greendesigns11-blog

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“One of the first conditions of happiness is that the link between man and nature shall not be broken.” —Leo Tolstoy

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This video is by the University of Maine’s Office of Sustainability, explaining what sustainability actually is and how it applies to everyone in their daily lives.

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SUSTAINABILITY Why is it important?

          As a child, I loved documentaries about nature. My favorite TV show was Planet Earth because it felt like there was a never-ending supply of information that BBC was giving me to lick up, and I was fascinated. My adoration for Earth grew and matured with me throughout the multiple stages of my life, for example, in middle school I put on a skit in front of the whole school about recycling and its importance. I had convinced a few of my friends to help me put the five-minute show together during recess over the course of a few months. We had green costumes and brought in our stuffed animals to show what would happen to them if we did not take proper care of our earth. The skit consisted of each person being a different type of pollution that caused a type of animal (or in this case, stuffed animal) to get harmed.

          I remember that after the show, the principle told me, “young lady because of your passion for the environment, I will minimize the number of trash cans we have around school to help your effort. How does that sound?” I jumped for joy and later that day, I ran home to tell my parents the great news I had received- I was able to make a change. Later, in high school, my friend group started the trend of using reusable straws to eliminate waste from the environment. A few of my friends and I were in journalism class, which meant we were the morning announcement anchors. After convincing my teacher that it was of the utmost importance that we stress sustainability on the air, my co-anchor and I spoke about it for just two weeks before we were able to get our entire senior class to invest in reusable straws! 

           Even on August 18, 2018 (or as I like to call it, move-in day), as I finished packing the car and sat in the front seat to drive to Richmond, my reusable straws sat in the cup-holder to my left. 

            Sustainability is a very overlooked subject; schools do not spend enough time educating the future generation on being self-aware of how they are treating the environment; with each upcoming generation, the amount of pollutants harming our earth increases substantially, so as the inhabitants of this planet, we need to make sure we are giving Earth our proper respect. The environment has been polluted since the early industrial era. As the amount of businesses increased, so did the use of electricity and nonrenewable resources, thus causing more harm for our atmosphere than good. Now it is very evident that humans need to “go green” , or make environmentally friendly decisions, that will positively impact the planet we live on.

“By their very design, [green schools] create new opportunities for more children to engage in active play.”

          Studies suggest  that if schools do not stress the importance for sustainability, then in the long run, energy costs will increase, while the quality of air will decrease since schools tend to use nonrenewable gases, ultimately causing students’ mental and physical state to be mediocre. Schools going green is important for the environment, as well as students and faculty because it increases performance, which then  translates into a happier and healthier community. 

         Some city schools argue that they are simply focused on having high attendance rates and do not have enough funding to go green, but by utilizing incentives to promote conservation efforts, the problem of class and income can be overcome. These factors convey that if public schools in developed countries place an emphasis on working towards sustainability, the obstacles of living in low-income areas can be overcome, and with that, student academic and physical performance will increase.

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MENTAL & PHYSICAL HEALTH How are they increased as a result of conservation?

“Going green is a big issue that schools need to get a handle on and participate in...”

            Going green is not only important for the environment, but also for the students and faculty at school, since is increases problem-solving tactics. According to Dyment and Bell,  professors in the education department of health and fitness at the University of Tasmania, there are countless positive aspects of green schools, which can lead to an increase in physical activity , whether it be the increase of physical activity, leading to lower obesity rates, a decrease in overall energy costs, or a decrease in respiratory diseases. In a study they conducted, the results showed that when schools have more shrubbery and flowers, during recess time, the students are more likely to get active, which releases endorphins (2007, p. 953). Due to a greener landscape, students will be more inclined to participate in an outdoor activities during recess, which will increase the likelihood of them becoming more creative to find solution to daily problems.

"Researchers found that over 50% of students were active when the landscape was altered to be more green.”

          Dyment and Bell conducted a study with 145 Canadian schools displays that students are, on average, spending 110 minutes outside or on the playground, so by creating an environment where the quality of outdoor play is increased, students will have regular contact with the natural world (2007, p. 958). Going green is beneficial for schools because when endorphins are released every day, student depression rates decrease and their engagement levels at school increase. 

As this study shows, “over 50% of students were active when the landscape was altered to be more green…”, as well as an increase in student “physical activity, curiosity, and creativity when their school has a green landscape.” (Dyment & Bell, 2007, p. 955).

