Great Examples OF LEED Certified Schools
- Take a virtual trip to the greenest Middle school in the U.S. Having received their certification in March 2007, the Sidwell Friends School in Washington D.C. has been awarded the first LEED Platinum status for K-12 from the U.S. Green Building Council. This is the first Platinum rated school in the world and the first Platinum building in Washington, D.C. When visiting the web site let the students take you on a really neat tour. After watching the videos and reading about the enthusiasm of both teacher/student and parents you will feel encouraged having the same experience in your school district. Also worth mentioning: This is the school that our new President, Barack Obama, and his wife Michelle chose for their girls to attend.
- In March 2004 Clearview Elementary in Hanover, Pennsylvania was awarded the LEED Gold certification and has had an average annual energy savings of $18,000 since then.
By January 2009 there were 129 (76 in 2008) LEED certified schools in the U.S. and more than 1080 (560 in 2008) registered projects to go green.
Energy Audits and Funding‘And where is all the money supposed to come from for the renovation of our existing building?’ You can start right here:
An important step to make all those great changes in your students lives is to have a committee that consists of the right mix of engaged people like:
Your Principal, the head of Facilities or Buildings and Grounds, Faculty members, students, parents, LEED AP (accredited professionals who specialize in energy and sustainability designs) and of course the architect, designer and energy consulting members. Again, a good way to find the latter is to contact your local USGBC chapter and call for references.
In Missouri, we have the Energy Revolving Fund, which provides low-interest loans for energy efficiency improvements by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources Energy Center. In 2008, loans of $5million to $7 million are available for new loans for projects at public schools, local governments and public higher education facilities. The deadline for the loan-application was in January 2008, so check back with them about next year’s loans.The US Green Building Council for schools has doubled their funding to green school research. They also rewarded creative green-building curriculum with Incentive Grants and Recognition Awards.
For all the other State energy loans visit their site for more information.