There are quite a few eco-friendly schools that are cropping up across the country. The U.S. Green Building Council (USGC) has certified at least 1,000 schools for adhering to strict standards of green building. While trying to provide first-rate quality education, these schools are setting up classrooms and facilities that are environmentally sustainable. These schools use sustainable building materials, cleaning products, supplies, use natural light, solar power, and recycling. They are also educating their students about carbon footprint, recycling, and sustainable materials.

Here are three eco-friendly schools making their mark:

Great Seneca Creek Elementary School — Germantown, Maryland

As part of the Montgomery County Public School System, Great Seneca Creek Elementary School (GSCES) is the first school in Maryland to receive LEED Gold Certification. The USGBC’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) provides a rating system for green buildings. There are currently seven states and one school district that require all new school buildings to meet green certification: Alaska, Connecticut, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, New Jersey, and Ohio. The school’s structure was designed to minimize the amount of disturbance on the site by building a compact, two-story structure. An Energy star roof coating was put in place to assist in energy efficiency. Waterless urinals, dual-flush toilets, and faucet aerators were installed to minimize water use. In order to take advantage of natural lighting, the building has tall windows and a sloped ceiling. Low-emissions materials like adhesives and sealants were used in the building process. Recycled and sustainable materials were used throughout the building, such as wheat board. Indigenous plants, that do not require watering, surround the school.

Chartwell School — Seaside, California

A school dedicated to children with dyslexia and other language learning disabilities, the Chartwell School was awarded in 2007 by the EPA as an environmental hero. The school uses solar power that can produce up to 53 million watt-hours of renewable electricity, which lowers the school’s carbon footprint significantly. The school is LEED Platinum Certified and uses only recycled and sustainable materials. Many of the building materials were taken from demolished buildings on the building site (Fort Ord) and wine tanks. Chartwell also uses natural light to lower its carbon footprint and waterless urinals and dual flush toilets to lower its water consumption. The building was also designed to be disassembled to incorporate more building.

Bertschi School — Seattle, Washington

Awarded with LEED Gold Certification, the Bertschi School has been recognized by several organizations for outstanding environmental awareness. In 2006, the school received a grant from Seattle City Light, which provided solar PV panels and the ability to build a solar array. Alternative transportation is encouraged with the implementation of numerous bike racks and a fueling station for alternative fuel vehicles. CFCs and HFCFCs are not used in the cooling and heating units. Local and sustainable materials were used in construction of the building. Lumber from sustainable forests were used, the gym floor is made from bamboo, and wheatboard was used for wall panels.

It’s refreshing to see environmental awareness outside the home!

Photo Sources: Great Seneca Elementary School, Jetsongreen.com, Bertschi School