This table displays a study conducted by Dyment and Bell, professors in the education department of health and fitness at the University of Tasmania. It depicts the increased quality of student outdoor play of 96 participating schools.

         Through the increase of shrubbery, students are more likely to get active which will promote creativity. When public schools emphasize the importance of protecting the environment and all the long-term benefits, like reduced global warming, which will help the ice in the arctic freeze again, it will cause students to take the initiative and work towards more sustainability around their community and school.

 In doing so, student academic and physical performance will increase due to an increase in cleaner air and an increased amount of passion for the topic. Therefore, not only would an increase in sustainability efforts in public schools increase student performance, but it would ensure a healthy earth and cause Americans to see the importance of conservation.

          According to The American Federation of Teachers, an organization that has a goal to increase funding for schools, going green is important because it decreases long-term energy costs and increases the air students breathe because “Not only do green schools deliver superior learning environments, they also generate significant savings in energy costs, … through the use of solar heating, conservation of water resources, and reducing noise to aid teaching.”    (2008, p. 3).  This is because sustainability causes schools to utilize less nonrenewable resources; once schools become sustainable, they no longer release as many fossil fuels and are able to have cleaner air for their students and faculty members to breathe in.

“Not only do green schools deliver superior learning environments, they also generate significant savings in energy costs, which can be steered into classroom resources and school services for students.”

        Through increasing the quality of air, there will be “less student and teacher absences, which promotes learning and “17 separate studies all found positive health impacts from improved indoor air-quality, ranging from 13.5% up to 87% improvement”, states Greg Kats, Managing Principal of Capital E, a national clean energy technology and green building firm.  (2006, p. 9).

Image from Carnegie Mellon University Center for Building Performance displaying the average percent improvement of overall health for 17 different studies.

          By decreasing the harmful chemicals that students breathe in, rates of diseases like asthma will as well; there will be an increase in attendance rates for students and faculty, benefiting the community. Dimoudi, a professor in the Engineering department at a University in Northern Greece, states that all schools that have special requirements for “environmental design for heating, cooling, ventilation and daylighting” are considered “green” schools, and all schools should aim to achieve this goal. (2013, p. 21). As the standards for air ventilation change, it creates benefits for the environment because there are less harmful gases in the air, as well as allows the students and faculty to be healthier.

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HAPPIER COMMUNITIES Increased student performance means an increase in satisfaction.

                 The sustainability of schools in developed countries will translate to a happier and healthier community due to higher test scores and a decrease in obesity rates. Susanna Jones, the author of a master’s thesis on the development of green schools in cities, shared a study conducted that displayed, “one fourth grade classroom found that increased ventilation contributed to higher test scores: 14% higher in addition; 15% in multiplication; and 14% in subtraction and numbers comparison.” (2009, p. 21). This study indicates that the health of students increases with the development of conservation efforts (like increased ventilation), leading to higher test scores across the board.

Image taken from Kats green-schools. It shows the benefits of a green school design. Student and teacher performance increases drastically.

               This is especially important in low-income communities, because higher test scores can lead to overall community happiness.  When schools become sustainable, they provide ways for the community to have happier thoughts due to the students in school having improves test scores; “students present their report cards to local government bodies” because they are so proud of their achievements, says Michael Stone, editor and author at the Center for Ecoliteracy in California. (2009, p. 5).  

This conveys that as the confidence level of students rise, they become more excited to learn and share their achievements with others; it keeps them motivated to work even harder and join social clubs. 

           The gif is conveying increased attentiveness from students. They become more eager to participate when they have improved test scores.  

                As the students in the community have an increase of satisfaction with their grades, the adults in their lives will be able to make “healthy contributions” to the neighborhood and will become more “Economically active”, say Shallcross and Robinson, professors at the Institute of education at the Manchester Metropolitan University in the UK (2008, p. 299).  

The development of more sustainable lifestyles occur when people in developed countries contribute to stressing the importance of sustainable education. This conveys that sustainable schools are able to bring the community together and cause a rise in the sense of togetherness. Everyone becomes involved within their neighborhoods and identify the importance of utilizing schools as resources.

                 Schools emphasizing conservation have begun to turn their asphalt recess areas to places that include “a diversity of natural and built elements, such as shelters, rock amphitheatres, trees, shrubs, wildflower meadows, ponds…”  to cause happier and physically fit students that are readier to learn. (Dyment & Bell, 2007, p. 957). As students begin to interact with the nature around them, they begin to understand the importance of connecting with diverse, green landscapes. They become more enthusiastic and excited about the world due to the creation of little ponds and gardens. Students who do not like to spend their recess playing competitive games are now given an opportunity to enjoy other aspects of nature, this allows a creative outlet which increases their happiness.  

