Air filters perform an important function in commercial and institutional facilities. Because indoor air typically is two to five times more polluted than outdoor air, air filters are needed to remove respirable particles such as microorganisms, dust and allergens from the breathing air. In fact, air filters provide the primary defense for…

The green concept has tremendous value in schools, especially when it reflects the central purpose and mission of schools: educating young people to participate and civically engage in society. School communities that keep greening the school on the periphery of their awareness will reap advantages, but those that align this idea with the…

One would not expect Niles West High School to be a model of sustainability. Located in Skokie, Illinois, the facility is more than 50 years old and at 612,000 square feet, it stands among the nation's largest high schools. Last winter, Niles West became one of the first five schools in the United States to achieve certification from the U.S.…

In recent years, schools have been forced by rising costs and shrinking budgets to stretch their resources further than ever before in order to meet the educational needs of today's students. EPA's ENERGY STAR program helps K-12 schools and districts improve energy efficiency, reduce operating costs and redirect critical resources into the…

The federal government last formally assessed the state of the nation's schools in the 1999 report "Condition of America's Public School," which estimated that it would take $127 billion to bring the nation's schools to "good condition." The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) issued its own report card the same year. In…

Transportation is one of the biggest contributors to the destruction of the environment. Results from environmental research and pursuant governmental regulations are changing the way companies do business and how transportation systems address the future. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has been at the forefront in leading environmental…

Green energy represents a way to empower students by demonstrating creative problem-solving with an eye on protecting precious resources, both capital and natural. Many school districts have already taken the initiative during the past five years to implement energy projects, whether for the educational or economic opportunities, or both.…

A child starting school today won't leave until 2023, by which point who knows what technology will be commonplace? Schooling must become more flexible and therefore more engaging and interesting. Classrooms worldwide remain largely traditional, and technology is usually prescriptive. It is clear that bold action is required to improve STEM…

Growing up in a more eco-conscious world, incoming students are more savvy about "greening" the world around them. A decade ago, green college campuses were those that offered recycling bins in residence halls. Now education institutions are integrating sustainability efforts into as many aspects of their campus operations as possible. And that…

According to the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, the number of US charter schools grew by 6.7 percent last year, and a 7.5-percent increase is projected for the current school year. In areas of the country plagued by underperforming public schools, stressed further by recession-fueled budget cuts, charter schools are being added at a…

Now that green building has become more popular, school facility directors and architects are beginning to make different choices during construction. These choices may involve energy-efficient lighting, window size, building materials and design elements. Often, though, what happens during construction has unexpected consequences--unwanted…

This paper proposes that project-based active learning is a key part of engineering education at the middle school level. One project from a comprehensive middle school engineering curriculum developed by the authors is described to show how active learning and state frameworks can coexist. The theoretical basis for learning and assessment in a…

Support for the modular system of building construction, touted in the second half of the 20th century as the best basis for academic library building design, appears to be waning. A study of "green" libraries in 2008 revealed that not only has energy conservation become important, but that spaces designed for users rather than books…

Combining preventative operations and maintenance (O&M) with strategic retrofitting of building systems improves a school's energy performance. For schools with limited resources and experience, "quick wins" in O&M and retrofitting provide a valuable starting point to energy management. As a next step, strategically prioritizing long- and…

In the very first Going Green article ("Exchange," January/February 2009), the author discussed his personal struggles and successes with encouraging his company and his coworkers to be more "green" in the office. After finding some fellow wattage-watchers and religious recyclers, they formed the Green Squad and quickly racked…