AAF and USGBC Host "Growing the Green School Design Movement" in Washington, DC.

January, 2008 - In December 2007, The American Architectural Foundation (AAF), in partnership with the US Green Building Council (USGBC), hosted a Great Schools by Design Forum entitled "Growing the Green School Design Movement." The forum gathered thirty-two voices on green school design in Washington, DC, to discuss strategies for increasing the demand for green schools. Over the course of the day and a half event participants presented their plans for greening schools throughout the design process.

Representatives from school districts spoke about their experience building sustainable schools, and leaders from national education organizations presented their initiatives in support of green design. State and national legislative staff members spoke about creating an environment that rewards green school design.

Concrete lessons emerged from the event that will be incorporated into subsequent Great Schools by Design institutes and forums. Foremost is the agreement that a huge demand exists for green schools by parents, teachers, and the community. The strict separation between capital costs and operating budgets is one of the largest impediments for green schools, and the will to change this is equally as important as adjusting the funding formula used by states. Participants were encouraged that the learning curve for districts building green schools returns lower design costs on subsequent projects as they discover what works in their region.

Participants:

Darryl Alexander, American Federation of Teachers (AFT)
Margo Appel, U.S. Department of Energy
Rob Barron, office of Senator Harkin
Ron Bogle, Hon. AIA, American Architectural Foundation (AAF)
Damien Brockmann, Office of State Representative Rafael Anchia
William Bronrott, State Delegate, Maryland General Assembly
Bill Bronrott, Member, Maryland House of Delegates
Douglas Brookman (Facilitator), Public Solutions, Inc.
Franklin J. Brown, AIA, LEED AP, REFP, Ohio State Facilities Commission (OSFC)
Anja Seehrich-Caldwell, LEED AP, Montgomery County Public Schools
Drury B. Crawley US Department of Energy, Office of Building Technologies
Marc Egan, National School Boards Association
Charles Eley, FAIA, PE, Architectural Energy Corporation (CHPS)
Charles Fields, Office of Congressman Michael McCaul (R-TX)
Rachel Gutter, U.S. Green Building Council
Jason Hartke, U.S. Green Building Council
Caterina (Katy) Hatcher, US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Paul D. Houston, EdD, American Association of School Administrators
George Jackson, American Federation of Teachers (AFT)
Patricia Jatczak, Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction, Washington State
Aaron Lande, Office of Congresswoman Darlene Hooley (OR-05)
Allen Y. Lew, District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS)
Judy Marks, Hon. AIA, National Clearinghouse for Educational Facilities (NCEF)
Michelle Moore, US Green Building Council (USGBC)
Manish Naik, Council of the Great City Schools
Sam Nutter, Green Schools Initiative, Boston, MA
David Osterberg, Iowa Policy Project
Brooks Rainwater, AIA Government Advocacy
Paul Romano, New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) Center for Architecture and Building Science Research
Carolyn Sarno, Northeast Energy Efficiency Partnerships (NEEP)
C. H. “Sonny” Savoie, National School Boards Association
Scott Thigpen, Booz Allen Hamilton
Robert Winstead, AIA, LEED AP, VMDO Architects

Great Schools by Design (GSbD) is a national initiative of the American Architectural Foundation that seeks to improve the quality of America’s schools and the communities they serve by promoting collaboration, excellence and innovation in school design. Following the 2006 National Summit on School Design, AAF has conducted forums to gather concepts, current perspectives, and best practices on a number of topics recommended by the Summit participants. AAF appreciates the continuing support of Great Schools by Design’s presenting sponsor Target.

Click here to learn more about Great Schools by Design.