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A Ray of Sunlight in the Classroom

America’s schools are going green, and saving a bit of green while they’re at it.

From New York to California, energy-efficient, “green” schools are cropping up across the United States, saving energy and money for school systems and showing kids first-hand the benefits of good stewardship of their environment.

From a solar-powered school in California, to student-sponsored energy audits in Maryland and a student-designed model of a futuristic, high-performance school in Pennsylvania, going green in the classroom has definitely gained momentum in recent years. Administrators and politicians say schools that take the environment into account not only teach good lessons, they produce healthier kids who perform better on tests.

Not all green schools go as far as installing solar energy panels. Even those that take smaller steps, such as installing overhangs and tinted windows or photo sensors that dim indoor lights when they aren’t needed, can save schools big bucks on their power bills. More efficient heating and cooling systems save money and improve indoor air quality, meaning fewer sick days for kids. Schools that have increased natural daylight and better views find test scores also improve with a more energy-efficient design.

In California, green schools have been such a success state legislators introduced a bill to spend $100 million taking the program statewide. That’s not likely to happen in every state of course, but with 1 in 5 Americans spending the better part of the day in a K-12 facility, there’s plenty of incentive for others to join in.

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For more information on green schools, click here or visit http://www.greenschools.net/.

To read more about this and other environmental health issues, go to: www.environmentalhealthnews.org, www.ourstolenfuture.org, or www.healthandenvironment.org