America needs to build more ‘green’ schools

• Reprints

President Barack Obama greets the crowd at Greensville County High School in Emporia, Va, on Tuesday, Oct. 18, 2011, during a three-day bus tour promoting the American Jobs Act. | AP photo

Updated: December 1, 2011 8:19AM

In his jobs speech, President Barack Obama offered a bright solution — school construction.

As the president noted in his speech, “How can we expect our kids to do their best in places that are literally falling apart? This is America. Every child deserves a great school — and we can give it to them, if we act now.”

As proposed, the American Jobs Act would repair and modernize at least 35,000 schools — creating jobs in communities across the country.

In one groundbreaking example, Dr. Robert Pollin, of the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, has demonstrated that spending on education generates the largest number of jobs (23.1 per $1 million spent) of any government spending.

With such potential investment, we now have the possibility to further increase the rate of return for taxpayers by emphasizing green school construction. These efforts have the proven ability to significantly reduce a school’s energy, water and other resource needs. Such savings translate into real benefits for cash-strapped school districts.

On average, a green school utilizes 33 percent less energy, 32 percent less water and reduces waste by 74 percent when compared to a traditional school building. These savings alone can average $100,000 annually — enough to hire two new teachers, buy 250 new computers or purchase 5,000 new textbooks.

Green schools can also reduce the following pollutants on an annual basis: nitrogen oxide (NOx), a principal component of smog; sulfur dioxide (SO2), a principal cause of acid rain, and carbon dioxide (CO2), the principal greenhouse gas.

Unfortunately, not everyone on Capitol Hill agrees with this industry-standard analysis. The words “environment” or “green” have become anathema to the mainstream Republican world view.

In one draconian sweep, the House Appropriations Committee has proposed eliminating all federal funding for the Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Environmental Education (just shy of $10 million). Since 1992, this program has benefited all 50 states with more than 3,400 grants to increase the public’s awareness about environmental issues.

Environmental education and “green” school practices provide a solid foundation and investment for any school community, regardless of the community’s political affiliation.

In the past, the topic of education used to be beyond partisan bickering. Today should be no different. In fact, the future of the nation’s roughly 55 million schoolchildren and our economy is depending on it.

A sound 21st century education is one that emphasizes the relationship between the economy and the environment. Congress can begin to advance such an agenda by supporting Obama’s school construction plan with an emphasis on cost-saving, sustainable construction practices.

With efforts such as these, the classrooms of tomorrow will be filled with students eager to share their personal experiences of a world filled with innovation and wonder.

As Obama noted, “we have to look beyond the immediate crisis and start building an economy that lasts into the future.” Green schools are a great place to start.

Kathleen Rogers is president of the Earth Day Network, which has launched the Green Schools Leadership Center (www.earthday.org/education), an online platform to advance the green schools movement.