sustainaBULLS, Brooklyn's Green School
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alt="" Green Schools Initiative in Davis, California Davis Media AccessGreen-focused schools are popping up across the country, from New York City to California. The Green School in Brooklyn, who call themselves the sustainaBULLS, states the following goals for their green educational core values:
- Sustainable Self - Individuals in the school community are given the opportunity to develop their individual interests. Importance is placed on individual growth and physical and emotional health of all students.
- Sustainable Relationships - Meaningful relationships among students, parents, teachers, school administration and key members of the community are developed through advisory, community work, internships and peer education.
- Sustainable Community - All members of the school work to develop a learning community that promotes academic excellence, democratic decision making and individual responsibility.
- Sustainable Society - Students have the opportunity to explore careers that promote a healthy society through internships and apprenticeships.
sustainaBULLS
Green School in Brooklyn, New York
Green Education Is Working
In 2002, I sat in on a class taught by the USGBC that was designed to prepare us for the LEED Accredited Professional (AP) exam. It was amazing to me that the majority of the material taught in the eight hour course was largely dedicated to opening our eyes to the world of sustainability. Now, what seemed like complex concepts back then are about to become standard eco-practices. I will never forget the driven message that the main goal of the USGBC is education. The leaders of the green organization believed they would be successful if they could prove that they had influenced thousands of community leaders; their form of measurement is the LEED AP exam.
Success indeed - by April 2009, the USGBC counted 100,000 LEED Accredited Professionals worldwide. Rick Fedrizzi, the founding chairman of the USGBC, said that the USGBC has proof now that they have been effective teachers of sustainability; "As of April 2009, USGBC is proud to count 20,000 organizations among its national membership, and more than 100,000 LEED Accredited Professionals [see chart] around the globe. Since January 1, 2009, we have broken records every month in new memberships and new LEED AP candidates – exceeding our best projections and demonstrating that green building, and the green movement, are here to stay."
Thank you for your vision, USGBC. Our society is becoming more and more knowledgeable and sophisticated about the environmental issues at hand and about how we can solve problems today that are expected to create havoc in years to come. One educational focus has been to train up the young now so they will be best equipped to confront environmental issues and to solve them with brilliance.
Please Comment:
Have any of you gone out to volunteer as an educator about green principles?
Let us know about your experiences; we want to congratulate you.
Stephanie Aurora Lewis
Stephanie, an NCARB registered architect and LEED AP, draws upon her studies in architectural history and theory from Sarah Lawrence College and her master’s degree in architecture from The Ohio State University. Providing copy for publications and performing marketing work for the construction industry, Stephanie works as an independent freelancer from Columbus, Ohio.
Website: greengaloredesigner.blogspot.com/