In February of this year,
Stephanie Barr and colleague
Craig Schiller presented at the
CEFPI (Council of Educational Facilities Planners International) Sustainable Schools Symposium in Tempe Arizona. The presentation centered on research on whole-school sustainability and utilizing the building as a teaching tool. Embedded below is their online presentation. Following this presentation, they were invited to submit an article to the CEFPI Educational Facilities Planner. CEFPI's flagship publication reaches a diverse population including school and college administrators, school board members, school and college faculty members, facility maintenance and operating personnel, architects, engineers, builders and contractors. Published three times annually, the Planner is read by key decision-makers in the school building business worldwide. The publication follows a simple, straightforward editorial style and offers practical knowledge through case studies, interviews and feature articles.
Written by
Stephanie Barr,
Brian Dunbar and
Craig Schiller, the article, "Sustainability in Schools: Why Green Building Has Become a Catalyst" explores how green school buildings can go beyond an energy efficient, healthy building shell to a dynamic sustainability teaching tool.
With the increase in both green school construction and research linking green schools to healthier students and higher performance and financial return on investment, it is no surprise that green school design practices are quickly becoming standard practice. This is reason for celebration, yet there are still many mountains to climb to achieve holistic sustainability in schools. There is a measure of success that we haven't fully explored - are green schools actually producing sustainably-driven students? Yes, we want high performing and healthy students, but we also want students to lead a sustainable future, right?
The full article can be viewed online here:
http://viewer.epaperflip.com/Viewer.aspx?docid=5b567c47-df15-46a7-8877-a0600118067d#?page=18
Barr, S. & Schiller, C. (2012). Building as a Teaching Tool: Connecting Curriculum, Culture, and The Physical Environment. CEFPI Sustainable Schools Symposium, February 2012. Tempe, AZ
