share and voice: PBS report on Green Buildings

On the PBS television show News Hour with Jim Lehr they reported that the city of Washington D.C. is about to pass a law that will require every new building to be a certified as a "green" building. The report also talks about how many schools are adopting the "green" building way of life as they can save a lot of money. Every school spends most of its budget on energy bills to run the lights in their school.

At the end of 2006, there were 550 LEED certified buildings in the country and more than 3,500 registered projects in the works. About 220 of these projects are schools.

Here is am important section of the report that talks about how these new "Green" buildings do not cost tax payer more money, in fact it saves them money and in a short period of time.

"When Clackamas High School in Oregon began looking into planning an environmentally friendly new building, not everyone was in favor of it. "People were skeptical because they thought it would cost more money to build and we would not see much money back," said Dave Church, special projects consultant for North Clackamas School District. In the end, the contracting bid cost no more than an average school in the Portland area, and the finished product was a modern building that has saved the school 20 percent on its energy costs. The school owes the savings to solar panels, natural lighting and a high-tech ventilation system." (News Hour, 2006)


This is a great area of study that tax payers should take interest in. We need to cut costs in our schools to keep them running, and if we build or modify schools to be more "green" than we don't have to fire teachers or cut after school programs as the improvements will help keep the school running at a cheaper rate.