With spring finally in the air, the team at the Center for Green Schools is already getting excited for Green Apple Day of Service 2013! After a great inaugural year, we can’t wait to see an even bigger impact this September 28. Join us for a kick-off webcast on Thursday, April 11 at 6 p.m.
They say it is better to give than to receive. Working with the USGBC Chapter network for the last five years, I sometimes feel like it’s about equal.
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By Cliff Ashburner, Past-Chair, USGBC-Kentucky
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By Cliff Ashburner, Past-Chair, USGBC-Kentucky
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This spring, the National Building Museum is debuting the first-ever museum exhibition dedicated to the greening of American schools. Featuring over 40 exemplary proje…
Everywhere I go, I see schools falling apart. On my way to work in D.C., I pass schools with broken windows and crumbling bricks. In the Bronx, I’ve been inside schools where only one out of four bathroom stalls is even remotely usable. In Georgia, I’ve met students and teachers forced to take time away from the classroom to treat headaches and asthma attacks. In my capacity as the director of the Center for Green Schools, I’ve visited schools in more than 27 states. I know that our schools are in desperate need of repair.
The following is a guest post by Kaia Roman, International Communications Manager, Green School Bali
As the inaugural recipient of the USGBC Center for Green School’s ‘Greenest School on Earth’ award in 2012, Green School Bali launched a worldwide scholarship competition today seeking the ‘Greenest Student on Earth.‘ Exceptional young people who are working on environmental projects in their local communities are encouraged to apply.
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700 million children around the world walk into primary schools each morning. These students are supported by parents, teachers, and communities that work to provide t…
Nathaniel Allen
Center for Green Schools Advocacy Lead
U.S. Green Building Council
Earlier this week, the Center for Green Schools at the U.S. Green Building Council co-hosted a reception at the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) alongside the National Caucus of Environmental Legislators (NCEL) to celebrate the impressive growth of green schools policy activity. More than 80 related bills across 28 states have been considered in state legislatures just this year. Additionally, 28 of these bills have been signed into law, and more may still be on the way. Surely these are stats worth celebrating.
This year’s monumental progress is enumerated in a report released at the reception, which drew together approximately 50 lawmakers and members of the NGO community. The report highlights the variety of ways that legislators are using their pen to help make green schools for all within this generation a reality. From appropriating funds for school upgrades, to standards around new school construction, to improved operations and maintenance best practices, the report showcases tried-and-tested policy ideas and fresh, new approaches.
A few highlights include:
The full report includes many more examples. The new ideas have also been incorporated into the Center’s growing green schools menu of policy options.
This is a significant increase in the volume of state legislative activity on green schools from years past, and it demonstrates that even amid unproductive political discourse and gridlock, state lawmakers are continuing to put differences aside to prioritize the importance of green schools in our communities.
Illinois State Representative Karen May, chair and co-founder of the 50 for 50 Green Schools Caucus Initiative, urged her colleagues to continue to fight to make green schools their lasting legacy that will impact communities for generations to come.
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| Doug Widener, Executive Director of the IL-USGBC Chapter, Rep. May, Nate Allen and Jeremy Sigmon, pictured with a green apple necklace, hand-made by USGBC’s own Maggie Comstock |
After six terms of dedicated service to the legislature, Rep. May is retiring at the end of this session. She has been a terrific champion for the green schools movement. Since helping to found the 50 for 50 Initiative, Rep. May has elevated this topic among her colleagues in Illinois, organized state lawmakers around the country in the 50 for 50 network, helped create resources specifically for state legislators to advance green schools, and most recently, brought together both sides of the aisle around an issue that’s too important to fall victim to partisan politics. We will miss working with Rep. May as a member of the Illinois legislature, but look forward to future opportunities to engage with one of this movement’s greatest champions. On behalf of all your friends at USGBC, thank you, Karen!
For additional ideas and resources about advancing effective green school policies, consult USGBC’s evolving Green Schools Menu of Options for State Legislators, available for download at www.centerforgreenschools.org/50for50.
For more about Tuesday’s event, and the release of a new policy brief on how policymakers can tap residential buildings to further sustainability goals, see “Policymakers Imagine a Contributing Role for 130+ Million (Greener) Homes.”