posted: October 31 , 2006
Contact: Greg Kats, Capital E, Report Author
(202) 463-1399 Cell: (202) 550-2400 gkats@cap-e.com
Jon Braman, Capital E, Contributing Researcher
(202) 463-1550 Cell: (202) 320-1373 jbraman@cap-e.com
Study shows going "green" would save average school $100,000 a year, paying for two new teachers
A new national report finds that building "green" would save an average school $100,000 each year - enough to hire two new additional full-time teachers. The report breaks new ground by demonstrating that green schools - schools designed to be energy efficient, healthy and environmentally friendly -- are extremely cost-effective. Total financial benefits from green schools outweigh the costs 20 to 1. With over $35 billion dollars projected to be spent in 2007 on K-12 construction, the conclusions of this report have far-reaching implications for future school design.
Greening schools is a very cost-effective strategy to cut school costs, improve test scores, and enhance student health.
Sponsored by the American Federation of Teachers, the American Institute of Architects, the American Lung Association, the Federation of American Scientists and the US Green Building Council, the report includes a detailed analysis of 30 green schools built in 10 states between 2001 and 2006. The analysis demonstrates that the total financial benefits of green schools are 20 times greater than the initial cost, and include energy and water savings, and improved student health and test scores. If all new school construction and school renovations went "green" starting today, energy savings alone would total $20 billion over the next 10 years.
Some of the major benefits documented in Greening America's Schools include:
- On average, green schools use 33% less energy and 32% less water than conventional schools, and would improve national security by reducing reliance on imported energy.
- Green schools typically have better lighting, temperature control, improved ventilation and indoor air-quality which contribute to reduced asthma, colds, flu and absenteeism. helping improve learning, test scores and lifetime student earnings.
- Greening all school construction would create over 2000 additional new jobs each year from increased use of energy efficiency technologies.
- Additional benefits calculated in the report include improved teacher retention and a reduction in dangerous air-pollutants that cause respiratory disease and premature mortality.
Specific school findings include:
- The green school in Dedham, MA saved the town $400,000 in new sewer-system infrastructure by reducing stormwater runoff from the school grounds. (page 8)
- A review of five separate studies by Carnegie Mellon University found a 38.5% asthma reduction in buildings - such as green schools - from improved indoor air-quality. (page 10)
- One school district in North Carolina experienced a 33% increase in the percentage of students testing at grade-level for reading and math after moving to a green school. (page 12)
Study author Greg Kats, a former Director of Finance for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy at the US Department of Energy, has worked with dozens of corporations, developers, state agencies and organizations to arrive at conservative cost/benefit comparisons of different environmental and building strategies. In Greening America's Schools, Kats emphasizes that the financial benefits of green schools are substantially broader than those quantified in the report and include the creation of new educational opportunities, improved equity in education and insurance savings. "Building green schools," he writes, "is more fiscally prudent and lower risk than continuing to build unhealthy, inefficient schools."
Some early reviews of Greening America's Schools: Cost and Benefits
- "The choices we make in new construction have huge implications for the health of students, faculty and staff. This important study persuasively demonstrates that it costs little more to build high performance, healthy schools and that there are enormous financial, educational and social benefits to students, schools and society at large." – Edward J. McElroy, President, American Federation of Teachers, AFL-CIO
- "This study underscores the enormous costs of poor design, and the critical impact that good design and operation has on the quality of our children's education. It deserves widespread consideration if we are to properly prepare students to address the environmental challenges of our new century." – Kate Schwennsen, President The American Institute of Architects
- "This carefully documented study conclusively demonstrates the financial, environmental, and other benefits of using green technologies in schools. In fact, failure to invest in green technologies is not financially responsible for school systems." – Henry Kelly, President, Federation of American Scientists
- "For the more than 50 million students and the more than 5 million teachers and staff who spend their days in schools, these [health] benefits are substantial and precious. Health professionals, educators, parents, and policymakers should carefully consider the conclusions of this report, and do their part to support environmentally friendly, healthy, and sustainable schools."– Howard Frumkin, M.D., Dr.P.H., Director, National Center for Environmental Health and Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
- "The report's conclusions provide confirmation of USGBC's position that by building green we all profit. Children's health is disproportionately affected by indoor pollutants, while light and air quality affects their capacity to learn and succeed. This report shows that we owe it to our children - and ourselves - to make all our schools green."– S. Richard Fedrizzi, CEO and Founding Chair, U.S. Green Building Council