Schools
WHY IT MATTERS
According to the U.S. Green Building Council, 55 million students and another 5 million teachers, administrators and staff attend school every day in America. That means 20% of the U.S. population goes to school every day. Green schools can provide a hands-on learning environment that teaches the next generation about solutions to our pressing environmental problems by incorporating alternative technologies into their classrooms. But how can school decision-makers decide which green technologies and practices are most appropriate for their school buildings?
Green schools cost on average about 2% more to build, but many are built at the same cost or less as conventional schools. Green schools use 33% less energy, save 32% more water and reduce solid waste by 74%. The average savings for green schools are $100,000 per year in operating costs. But it is not all about building costs and energy savings. Green schools save resources, are more durable and they reduce pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. They have even been shown to improve student performance and reduce staff absenteeism. Green schools are healthier places to work and learn.
Green Community Technologies® can help colleges, universities and schools inventory their assets and evaluate the potential for applying sound alternative technologies to those assets. Yellow Wood works with school staff and students to inventory and assess its infrastructure assets. The inventory and assessment process includes collecting information currently available regarding infrastructure assets, including, but not necessarily limited to:
- age
- condition
- original cost
- cost to maintain
- use capacity in relation to demand
- replacement plans
- extent to which each asset is meeting current and projected future needs
This information can be collected by a staff or student coordinator working closely with those staff or contractors who work most closely with the infrastructure in question. The inventory and assessment information is then analyzed in a systems context and Yellow Wood prepares a written analysis for review and comment by school officials. The result is an asset management tool that allows school decision-makers to identify assets that have critical needs and target which assets have the greatest potential for applying alternative technologies.
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