Blog #5

I read the article Green Schools Don't Make the Grade by Todd Myers.  In the article, he criticizes the money that is spent for "green schools", and states that he doubts it will increase student performance, reduce expenses, or reduce emissions.   He also compared the cost of the "green schools" to nongreen schools, and states that the "green schools" cost more to operate.

The problem that I have with this article is that Mr. Myers only compared three schools for one year, and they are all located in the northern part of the United States where they experience a very cold climate.  Would the results be different if the schools were located in the southern part of the United States?

I am not sure if spending 20 billion dollars on making schools "green" is worth it without more research, but administrators can make schools more energy efficient without spending millions of dollars. At our school, our administration has formed a "green team" consisting of several students and two volunteer teachers.  These teachers have received special training, and they are implementing strategies to reduce wasted electricity and help make our school "greener."  All teachers are required to use a power strip for all electronic equipment, and must turn everything off after school.  The teachers also lower their air thermostat daily, and turn off the lights when the classroom is empty.  The "green team" picks up trash twice a week.  Our librarian also encourages the students to recycle.  She has bins in the hallway for recyclable materials encourages the teachers and students to bring cans, paper, plastic, and other recycle materials to the bins.

Another strategy that could be used is to change from harsh cleaners such as bleach to all natural cleaning products.  As a Canadian newscast demonstrates, cleaners such as Lysol and Bleach can trigger asthma attacks and other health problems in children.   The information is located at  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cO2xONIbv24  .   The name of the newscast is Toxic Brew of Chemicals in Your Home.  Although the studies were completed in homes, the results also effect children at school.