LOCAL GREEN BUILDING COUNCIL ENDORSES HISD BOND PACKAGE

Press Release

The U.S. Green Building Council-Greater Houston Area Chapter has announced its endorsement of the Houston Independent School District $805 million bond package because it provides for high-performance buildings that will provide cleaner and healthier classroom environments for students.

The bond package contains plans to build high-performance, green schools that will be measured by the non-profit organization’s Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design certification program. LEED is a nationwide certification program recognizing buildings that have an integrated eco-friendly and energy-efficient design. USGBC administers the program.

“We believe HISD’s continuing commitment to build LEED schools is a powerful testament to the district’s intention to build for future generations,” said Tim Murray, chairman of the USGBC-Greater Houston Area Chapter. “Not only are LEED buildings sustainable, they are healthier. Studies have shown that students learn better when their classrooms have LEED features. Students perform better when they have good daylight to read by, cleaner air to breathe and more opportunities to incorporate their environment into the lessons teachers give them.”

The LEED for Schools design is meant to create a building that does more than house children for an average of six hours per day so they can be taught. The building itself is designed to be used as a teaching tool.

Through LEED for Schools, we have the opportunity to see that children learn from the building,” Murray said. “We hope HISD will encourage students to use math skills and the features of LEED to track way the school is saving money in energy efficiency. By using the school site for gardens, students will learn about natural conservancy. We want teachers to see the schools as an additional teaching resource in math, science and related subjects. Nothing would please us more than for teachers to understand that a LEED school is designed to support them in their teaching curricula.”

Other benefits off LEED schools include reduced absenteeism and less teacher turnover, Murray said. He also said some school officials in other districts who already work in LEED schools feel that discipline problems are reduced.

The local USGBC chapter has worked previously with the Houston ISD Board of Trustees and administration to create pilot LEED buildings within the district. These buildings are still in the process of becoming certified but the commitment to building LEED-certified schools has been made.

Murray said he is pleased to see the district has found that LEED certified buildings are beneficial to the learning environment.

He said he hopes that voters will show their support for better learning environments by approving the bond package and inviting leaders from the school district and USGBC to educate them about the benefits of green building.

“Green schools are healthier for students and teachers, better for the environment, and cost less to operate and maintain,” Murray said. “But most of all, it shows students that they can raise their expectations about how they experience the environment around them.”

Early voting ends today at 7 pm. Any registered voter may vote at any early polling location in the county he or she is registered in. For a list of Harris County early and election day voting sites, see www.harrisvotes.com. In other counties, the County Clerk is usually the election administrator.

On Tuesday, November 6, voters must vote in the precinct where they are registered to vote.

There are lots of issues for voters to decide, from a state constitutional amendment to repeal the office of county hides inspector to local option elections to allow liquor by the drink.

Although the CEC does not endorse or oppose any candidate or ballot measure, our member groups have taken the following positions on ballot initiatives:

Lone Star Chapter Sierra Club – For State Proposition 4 (Funding for many projects, including state parks and historic sites)

Planned Parenthood of SE Texas – For State Proposition 15 (Cancer research funds)

The Park People and the Cypress Creek Flood Control Coalition – For State Proposition 4 and Harris County Proposition 2 (County park funding)

U.S. Green Building Council-Greater Houston Area Chapter – For Houston ISD bonds.