Green Schools Represent a Growing Market

A McGraw-Hill Construction study, the

Education Green Building SmartMarket Report, suggests that green schools represent a growing sector of the construction market. The $53 billion education sector currently represents over 27% of the construction market by value, and the study suggests that the green portion of this market will be larger than 5%–10% of the total education market by 2010. Based on 31 interviews with facility managers and building owners, the study’s authors also found that among the top reasons given for building a green school were lowered operating costs, improved student performance, and improved health and well-being of building occupants. In building green schools, developers found that third-party certification of green products was important, and many product choices were driven by health concerns.