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Teach Green Building

EPA Green Building

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New Regional Green Building Education Collaborative: Join the Collaborative! The Collaborative is designed for educators, policy makers and professionals actively involved in expanding Green Building Education in Region 8. Keep informed of Green Building Education news by joining the list serve. Contact Wendy Dew for more information.

The buildings in which we live, work, and play protect us from Nature's extremes, yet they also affect our health and environment in countless ways. The design, construction, operation, maintenance, and removal of buildings takes enormous amounts of energy, water, and materials, and generates large quantities of waste, air and water pollution, as well as creating stormwater runoff and heat islands. Buildings also develop their own indoor environments, which present an array of health challenges. Where and how they are built affects wildlife habitat and corridors and the hydrologic cycle, while influencing the overall quality of human life.

As the environmental impact of buildings becomes more apparent, a new field called green building is gaining momentum. Green or sustainable building is the practice of creating healthier and more resource-efficient models of construction, renovation, operation, maintenance, and demolition. Research and experience increasingly demonstrate that when buildings are designed and operated with their lifecycle impacts in mind, they can provide great environmental, economic, and social benefits. Elements of green building include:

All over the country, schools are going green and using the LEED for Schools Green Building Rating System. LEED-certified schools have excellent daylighting and ventilation, high indoor air quality and reduced levels of environmental toxins.

Chances are, if there isn’t a LEED school in your state already, there will be one soon. Find out if there is a green school near you.

Teachers and parents can help by education children about green building practices. Find resources below to get started now!

Some of the sites listed on this page are not on the EPA Web site. Please see our disclaimer information.EPA Exit Disclaimer

Teaching Resources:

My Sustainable House On-line Game (UK) http://www.mysusthouse.org/
Green Building Basics- This one-hour online course provides an introduction to USGBC and the basics of green building. After an overview of LEED Rating Systems, a hypothetical LEED project illustrates the key concepts of integrated design. The course also describes steps toward integrating green into your practice. http://www.usgbc.org/DisplayPage.aspx?
CMSPageID=1759
Green Schools and Green Building Curriculum- earthday network http://www.earthday.net/involved/teachers
/GreenBuildingCurriculum.aspx
The Green Doll House http://www.greendollhouse.org/
competition_about.shtml
Kentucky Green and Healthy Schools Web Program http://www.greenschools.ky.gov/
School of the Future Student Design Competition http://sbw.cefpifoundation.org/index.html
USGBC Build Green Schools Resource Library http://www.buildgreenschools.org/resources
/links.html#curriculum
USGBC K-12 Resources http://www.usgbc.org/DisplayPage.aspx?
CMSPageID=1588
Battery Park City - Kids Green Guide http://www.batteryparkcity.org/kids/
green.html
Cottages for Kids http://www.cottagesforkids.org/main/builder-guidelines/
How Green is Your School? Factsheet/Game (4 pp, 238 K, About PDF Files)
Kids Tour Booklet of the Region 8 Green Office Building Booklet
(8 pp, 687 K, About PDF Files)
Student Tours/ Library Visits:
EPA will offer tours of the building to middle and high school students and tours, library visits and readings to elementary students. Teachers must demonstrate curricula involving green building and environmental education. Tours will be provided at the discretion of the Environmental Education Coordinator. 		Please contact Wendy Dew for more information.
 

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