Old Buildings can Be ‘Green’ Buildings

By Kathleen McGinty, Secretary of Environmental Protection

Earlier this year, Gov. Rendell announced an ambitious plan – the energy Independence Strategy - to save pennsylvanians $10 billion over ten years by reducing energy consumption and seeking alternative forms of energy. Because heating and cooling buildings accounts for 39 percent of the energy used in the United States, school districts can save tax dollars and help the environment by reducing energy consumption in their buildings.

A recent amendment to the school code gives an extra state subsidy to school districts for “green” buildings – those that receive a silver, gold, or platinum certification from the United States Green Building council’s rating system, called leadership in energy and environmental Design (leeD). In addition, High performance Green Schools planning Grants help defray costs associated with “green” design and are awarded to schools built to a minimum silver leeD standard. last year, eight school districts were awarded $200,000 in planning and design grants.

But a “green” school doesn’t have to be a new school. In fact, the no. 1 principle of green building design is to renovate and recycle existing buildings. a “green” building is one whose construction and operation ensures the healthiest possible environment and makes the most efficient and least disruptive use of land, water, energy and resources. older schools usually boast numerous features that can help them meet the five principles of building “green”:

1. Sustainable site design. Make the most efficient use of existing buildings and associated infrastructure. Utilize existing mass transit systems and make schools pedestrian and bike friendly.
2. Water Quality and Conservation. Reduce impervious services by keeping the building footprint and parking areas as small as possible. Because average buildings account for 12 percent of the nation’s potable water systems, designs that minimize the use of water by using low-flow plumbing fixtures can have a major environmental impact.
3. Energy and Environment. Design buildings and windows to maximize use of controlled daylighting and solar gains. Maximize insulation. older schools with big windows were usually designed to capture maximum daylight, and their high ceilings provide ample space for insulation.
4. Indoor Environmental Quality. Maximize the use of operable windows and natural ventilation. High performance windows and state-of-the-art heating, ventilating and air conditioning systems provide year-round energy savings while helping to provide better indoor air quality.
5. Materials and Resources. Reduce the amount of waste generated during construction. Demolishing a building can produce 20 to 30 times as much debris as new construction. new construction accounts for 136 million tons of construction and demolition waste per year in the U.S. and 40 percent of raw material usage globally. Renovating makes maximum use of existing materials. Renovations require more ingenuity and labor than new construction, but human creativity and our abundant labor force is perhaps Pennsylvania’s most valuable renewable resource.

School boards do more than provide a formal education for children and adults. they influence the way their community thinks and how it grows. Renovating and reusing existing schools, building to LEED existing Building Standards, and reducing urban sprawl whenever possible can help set an outstanding example of resource conservation and sustainable development.