“Students and staff members who eat better meals and spend their days outside with more sunlight and better air quality are absent less often, report higher satisfaction, and perform better.”

                  By having an increased amount of shrubbery and a green landscape overall, the level of activity increased among students which is a significant finding, given the important roles of moderate levels of physical activity in addressing obesity; this is a unique trait to schools that highlight the importance of conservation (Stone, 2008, p. 9). As schools focus more on making surroundings green and sustainable, students find other ways to express creativity and physical activity. 

By decreasing the general obesity rates, these schools are improving student health.  Improving the quality of life “for all—socially, economically, and environmentally—now and for future generations” are the main benefits of eco-schools (Stone, 2009, p. 5).  Through utilizing better ventilation systems and improving the shrubbery of public schools in developed countries, the students and faculty have improvements in their health and test scores. As the confidence and health of students/ faculty rises, the community will become happier.

activeforlife.com explains the importance of teaching students be active at school.

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OBSTACLES Student health and attendance is more important

             Some problems or obstacles associated with working towards sustainability include city schools because urban areas are affected by poor levels of air quality due to income restraints. The relationship between low-income families and the lack of sustainability efforts have direct correlation. Due to the economic and educational status of individuals living in low-income communities like cities, going green is not a major concern. 

            Due to the educational and economical status of individuals living in low-income communities like cities, going green is not a major concern. Cities themselves sometimes do not have enough funding, let alone the school districts within. According to Joshua, Abdul-Manan, Mohamed, Shokry, Marten, faculty in the department of environmental engineering at the University of Manitoba in Canada, because people living in cities usually live in smaller areas, it can cause overcrowding which increases carbon dioxide intake, leading to more sicknesses and lower attendance rates (2018, p. 99-100).

“Low-income households are at a higher risk of indoor air pollution and other [Indoor Environmental Quality] IEQ-related problems ” because of housing quality. Moreover, overcrowding may eventually lead to elevated concentrations of indoor pollutants such as carbon dioxide and thus cause discomfort.” (Joshua et al., 2018, p. 99-1000). 

“Asthma related illnesses are one of the leading causes of school absenteeism in urban schools…”  

             In urban areas, sustainability is not usually something the schools think about, since they are more focused on getting student exam scores up. However, the poor air people breathe in at school affects student performance.  Jones reveals that The Council for Great City Schools, located in Washington District of Columbia, found that schools in urban districts have below average test scores in math and reading for the 2006-2007 school year due to poor air quality, since it can contribute to respiratory diseases “such as asthma; and asthma related illnesses are one of the leading causes of school absenteeism in urban schools…” (2009, p. 12).

Once students get sick, their attendance rates go down, which then cause them to get poor scores on their exams. In order to prevent this, urban public schools should find some creative way to establish conservation efforts to improve health and scores.

This image has data collected from newgeography.com. It displays the economic diversity throughout America’s counties.

              Although city schools have difficulty integrating sustainability into the curriculum, without it, their students are more likely to develop sicknesses like asthma (due to the particles in air heating and cooling systems), since they breathe that air in all day long. Aaron Lyon, Stacy Frazier, Tara Mehta, Marc Atkins, and Jessica Weisbach, Professors at the Child Health Institute in the University of Washinton in Seattle, state that being in low-income communities, city schools also do not have the support of the community, thus decreasing the number of schools in the city that emphasize sustainability (2011, p.504). 

 Since low-income families are more at risk of having poor air in their houses, it shows that they are struggling to make ends meet. People living in communities like this do not agree with increasing costs to make sustainable changes because they simply do not have the money for it.

               Graph taken from slideshare.net. This published photo presents the percent increases of student academic performance after improving air quality. One school had a 4% increase, while the other had a 11%-16% increase in scores.

               Jones displays a study in Denmark that found that an increase in cleaner air contributed to a rise in test scores: “14% higher in addition; 15% in multiplication; and 14% in subtraction and numbers comparison” (2009, p. 20-22) Students that drop out of school before college are 71% less likely to be steadily employed, and this is a problem that low-income city areas are trying to battle, which is why they are not focused on working towards sustainability efforts (Jones, 2009, p.15).  Although, what most people do not know is that although it may be a little expensive at the beginning of the project, in the long term, sustainable schools have higher rates of attendance, an increase in excitement to learn, higher test scores, and increases student and faculty health.

