Chapter 5: Sustainability

Who would have ever thought that buildings could be one of the most sustainable practices known to man? It’s not to hard to imagine when school buildings represent the largest construction sector in the United States, 80 billion dollars. Not to mention Buildings being responsible for 38% of carbon dioxide emissions in the United States.

In this chapter environmentalists as well as experts of sustainability, chorused by children voice the dire needs for sustainable schools. The reasons:

• Economic
• Educational
• Environmental
• Moral

One practice being adopted by sustainability experts is that the Iroquois Confederacy, when chiefs were making decisions for their Nation, they would consider the effect of their decision on peace, the effect on the natural world, and the effect on seven generations in the future. In the chapter sustainability is explore through multiple different angles including:

•  The LEED “leapfrog” certification (Design to be better then todays top rating for environmental school)
• Revealing how stuff works (“Make school infrastructure literally transparent, to display flows of water and waste, teaches kids the workings of the real world”
• Getting eco-educated (When planning a green school, learn what things work best and what counts)
• Highlighting the site (Calling attention to a school’s unique site through design, construction, and signage)
• Attracting like minds (Sustainable school’s are billboards for compatible parents, students, and staff.)
• Letting Students lead ( “Hands on experience is a powerful teacher.” Encourage students who wants to adopt sustainable practices, and let them go for it)
• Rallying the numbers (using the numbers to make the case for an energy efficient school)
• Do your homework (aligning schools sustainability goals with families to create a wide community of support for sustainable schools)
• Get out of the City (being in the natural world provides learning opportunities that can never be shown in the city)
• Slow the Place (Discouraging high speed traffic by creating places for pausing to sit down and talk in hallways)

In this chapter of the book, I believe the authors really hit home that environment is the third teacher, through the use of sustainability. There is a very strong emphasis towards connecting with the environment in this chapter by protecting it and keeping it around for the next seven generations.