This study examines the relationships between childhood participation in appreciative, consumptive, and abusive types of outdoor activities and the connection to nature, environmental attitudes, and four types of pro-environmental behaviors in high school students. A questionnaire was given to 140 racially mixed, suburban, largely college-bound…

In 2010, it's good to be Green. In the stampede to sustainable design, there are probably some Green features that have not received a lot of scrutiny, and some that may not apply to all projects. The author happens to have joined an institution with one of the larger Green office/classrooms buildings in the U.S. The University of Texas Health…

Just imagine...a school designed and constructed to produce as much energy on site as that which is consumed from the electric grid. The electricity and gas bills would be 10% or less of that of a typical building; there would be no water bills for site and landscaping irrigation. What was merely a conceptual thought as little as five years ago is…

Climate change is only one factor driving growing numbers of cities throughout the globe to reconsider conventional approaches to electricity generation and use. In the U.S., this momentum is incorporating a shift away from centralized, supply-side approaches reliant on fossil fuels and nuclear power, toward more distributed, flexible, and cleaner…

From using virtualization technology to accepting lunch payments online, school districts are seeking money-saving methods. In this article, the author discusses some methods used by school districts that allow them to save money from using virtualization technology to accepting lunch payments online.

This article reports that with fuel prices soaring nationwide, reaching more than $4 for each gallon of gas or diesel, school districts are struggling to supplement transportation-budget shortfalls and find ways to offset the increasing costs as a new school year approaches. Now districts--most of whose buses run on diesel fuel--are scrambling to…

The Afterschool Alliance and MetLife Foundation are proud to celebrate a fifth round of the MetLife Foundation Afterschool Innovator Awards. For the past five years, we have collaborated to highlight the work of quality afterschool programs that support children, families and communities across the nation. This compendium is a compilation of four…

Examines the monitoring results from two large-scale metering and energy information projects: Texas LoanSTAR Program; and the Texas A & M Campus Project. Data suggest implementing an energy metering system is cost effective, particularly if the system can be coupled with skilled engineering applications such as energy cost allocation and…

Growing numbers of colleges and universities are making the leap to renewable energy. Some are not only saving money--they're making money on their renewable energy purchases. This guide, written by two energy consultants, walks readers through the process of evaluating the various technologies, ownership options, relationships with utilities, and…

Charged with the responsibility of determining the best way to plan for solar technology information transfer within the state of Texas, participants in the Planning Conference for Solar Technology Information Transfer met to discuss the many ongoing activities related to energy information dissemination, to analyze the resources available in…

This document presents a collection of energy conservation ideas gathered from a survey of Texas cities and via a national search of recent technical information. The conservation ideas presented are grouped into categories of: administrative concerns, public buildings, public vehicle fleets, transportation systems, municipal utilities, alternate…

This publication presents a conceptual framework for grades K through 12 energy education in Texas. Matrices are used in which "basic concerns of people" such as: (1) individual well-being; (2) career; and (3) social interactions are given on one axis and three learning dimensions: (1) knowledge; (2) applications; and (3) values are used…

This module is the third in a series of eleven modules in an energy conservation curriculum for secondary and postsecondary vocational students. It is designed for use by itself or as part of a sequence of four modules on understanding utilities (see also modules 5-7). The objective of this module is to introduce the student to utility bills used…

This module is the fifth in a series of eleven modules in an energy conservation curriculum for secondary and postsecondary vocational students. It is designed for use by itself or part of a sequence of four modules on understanding utilities (see also modules 3, 6, and 7). The objective of this module is to train students to recognize…

This guide offers a detailed listing of the key practices and technologies that can help create a sustainable school. The document includes hundreds of cost-effective recommendations that can improve the energy performance and environmental quality of school designs. Each design and construction phase is addressed, from site selection through…