“An effective implementation process can routinely take 2–4 years before it is possible to reach sustainability.”

                Organizing a fluid transition into becoming a “green school” can be very difficult due to the resistance and disorganized nature of implementing new programs. Results of a study conducted by Lyon et. al indicated that because the community did not fully support the integration (of sustainable school features), it was not effective and in situations like this, “incorporating methods of conservation can take anywhere from two to four years” (2011, p. 514). As stated earlier, due to the location of the schools being within low-income areas, the support of the community is low. Without support of the staff, students, and families, the school districts will not be able to have swift transitions. 

“School systems are notoriously slow to change.”

                 Most transitional periods cause high staff turnovers due to the disorganized nature that may inhibit the “successful integration of new practices”. People involved with the integration had little time or resources to “introduce the intervention strategies to new colleagues”; though with that being said, there were a lot of staff shortages because people were not replaced. (Lyon et. al, 2011, p. 513). Since adding sustainable features to city schools is fairly new, the structure implemented does not always have proper leadership helping with the integration and cause the community to be dissatisfied. 

Michael Stone reveals that in low- income, or city schools, there is a large resistance to change, which causes high staff turnover and a lack of resources to utilize during the time of desired integration (2009, p.2). Overall, in order for school systems to transition into conservation rituals, there needs to be community support and organization, but since low-income city school communities struggle with change, it causes backlash and ends up not working for them.

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OVERCOMING OBSTACLES Incentives allow for integrations into a green design

             Schools in low-income communities face several obstacles when trying to become sustainable, but incentives like large-scale community programs and an increase in funding can make a green design possible. According to William Scott, an environmental studies professor in the Department of Education as the University of Bath in Bath, England, the UN has developed a five-step “going green” plan that the UK, among other countries, are utilizing to step towards conservation efforts. 

       “High-performing schools— healthy and sustainable; designed, built and maintained to spark learning and generate pride—must be part of the academic agenda for every American student.”

            With this five-step plan, schools work on altering the curriculum to “teach students about sustainability”, budgeting to “reduce carbon emissions”, and creating after school activities that teach students about “biodiversity and its importance” (2013, p. 183). With this plan, schools are able to follow a plan that has all guidelines laid out for them; this will overcome the obstacle of having the transition period feel disorganized and not worth it. Principals, teachers, and families will be able to work together to create large changes around their schools to increase awareness.

 William Scott states that the more people that are aware of what is going on, the more likely they will assimilate to new routines that involve sustainable ideas, which is why it is important to “increase the quality of life” by following the UN’s conservation goals (2013, p. 186).  Every country can increase the quality of life by following the UN’s conservation goals. They are mostly small trade-offs in routine that will benefit humans in the long run, cause assimilation, and can cause a domino effect with other developed countries as well.

       “Whole school approaches are not the only approach to sustainability education…”

            Although having a distinct plan to follow is beneficial for some school districts, others (like those low-income areas) need to assimilate slowly and through little incentives.  Some districts in Los Angeles have promised its schools that if they become more sustainable, they will have a budget increase of 2-10.2%, which has caused countless schools in that major city to find little ways to implement sustainability. Similarly, in Rhode Island, a “school can earn up to an additional 4% of funding from the state if it can be shown that 75% of the project costs can be attributed to energy efficiency” (Jones, 2009, p. 23-24).  Some states give school districts extra funding if they create a sustainable school design. 

This highlights the importance of energy efficient schools, while providing an incentive to go green. As long as other cities follow these funding increases, America will become more and more sustainable and due to this, students and faculty will be able to focus more, causing higher test scores and lower dropout rates. 

Video Info: Jaimie Cloud, the founder and president of the Cloud Institute for Sustainability Education in New York City. The purpose of the Cloud Institute is to educate and spread awareness of the importance on creating a healthy and sustainable future for our children. For more information, visit the Cloud Institute’s website: https://cloudinstitute.org/jaimiecloud 

           The financial benefits of green designs for schools are very underestimated; in a study conducted by Gregory Kats, the results displayed that schools with a sustainable school design actually save about $0.84/ft2 just from decreased wastewater costs (2006, p.7). By showing off statistics that explain how much energy is being saved, whether it be water or nonrenewable resources, other schools will be compelled to work towards sustainable school designs. 

