1/2007

NEWSFLASH

Greening America's Schools:

Costs and Benefits

A new report sponsored by the US Green Building Council finds that building "green" saves an average school $100,000 each year - enough to hire two new additional full-time teachers! Since spending more for green designs, materials, and technologies over regular ones has long been considered the “price you have to pay” for a healthier environment, this report is ground-breaking in demonstrating that schools designed to be energy efficient, healthy, and environmentally friendly are also extraordinarily cost-effective. In fact, the math says that total financial benefits from green schools outweigh the costs 20 to 1. With over $35 billion dollars projected to be spent in 2007 on K-12 construction, it’s time for educators, parents, policymakers and builders across the nation to take a good look at the findings of this report, and consider how easily we can make the switch to greener schools with such clear-cut economic incentives for everyone.

In a 2005 survey by Turner Construction Company of the factors that discourage executives from constructing green buildings, 68% sited higher construction costs, 64% said lack of awareness of advantages, while 47% said they had difficult quantifying the benefits. In the process of building a green school, it is true that some materials and methods cost a bit more in the beginning (although, according to this Green Building review, only 1% to 2% more, or about $3 per square foot), but a range of factors -- from water and energy savings, lowered health costs from asthma and flue reduction, increased teacher retention, to added jobs -- make it completely worthwhile on even the economic level.

Green schools use an average of 33% less energy than conventionally designed schools, which translates to a financial savings of $0.38 per square foot a year (and $6/foot projected in 20 years), not to mention reduced emissions of pollutants that are so damaging to human health and the environment. Average water reduction in green schools is around 32%, indicating savings at a net value of roughly a dollar per square foot. Some less quantifiable benefits include reduced absenteeism from students and teachers (since the improved lighting, air and overall health of a green building will mean less sick days for all), lower operations and maintenance costs, and reduced insurance and risk related costs linked with environmental ailments like asthma. With all the savings combined, the report estimates a yearly net financial benefit of $71 per square foot!

To read more about these economic benefits, read the full report here.

The report was sponsored by the American Federation of Teachers, the American Institute of Architects, the American Lung Association, the Federation of American Scientists and the US Green Building Council.

content