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Why Build Green?
The Governor's Green Building Order calls for reducing electricity consumption in state buildings 20 percent by 2015.
California schools spend hundreds of millions of dollars every year for their energy needs. The Green Building Order encourages schools using public funds for construction purposes to follow the state's lead and take cost-effective measures to retrofit, build and operate buildings that are both energy- and resource- efficient.
In addition to reducing energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, sustainable or "high-performance" schools also create safer and healthier learning environments.
Get Going Green!
The Governor's Green Building Action Plan instructs 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.
The Schools Workgroup is comprised of representatives from the Department of General Services' Division of the State Architect and the DGS Office of Public School Construction, the California Department of Education, Office of the Secretary of Education, the Department of Health Services, the California Energy Commission, and the California Integrated Waste Management Board.
Schools Going Green
Many school districts across California are already utilizing the Collaborative for High Performance Schools (CHPS) design guidelines to build sustainable, high performance schools. For a list of schools that are going green, please visit the CHPS page.
Stay Current
You can stay informed about the latest information involving the Green Building Order via e-mail. Subscribe to this free service by clicking on the News & Events link and entering your e-mail address into the subscription box. Each time the News & Events page is updated, you will receive an e-mail notification.
Contact Us
If you have comments or questions, please contact us via e-mail at: green@dgs.ca.gov |
