Washington, D.C. — The House of Representatives has passed legislation that will provide nearly $7 billion in grants to help our nations' K-12 schools go green. Called the 21st Century Green High-Performing Public School Facilities Act (H.R. 3021), the bill, sponsored by Ben Chandler, will help schools to become more energy efficient and healthier. There is a special emphasis on low-income schools where children are most at risk from unhealthy facilities and on schools that still suffer from the aftermath of hurricane Katrina.

According to Earth Day Network’s Green Schools program, close to 60 million students spend up to 40 hours a week in facilities that are often unhealthy and a hindrance to their ability to learn. Green schools reduce sick days, significantly improve the health of students with asthma and other respiratory illnesses, and increase student morale and confidence.

“Our children represent the green generation, where we will be dedicating more of our resources to our health and our environment,” said Kathleen Rogers, President of Earth Day Network. “The House vote on green schools shows we are ready to invest in a better future.” Earth Day Network works to green schools across the country and has an agreement with the William J. Clinton foundation to green all US schools within a generation.

The legislation passed by the House will allow the Secretary of Education to distribute funds to K-12 school districts according to a need-based formula, to make them more energy efficient, healthy, and high performing. Funding can be used for asbestos removal services, energy efficiency improvements, lead abatements, and technology upgrades.

The bill will also help our nation’s school districts, which are struggling to make essential improvements during this lean economic period, to create better school facilities while creating new jobs, and saving significant amounts of energy.

Green schools will go a long way toward reducing our greenhouse gases. Thirty-nine percent of our greenhouse gas emissions come from buildings, and each green and energy efficient school will lead to annual emission reductions of 585,000 pounds of carbon dioxide (CO₂) — the principal greenhouse gas.
The educational rewards for going green include: reduced teacher sick days and student absenteeism; increased state test scores; improved staff productivity; reduced social inequity; enhanced student motivation; and more productive graduates entering our communities.

A green school costs less than two percent more than conventional schools — or about $3 per square foot — but provides financial benefits that are 20 times as large, typically utilizing 33 percent less energy and 32 percent less water than a traditionally designed school — enough savings to hire two additional full-time teachers. In addition, these funds will put more people to work and improve local property values.

“We are taking a huge leap forward toward our goal to make every school in America a green and healthy place to learn, while we save energy and create new green jobs,” said Kathleen Rogers, Earth Day Network President. “Green schools will truly help create a new generation that will live healthier and more productive lives. Coupled with policies aimed at improving school food and with No Child Left Inside, this could be the start of a revolution in how we educate our students.”