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Summit Keynotes
December 5
Ed Begley, Jr.
December 6
Bill Nye the Science Guy
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Greening Schools in
the Golden State
Summit Gains Momentum
Conceived under the direction of an
Advisory
Board composed of state officials
responsible for public school construction and leaders from California
schools, the Green California Schools Summit is providing a much-needed
meeting ground for the wide range of participants in the state's green
schools movement.
The event will take place from December 4-6, 2007 at the Pasadena
Convention Center. (Details and registration information can be found
here.)
Dr. David Long, California's new Secretary of Education, has joined the
project as a co-chair of its Advisory Board. The Governor's advisor on
education issues, Dr. Long brings more than 40 years of experience in the
field of education to his new position, ranging from 21 years of classroom
teaching to superintendency.
Event Keynotes
The event keynotes, which will take place in the historic Pasadena Civic
Auditorium, will be provided by Ed Begley, Jr. and Bill Nye.
Known for
turning up at Hollywood events on his bicycle, Ed bought his first
electric car in 1970, and has had solar panels on his roof since 1990. An
engaging, entertaining and inspiring speaker, he offers a long-term
perspective on the powerful contributions that each individual can make to
a sustainable future. When it comes to taking personal responsibility for
the environment, his is a record that few individuals can match.
Scientist, engineer, comedian, author, and inventor, Bill Nye is a man
with a mission: to help foster a scientifically literate society, to help
people everywhere understand and appreciate the science that makes our
world work. His numerous books and his popular "Bill Nye the Science Guy"
series have had an impact on millions of students. Bill is also deeply
committed to sustainability - as it turns out, he and Ed are neighbors,
and are involved in a fierce competition to see who can have the smallest
carbon footprint. (Details on this environmentally friendly rivalry can be
found by
clicking here.)
Education Program and Exhibition
Following a series of content discussions with the advisory board and
a call for presentations, the education program for the event has taken
shape. Organized in five tracks, the include presentations by
local, regional and national experts (for details,
click here.)
By design, these sessions address the broad range of issues that are
involved in creating healthy, sustainable school facilities - from
building and energy efficiency strategies to green lunch programs and the
role of school nurses. The sources of funding for green projects will also
be addressed.
Another feature of the education program will be located
center stage on the exhibit floor - a Model Green School Demonstration
Building erected by Bouma Construction to showcase the applications of
a range of affordable green concepts and products. (Click
here for
an animated rendering.)
The summit exhibition floor will feature over 150 exhibits, showcasing
the innovative products and services that are available now to increase
the efficiency, cost-effectiveness and sustainability of school
operations.
Click here
for a list of exhibitors.
Policy and Economics
Earlier this year, the
U.S. Council of Mayors
issued a statement in support of green schools, which resolves that in a
generation every child in America will attend a green school as the
necessary and appropriate goal of our nation."
There is no doubt that the growing national commitment to reducing man's
impact on the environment is a factor in this decision – but the mayors
also note that it has been shown that the energy savings in a green school
in one year alone are enough to hire two new teachers, or purchase 5,000
new textbooks.
(Click
here for the complete resolution.)
Acting in
accord with the Mayors, in July the National Association of Counties (NACo)
passed a resolution in support of the American Institute of Architects (AIA)
SustAIAnability 2030 Challenge that calls for public buildings to be
carbon neutral (i.e., use no fossil fuel energy) by 2030. For details on
the 2030 Challenge, click here.
Noting that, "Studies have indicated that student attendance and
performance is higher in green, high performance school buildings," NACo
expressed its intention to urge county officials throughout the nation to
work to reduce energy consumption, energy costs and greenhouse gas
emissions, and to slow the effects of climate change.
The potential for change is considerable. According to the data in a 2007
report from McGraw Hill Construction, schools are the fastest-growing
sector for green building. The authors note that more than 27 percent of
commercial construction projects – the largest dollar share - come from
the education section. The value of construction projects for this market
in 2007 is estimated at $57 billion.
In addition to the prospect of saving on operations costs, schools have a
role to play in the attainment of the goals set out in AB 32, the Global
Warming Solutions Act. Energy efficiency projects are first in the
"loading order" for state efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Tremendous gains are possible through efficiency efforts, and a wide range
of technologies and services are available to make them a reality.
Within this zone, projects that address existing buildings are a priority.
There are more than 13 million existing buildings in California; by
comparison, 200,000 are built each year. While schools account for just
under 8 percent of existing buildings, they represent more than 11 percent
of buildings built before 1978 - in other words, they are prime targets
for energy efficiency projects.
Proposition 1D
Proposition 1D, a $10.4 billion dollar statewide school bond measure
passed in November 2006, is another first. The bond allocates $100 million
of incentive grants for green, or "high performance," K-12 schools - the
first time that a state has earmarked bond funds for school design.
(An article regarding the latest developments in the implementation of this
measure can be found
here.)
Experts agree that this is only the first step toward a much larger
commitment to providing healthy schools for California's students. The
rest of the nation will be watching what develops; one
indicator of this is the fact that
New York,
Massachusetts, Washington, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, Rhode Island,
and Connecticut have already adapted the standards developed in California
for high performance schools for their own use.
To find out more about the Green
California Schools Summit, or to register to attend,
click here.
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