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Following California's Lead
The Governor's Green Building Executive Order encourages schools using public funds for new construction to follow the state of California's lead in taking cost-effective measures to retrofit, build and operate buildings that are both energy and resource efficient.
In addition to reducing energy and resource consumption, "high-performance" schools also create safer and healthier learning environments.
Sustainable Guidelines & Resources
The Governors Green Building Action Plan directs that… "the Division of State Architect (DSA), in consultation with the Office of Public School Construction, the California Energy Commission, and other appropriate organizations, shall lead the adoption of technical resources and guidelines that will enable schools built with state funds to be resource and energy efficient…"
The California Schools Workgroup has recommended the Collaborative for High Performance Schools' Best Practices Manual to assist schools with technical resources and guidelines for building sustainable schools.
Grid Neutral Schools Program
In addition to recommending CHPS standards for school construction, the Division of the State Architect has established the goal of having all schools in California become grid neutral.
The term "grid neutral" is defined as a "site that produces as much electricity as it uses in a year."
DSA is collaborating with stakeholders and subject matter experts to develop guidelines for the design and/or renovation of schools in order to attain higher energy efficiency and on-site energy generation, and to introduce a compelling business case for school districts to embark on this effort.
Schools Going Green
Many school districts across California are utilizing the Collaborative for High Performance Schools (CHPS) design guidelines to build sustainable, high performance schools.
CHPS maintains a database of California's green schools.
Please contact us with your questions or comments via e-mail at: green@dgs.ca.gov |