This provides an incentive for schools to go green because they will be able to use that extra money for other areas of funding. Jerome Goldstein is a doctor (MD) in California that has published and edited over 20 articles in the area of sustainability, and his research has shown that it will take far less time to recycle than do fulfill any large-scale program. “Recycling organic residuals and involving leaders has become essential to achieving a sustainable future” (1997, p. 4). 

     “The community and civic sectors of the city need to put aside individual interests and work together to mobilize resources to pursue the collective good of public school improvement.”

         Through the execution of easy and maintainable steps, it is possible that all schools can become sustainable. This is a big step in the right direction; the more people that are aware of what is going on, the more likely it is that they will assimilate to new routines that involve ideas of conservation.  When major leaders of cities in low-income areas spread their thoughts on the importance of breathing in clean air and recycling, occupants are more likely to become aware of the impact of their activities on their environment (Joshua et al., 2018, p.117). This provides a completely different view on obstacles and incorporates low income families in the cities and solutions to their obstacles. By incorporating small details like recycling, into daily lives, low-income families can work towards living healthier lives and ultimately causing their children to have higher academic and physical performances, thus benefiting them in the future as well.

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SO WHAT?

            Though it is common knowledge that we need to “go green” and save the earth from pollution, people are still not taking the necessary steps to increase the health of our planet, and it is causing several detrimental effects. Therefore, the best place to start educating people about the importance of sustainability, is at places of education!

            Children and adolescents spend the majority of their time in school, thus meaning that by spreading awareness during class time, students will be able to apply the lessons they have learned for the rest of their lives. Not only is this beneficial for future generations, but it is necessary for this generation of students, since sustainability in schools has been proven to show an increase in test scores, problem-solving tactics, and overall community happiness (due to factors like decreases in obesity rates).

            However, schools in low-income areas have trouble getting through the full process of green design integration due to lack of fund. Long term, though, education systems that highlight the importance of a healthy future, save money while decreasing the percentage of respiratory illnesses (such as asthma). After looking at the numerous benefits of sustainable schools, it is important to remember one thing: go green before our green goes.

WORKS CITED

Dyment,J, Bell A. (2007). Grounds for movement: green school grounds as sites for promoting physical activity. Health Education Research, Volume 23 (6), 952–962. 2007.

A Union of Professionals. (Ed.). (2008). Building Minds, Minding Buildings: Our Union’s Road Map to Green and Sustainable Schools. American Federation of Teachers

Jones, S.(2009). The Power of Unity: Building Civic Capacity and Green Schools in Cincinnati and Boston. (Master’s Thesis). Retrieved from ProQuest Dissertations and Theses.

Kats G. (Ed.). (2006). Greening America’s Schools- Costs and Benefits. Massachusetts

Scott, W. (2013). Developing the sustainable school: Thinking the issues through. Curriculum Journal, 24(2), 1-25. https://doi.org/10.1080/09585176.2013.781375

Dimoudi, A. (2013). Analysis of energy performance and conservation measures of school buildings in northern Greece. Advances in Building Energy Research (ABER), 7 (1), 20-34. Retrieved from http://proxy.library.vcu     .edu/log in?url=https://search          .proquest.com  /docview/ 1500359701?accountid=14780

Goldstein, J. (1997). Overcoming the obstacles to sustainability. BioCycle, 38(7), 4.

Joshua, A., Abdul-Manan, S., Mohamed I., Shokry, R., and Marten, D. (2018). The indoor environmental quality performance of green low-income single-family housing. Journal of Green Building: Spring 2018, 13 (2), 98-120. https://doi.org/10.3992/1943-4618.13.2.98

Stone, M. (Ed.). (2009) Smart by nature: schooling for sustainability. Healdsburg, CA: Watershed Media.

Shallcross T., Robinson J. (2008) Sustainability Education, Whole School Approaches, and Communities of Action. In: Reid A., Jensen B.B., Nikel J., Simovska V. (Eds.), Participation and Learning. Springer (pp. 299-302) Springer.

Lyon, A.R., Frazier, S.L., Mehta, T. et al. Adm Policy Ment Health (2011) 38: 504. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10488-011-0339-y

ACCIONA (Producer). (2016). What is sustainability? [YouTube video]. Available from https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=103&v=FbAjxkGvDNs

Brassaw, B. (2019). Earth Day: 23 of the Greatest Environmental Quotes [Webite]. Retrieved from https://earth911.com/inspire/earth-day-23-quotes/

Alliance for Excellent Education

McCarthy, C. (2018, May 22). Spending Time Outdoors. [Photograph of children playing during recess].