National Building Museum Showcases Green Schools

Sprout Space, a model green classroom in the National Building Museum
As over 60 million American students return to their K-12 schools for the start of the new school year, few of them are wondering if the air in their building is safe to breathe. Perhaps more of them should be: the Government Accountability Office (GAO) estimates that thousands of schools are circulating air that is not safe. The GAO also estimates that 25,000 schools nationwide are in need of extensive repair or replacement. Old buildings, overcrowding, and budget crises have put many of our country’s schools in this state of disrepair. However, sustainable solutions can make schools safer and improve the learning environment while saving money. Studies have found that certain aspects of sustainable, green schools have a tangible impact on the learning environment, correlating with fewer sick days and higher test scores at less cost to the school.

The National Building Museum's current exhibit highlights some of these win-win solutions. Green Schools , which runs through January 5, showcases green schools from around the country. One can see the steps schools have taken to be more sustainable, such as creating an outdoor playground of recycled material (W. Fred Scott, Sr., Elementary School), choosing a building site to take advantage of solar and wind power (Hawai’i Preparatory Academy), or making net zero water use possible (the Bertschi School’s Living Science Building). The exhibit also discusses how to keep buildings green after the initial construction period by using the building itself to teach students about sustainability (i.e., having students regularly check the energy efficient systems).

As part of the exhibit, the Building Museum constructed a modular green classroom, Sprout Space, developed by the architectural firm Perkins+Will. Sprout Space is a more permanent, healthier learning environment than the trailers in which more than 7.5 million students learn. It includes fun, innovative ideas such as an outdoor teaching area (with a white board on the outside of the building) as well as green solutions such as solar panels.

In addition to the schools themselves, states are also taking the lead on finding green solutions. In 2010, state legislators in Kentucky voted unanimously to create the Kentucky Green Schools Caucus. This caucus serves as a resource on green schools for policymakers, on topics ranging from construction to curriculum to maintenance. The Kentucky Green and Healthy Schools is a program run by the Kentucky Environmental Council that empowers students and staff to make their school safer, healthier, and more sustainable. They work together to make improvements in energy, green spaces, hazardous chemicals, health and safety, indoor air quality, instructional leadership, solid waste, transportation, and water.

Legislation introduced in Congress could help support efforts to make schools greener and healthier. The Emergency Jobs to Restore the American Dream Act (H.R. 1617) was introduced in April 2013 by Rep Janice Schakowsky (D-IL). This pending legislation would help make public schools safer, healthier, higher-performing, and more technologically up-to-date by requiring the Secretary of Education to make grants to states for the modernization, renovation, or repair of public schools.

Author: Allison Hays

Green Schools exhibit at the National Building Museum.