by Rebecca Walker — October 6, 2010—The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) announced its newest initiative, The Center for Green Schools at USGBC. Thousands of the nearly 140,000 schools, colleges and universities in the United States are not built to code, according to the USGBC. The Center for Green Schools is how USGBC is working toward the ambitious goal of ensuring everyone has the opportunity to attend a green school within this generation.
USGBC also announces United Technologies Corp. as the first Founding Sponsor of the Center for Green Schools at USGBC. Through UTC’s multi-year, multimillion-dollar financial commitment, the Center will lead hundreds of schools across the nation to becoming green and more energy efficient and will help build hundreds of LEED registered education projects in the next few years.
UTC’s support as Founding Sponsor will help the Center raise the volume on USGBC’s efforts to drive wholesale change in how schools are designed, constructed and operated so they enhance the learning experience for students and save money for school districts and higher education institutions. Green schools provide fresh and clean air that improves health, additional daylight that boosts concentration, comfortable temperatures that increase focus and improved acoustics that enable better communication. Green schools also use less water and energy, making them less expensive to operate.
Through the Center, USGBC is escalating its work on green schools caucuses in the U.S. Congress and the 50 for 50 Initiative with state legislatures nationwide; the nationwide Mayors’ Alliance for Green Schools; and the Coalition for Green Schools, which represents more than 10 million members collectively and comprises organizations such as the National PTA, the National School Boards Association, the National Education Association and the American Federation of Teachers.
The Center is creating new resources and advocacy tools to support USGBC Student Groups on college campuses and a nationwide network of more than 1,000 Green School Committee professional volunteers and is focused on providing trainings and helpful resources to those who need it most K-12 schools serving lower-income families, under-resourced institutions and community colleges.
For more information, see the Web site.
