Greener schools have positive impacts on students
Posted 04-17-2015 at 07:52 AM by info4yourlife2015
Green is not just a buzzword anymore, especially when it comes to schools. Greening the operations and maintenance of schools can make a big impact on student health and performance, school operational costs and the environment.
According to the U.S. Center for Green Schools, greener schools make for better learning and teaching. Improved temperature control and classrooms with access to natural daylight means kids are more awake and productive. Studies also show that when students are given access to large amounts of daylight, there is a minimum 10 per cent increase in their overall academic performance.
Green schools also provide health benefits via improved indoor air quality which is created with better ventilation and the use of non-toxic materials for furniture, paint and floor coverings. These choices have been shown to reduce asthma rates by up to 65 per cent in elementary students.
Not all green makeovers require big changes, in fact some Canadian schools are proving all it takes is a little innovation. Dunbarton High School in Pickering, Ontario, which won the title of 2014 Greenest School in Canada, went green by creating a 'campus biodiversity program'. This includes a 40-seat outdoor classroom and an interactive Atlantic Salmon Restoration Program, which encourages student engagement in ways that would be hard to achieve indoors.
Dunbarton students also helped plant 70 large trees in locations targeted to best provide shade for the school building and grounds. This shade helps reduce sun exposure, and the trees provide improved air quality surrounding the school, which can sometimes be poor due to two nearby highways.
While many schools may not have resources available to make significant changes, there are ways to 'green' any school that are easy and effective. The Canada Coalition for Green Schools is a good place to start, offering initiatives like the Green Apple program, which encourages easy green projects to get started in greening your local school.
According to the U.S. Center for Green Schools, greener schools make for better learning and teaching. Improved temperature control and classrooms with access to natural daylight means kids are more awake and productive. Studies also show that when students are given access to large amounts of daylight, there is a minimum 10 per cent increase in their overall academic performance.
Green schools also provide health benefits via improved indoor air quality which is created with better ventilation and the use of non-toxic materials for furniture, paint and floor coverings. These choices have been shown to reduce asthma rates by up to 65 per cent in elementary students.
Not all green makeovers require big changes, in fact some Canadian schools are proving all it takes is a little innovation. Dunbarton High School in Pickering, Ontario, which won the title of 2014 Greenest School in Canada, went green by creating a 'campus biodiversity program'. This includes a 40-seat outdoor classroom and an interactive Atlantic Salmon Restoration Program, which encourages student engagement in ways that would be hard to achieve indoors.
Dunbarton students also helped plant 70 large trees in locations targeted to best provide shade for the school building and grounds. This shade helps reduce sun exposure, and the trees provide improved air quality surrounding the school, which can sometimes be poor due to two nearby highways.
While many schools may not have resources available to make significant changes, there are ways to 'green' any school that are easy and effective. The Canada Coalition for Green Schools is a good place to start, offering initiatives like the Green Apple program, which encourages easy green projects to get started in greening your local school.
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