The Cost of Going Green

When the green movement first began in the later half of the 20th century, activists were focussed on getting the government to enact policy in promotion of environmentally friendly regulations.  As we have seen throughout this blog, the scope of these regulations have gotten narrower as we continue to progress towards a more sustainable world.  Just as states have taken their own measures regarding individual green initiatives, communities have taken action to do their part in becoming green.

Many communities have supported the creation of "Green Ribbon" K-12 schools, which follow a set of standards to reduce the school's environmental impact as well as provide an effective education regarding sustainability.  What this means for schools is making slight changes in day to day activities to create an overall greener environment for the school community.   This could be accomplished through efforts made in water conservation, energy conservation, solid waste reduction, and a number of other areas.  In addition to these changes, green schools must also create partnerships allowing the school to be active in the community and provide training to staff on sustainability.  One of the ultimate goals of Green Ribbon schools is to have a celebration of the school's environmental achievements.

To become an official Green School, schools must meet the guidelines set by the national requirements of the US Department of Education.  These requirements effect nearly every area of the school's operations, from administrative changes through the implementation of a Green Team to structural changes such as environmentally friendly building materials.  In addition, Green Schools strive to improve the wellbeing of students and staff through the making of Air Quality improvements, buying products with fewer toxins through an Environmental Purchasing Policy, or simply using more electronic devices in the attempt to reduce paper waste.

While the idea of being honored with the Green Ribbon is appealing both in the prestige of the award and the positive impact on the environment, making the necessary changes to infrastructure can be costly.  Many blueprints now account for the environment and are built to save energy, but the advanced features they include, such as heat reflecting roofs or automated light sensors, cost as much as 10% more in construction fees when compared to the standard school.

When green schools began to take off in the mid 2000's, the rising costs begged the question of if these features were worth it.  The Houston Independent School District built a green school from the ground up in 2007 with the hopes that significant cuts in energy costs could be made.  However when tested the school produced energy costs higher than anyone would have expected, causing some backlash for the idea.  

After these operational issues came to light, school boards across the country were forced to take a closer look at the operations of their green schools.  Under a study conducted by LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) companies such as Capital E analyzed the effectiveness of their systems within these new schools.  A number of factors demanded greener infrastructure in the first place, including rising energy costs, worsening power quality, increasing cost of water and the impact of water pollution, and growing pressure to cut air pollution.  Going green allows schools to address all of these problems, and was ultimately found to save the district money in the long run.

Capital E's breakdown found that on average, green schools cost about $4 per square foot more than the standard school.  The financial savings however were found to be about $70 per square foot, astronomically outweighing the construction costs.  While the Massachusetts schools for which the study focussed received only about $15 per square foot of these savings, it was still about four times as much as they invested.

Via Mother Nature Network

Green schools provide a way for communities to take the environmental challenges they face into their own hands by tackling the problems with solutions specifically geared to that area.  If a community suffers from increasing electricity costs, green schools provide an opportunity to cut these costs through energy saving options designed specifically for their needs.  In the average school lifespan of about 42 years, green schools use less than 33% energy and 32% less water than the standard school, effectively saving up to $100,000 a year as time goes on.  This provides school districts with greater budgets, allowing them to hire new teachers, buy new technology, and provide a better atmosphere for students and staff overall.