LEED, Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, sets guidelines for Ohio schools. Prospective school buildings must follow the U.S. Green Building Council's scale.
Building a school in Ohio just became a little more complicated. Not only must it be safe and functional--it must now be green. Schools that do comply with the LEED specifications are found to use
- 30-50% less heat
- 30-50% less electricity
- 30% less water
While these schools may initially cost more to build (about 3% more), the savings pays for the initial expense. Some of the building options to ponder are
- green roofs with dirt and vegetation growing on them
- natural lighting
- more insulation
- fewer materials that emit toxic fumes
- recycled materials
- solar panels
- skylights
- geothermal heat and cooling
- wind energy
- recycled rainwater
In Ohio, a facilities commission pays over half of building costs of a school and tax payers pay the remainder. Any "green" expenses are split with the state's funding agency.
Source: Denise Smith Amos, cincinnati.com, March 2, 2008
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Copyright article 2008 Barbara Pytel. All Rights Reserved.
