New Tools in the
Green Schools
Movement
By Anisa Baldwin Metzger | Center For Green Schools, U.S. Green Building Council
W
hen asked to describe the
components of a good education, many will cite the who
(teachers) and the what (curriculum).
The where, the so-called “third teacher,” is often overlooked. We know by
experience, however, that the condition
of school environments communicates
to students their value within their
community. Research also tells us that
school environments can directly affect
the health and well-being of students
and teachers. And, beyond the human
factors, the cost of running our school
buildings day in and day out has become
a financial burden that stretches thin our
10 essentials | FALL 2013
school districts’ budgets. At the Center
for Green Schools at USGBC, we equip
school staff and leadership with the quality research, tools and strategies needed
to make schools better places to learn
and teach while using resources wisely. We have released a number of new
publications for schools, all of which can
be accessed for free on our web site at
centerforgreenschools.org/resources.
THE IMPACT OF SCHOOL
BUILDINGS ON STUDENT
HEALTH AND PERFORMANCE
Released in March 2012, this foundational paper is an accessible account
of current research connecting school
buildings with student health and
performance. The white paper presents
clear, defensible research to support the
need for better, healthier classrooms and
is organized by how students breathe,
see, hear, move and learn. Some of the
clearest lines that have been drawn
between school buildings and student
health and performance have been in the
areas of acoustics, daylight and ventilation. For instance, a significant collection
of researchers have found an increase
from 50 to 370 percent in incidence of
respiratory illness in the spaces with low
ventilation rates, similar to what is found