More Benefits of Becoming A Green and Healthy School

Here are some statistics cited on the Wisconsin Green and Healthy Schools Program website.

Schools that have already implemented "green and healthy" practices experienced educational, environmental and economic gains.

Daylighting can reduce lifetime utility costs 30 to 70 percent (Energy Center of Wisconsin) and improve student performance - students with the most daylighting in their classrooms progressed 20% faster on math tests and 26% on reading tests in one year than those with the least. ( Analysis of the Performance of Students in Daylit Schools, Michael H. Nicklas and Gary B. Bailey). By implementing simple behavioral changes, the Janesville school district reduced their energy use by seven percent over the course of one year. By reducing its waste stream, a California school district saved more than $200,000 over a four-year period.

• Milwaukee Public Schools found a significant relationship between facility condition and student achievement, based on math, science, language, and social studies test scores from 139 schools. Lewis, M. 2000.
  o CEFPI Brief on Educational Facility Issues (pdf, 148KB)
  
• Within the first five months of implementing the EPA Tools for Schools program, Little Harbour School in New Hampshire reported a dramatic decrease in absenteeism, fewer bronchitis cases reported by school staff, an increase in comfort, and a 25 percent reduction in the number of visits to the school nurse with complaints of stomachaches and headaches. "We saw a significant decrease in the absenteeism rates of children, especially for a child with severe asthma attending the school, since we completed the IAQ upgrades." Priscilla Santiago, school nurse of Little Harbour School.

Read white paper titled Making the Case For Green Schools – A Report on the Cost, Performance and Benefits of Sustainable Construction Concepts written by Kentuckian Chuck Effinger.