House Passes Green Schools Measure
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By SLJ Staff -- School Library Journal, 6/9/2008 2:00:00 PM
The House last week authorized more than $6 billion annually for the next few years to help states build and renovate greener schools.
The 21st Century Green High-Performing Public Schools Facilities Act, which passed by a vote of 250 to 164, authorizes $6.4 billion for fiscal year 2009 and similar amounts for subsequent years to help school districts modernize, renovate, and repair buildings to make them more energy efficient and environmentally friendly.
Democrats say the bill would save districts billions of dollars in energy costs and reduce asthma and other ailments linked to unhealthy school environments. Republicans and the White House, however, see this as a state and local matter and not one for the federal government. The bill must now be considered by the Senate.
The bill, which encourages energy efficiency and the use of renewable resources in schools, calls for districts to use funds to meet one of the three widely recognized green building standards or equivalent state or local standards: Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System, Energy Star, or Collaborative For High Performance Schools. Districts can waive the green building standards if they’re impracticable, but at least 90 percent of the funds must be used for green projects by 2013.
“School buildings should be safe, healthy, and modern learning environments for children,” says Education and Labor Committee Chairman George Miller (D-CA). “But according to recent estimates, America’s schools are hundreds of billions of dollars short of the funding needed to ensure that every child attends a high-quality facility.”
Supporters of the bill say studies show that green schools use 35 percent less energy than conventional schools, reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 40 percent, use 30 percent less water, and have better lighting and temperature controls that improve student achievement. But despite the need to revamp school buildings, the federal government has since 2001 provided almost no direct aid to help states and schools pay for school construction and repair, Miller says.
Supporters of the bill include the American Federation of Teachers, the National Education Association, and the U.S. Green Building Council.
