Schools: The Next Green Thing

As the editor who collects all of the press releases, rumors, news tidbits, and blog posts for the editorial team to consider for the EBN news section, I tend to have a broad picture of what's going on in the green building world. In the last several months, green schools have been everywhere. I'm not entirely sure why schools are the latest building type to push for green, but I think it has something to do with the fact that we care an awful lot about our children, and want what's best for them. Some of the most progressive legislation, like a phthalate ban related to children's toys in California, has come out of concern for children's safety. Children are among the more vulnerable segments of the population—low body weights, brain and body development, and the fact that toddlers are the most likely to put things in their mouths all lead to increased exposure risks. A brief roundup of recent news:

• USGBC has launched a new website for green schools: www.buildgreenschools.org
• The Clinton Climate Initiative announced that it will partner with the American College and Universities Presidents Climate Commitment to help campuses retrofit their existing buildings to achieve greater energy efficiency.
• The Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education has announced the creation of STARS, a new rating system for social and environmental sustainability on college campuses (more on this in the forthcoming EBN).
• Dozens of schools have been certified under LEED for Schools.
• A Green Schools Caucus has been founded on Capitol Hill by Representatives Darlene Hooley (D-Oregon), Michael McCaul (R-Texas), and Jim Matheson (D-Utah).

The image, by the way, is of Fossil Ridge High School, in Fort Collins, Colorado. We will soon have a case study of this project available online—keep your eyes open!