by Shane Henson — December 16, 2013—School administrators with plans to upgrade their schools and make them more sustainable will likely receive support from parents and citizens within their surrounding communities, given findings from a nationwide survey sponsored by United Technologies Corp. (UTC) and the U.S. Green Building Council’s (USGBC) Center for Green Schools that explores Americans’ attitudes toward the country’s public school buildings and investments to modernize school infrastructure.
The survey results show that 90 percent of Americans think it is important to improve public school buildings. Across political party lines, more than half of those surveyed (54 percent) would rate K-12 (kindergarten to 12th grade) school buildings and infrastructure in the United States as poor or fair at best.
More than half of Americans surveyed also feel that the United States does not spend enough money on buildings and infrastructure in K-12 schools. Nearly half of respondents (49 percent) would donate to a green schools cause and 43 percent would volunteer time to green their own schools.
“These results show a tremendous level of public support for school infrastructure improvements and the investment they will require,” said John Mandyck, chief sustainability officer, UTC Building & Industrial Systems. “Every day, 25 percent of Americans go to school as students, faculty, staff and administrators. Green schools improve learning, health and productivity, while lowering operating costs. There is measurable opportunity here to improve the day-to-day life for a quarter of Americans.”
The Center for Green Schools estimates it will cost $271 billion to bring school buildings up to working order and comply with laws. If additional steps are taken to ensure schools meet today’s education, safety and health standards, the Center estimates that figure grows to $542 billion.
The independent survey of 500 Americans was conducted via telephone from October 31 to November 4, 2013, by David Binder Research.
