Green Schools

A few months ago the superintendent of my school district asked if I would help lead an effort to promote a green schools initiative. Like most of us, I had a general understanding of the term “green”.  Open up the newspaper, magazine or go-on-line and green is everywhere from product advertisements to presidential speeches. In the past few years, I’ve been impressed by how so many young people are at aware of the importance of repairing the environment and building a future where the use of a wide spectrum of renewable energy sources needs to become common place. Watching the recent news about the crisis for American auto manufacturers and it is clear that the idea of green or sustainable design is considered pivotal to reviving the U.S. and world economies.

So I had this notion of green but wanted to learn more. One great resource was from the U.S. Green Building Council.  One of the tabs on their site is “Green 101”. I really liked how the information in this “intro class” is presented- clear and straight to the point. Here are two points that I used in a power point presentation to some local businesses.

“Creating a green school involves more than buildings. Green schools can offer students a living laboratory for learning about the environment”.

“To the extent that teachers are able to perceive and take advantage of green learning opportunities, their students will be better prepared for the world that is waiting for them after graduation”. 

Those two points tie in directly to what I was suggesting in a previous blog on 21st century skills. It seems as though promoting green schools can be a win-win-win proposition.  Students and teachers can work in a healthy environment, the actions that benefit the schools have a direct positive impact on the global environment and by making schools “living laboratories”, we create a context for relevant learning that offers kids the chance to develop the full spectrum of 21st century skills.

In December I will be attending the California Green Schools Summit and I’m excited about what I’ll be learning. A number of the sessions will focus on green themed curriculum for K-12.  Since many of you have experience with products such as Autodesk Design Academy or Autodesk DesignKids where green has been incorporated as a major theme, I’m hoping that you would share some of your class activities on this blog. Because students are really intrigued with the concepts of green and sustainability, we are presented with new opportunities for some exciting problem based learning experiences. Key to accomplishing this is a committment to share learning resources. Hope to hear from you on this.