Sustained commitment
By Mike Kennedy
The political winds have shifted in 2025, and schools and universities may find increased resistance as they pursue efforts to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions and combat global warming.
But the arguments that long ago persuaded educators and administrators to embrace green building design and construction and sustainable operations have not changed. Even if the current circumstances cause some to shy away from acknowledging the threat of global warming and climate change, the track record of the sustainability movement over the last couple of decades has provided education institutions with enough financial and health-related incentives to stay on the green path.
There can be little debate: Conserving resources is better than wasting them. Safe and healthful learning environments are better than spaces with potentially hazardous conditions that may lead to illness and injury. Spending funds on facilities designed to operate efficiently is better than doling out money on poorly planned energy guzzlers.
More than 5,000 K-12 schools have received LEED certification for designing and building facilities that incorporate energy-saving and environmentally friendly elements and strategies, the U.S. Green Building Council says. . Technological advancement and new construction techniques are helping education institutions to achieve greater success in their sustainability efforts.
From grassroots recycling efforts in local schools to national coalitions of environmental activists continuing their efforts to reduce emissions, the commitment to sustainability in schools and universities persists.
“The good news is, cities, states, businesses, and local institutions are not powerless,” says Gina McCarthy, former administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency and co-chair of America All In, a coalition of leaders from around the nation working to address the climate crisis. “Many are already speaking out and challenging illegal, unwise, or unjustified actions being taken by our federal government that fail to build on the climate progress our country has already made. At the same time, they and many everyday Americans across our country continue to work together to drive forward innovative climate and clean energy policies and investments.”
Many approaches
Schools and universities have many ways to adopt sustainable practices. Simple strategies like touchless faucets and lights controlled by motion detectors reduce the unnecessary use of water and electricity. Many facilities have incorporated daylighting strategies to orient buildings and place windows and skylights in ways that maximize the benefits of natural light and reduce the dependency on artificial illumination.
Here are some recent projects that show education institutions’ continuing commitment to sustainability.
Solar energy: The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., has installed a 7.5 megawatt solar array on its campus. It has been billed as the nation’s largest urban ground-mount solar array. The project consists of a field of 42 rows of solar panels on a 40-acre tract that was going to be a parking lot.
The university says the panels will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by an estimated 7.1 metric tons—equivalent to removing 1,547 cars from the road or eliminating carbon dioxide emissions from 800,630 gallons of gasoline. It is projected to save $3.5 million over 20 years for those receiving energy from the panels.
Mass timber construction: Boston University has announced plans to build a 12-story mass timber facility for The Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies. Using wood to construct the tower means that the building will have a much smaller carbon footprint than a comparable project built with steel or concrete.
The process of extracting, manufacturing and transporting the steel or concrete needed for construction can release a significant amount of greenhouse gases. Those carbon emissions already are embodied in a project before a building begins operating. Wood, on the other hand, is a renewable resource, and the wood used in constructing a building sequesters the carbon it contains for the life of the building. When the building’s life is over, the wood can be recycled.
Mass timber uses large solid wood panels for wall, floor and roof construction. The panels typically are formed through lamination, fasteners or adhesives, and give the resulting product strength that enables it to compete with steel and concrete as a building material.
LEED Platinum: Two university arts facilities—one on either coast of the United States—have received LEED Platinum certification, the highest designation from the U.S. Building Council for environmentally friendly design and construction.
New York University says the Martin Scorsese Virtual Production Center in Brooklyn has adopted stringent environmental guidelines used in professional film production, including restrictions on the use of plastic bottles, preference for rented rather than newly built sets, and the donation of props and other materials to local organizations. The facility features two 3,500-square-foot double-height, column-free stages, two 1,800-square-foot television studios, state-of-the-art studio control rooms, dressing rooms and makeup areas, a cafe, scene workshop, and offices.
The center also trains students in sustainable filmmaking techniques. Virtual production uses game engine software, graphics cards, camera tracking, and performance capture to create visual effects in real time, rather than in post-production. Virtual production promotes sustainability because it limits lengthy amounts of post-production and reduces the need to film on location.
On the other side of the country, at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, the Dick Wolf Drama Center has received a LEED Platinum rating for its environmentally friendly modernization.
The 94-year-old facility, formerly a church and now home to USC’s School of Dramatic Arts, underwent a four-year rehabilitation that converted a chapel to a theater space and a lower-level meeting area into a performance space. The renovated structure benefits from natural ventilation through operable windows; it also has a highly efficient all-electric heating, ventilation and air conditioning system.
Kennedy, AS&U senior editor, can be reached at [email protected].
[Sidebar]
The Greenest for 2025
The Center for Green Schools and Green Schools National Network has named schools, students, educators, and other community leaders as the Best of Green Schools for 2025
K–12 School: Rochester School in Colombia was built in 2012. The school has achieved over 70% energy savings and 40% potable water savings compared with a conventionally built school of the same size. The campus has a solar aquatic center, intelligent classroom hubs and other campus features that serve as a living textbook for the curriculum.
Ambassador: Lauren Click , executive director of Let’s Go Compost in Arizona is transforming food waste education in public schools. Under Click’s leadership, the nonprofit organization provides hands-on composting educational tools that make waste reduction education accessible .The program expanded in 2024 to 111 public schools, 75% of which are Title I.
School System: Denver Public Schools has been working on sustainability initiatives since 2009, focusing on environmental protection, economic prosperity and social development. The district’s sustainability team engages students and staff in creating a livable future and thriving learning environments.
Student Leaders: Emma Weber and Molly Weber from Boulder, Colorado, spearheaded a campaign for climate justice in their school district and later expanded it statewide. They built a network of over 60 students in their district and won a first-of-its-kind Green New Deal for Schools resolution through their school board. They are now working with state senators and representatives to pass legislation. Their efforts have focused on sustainable infrastructure, climate curriculum, climate disaster plans and pathways to green jobs in public schools.
Business Leader: Texas Disposal System’s educational program, Eco Academy, is designed to help minimize waste in Central Texas schools by educating students about trash, recycling and composting options on their campuses. The program provides training, curriculum, signage and other educational materials for staff, administrators and students to make recycling fun and to enable real-world application.
Policymaker: U.S. Rep. Bobby Scott of Virginia., and U.S. Sen. Jack Reed of Rhode Island have been steadfast in supporting a federal role that ensures that high-need communities have resources to build and repair school facilities. Through their introduction of the Rebuild America’s Schools Act, which would invest $130 billion in school buildings, they have led the way for their colleagues. In 2023, their offices were essential in funding a national clearinghouse for school infrastructure and a grant program to help states better serve their school districts.
K–12 Educator: As a teacher in the Boise (Idaho) School District, Erin Stutzman empowers students through community outreach and project- and place-based learning. Through collaboration with Nez Perce youth and tribal elders in Lapwai, Idaho, her students have built partnerships around shared environmental goals. Together, they have secured rooftop solar panels through grant writing, advocated for climate action in schools and supported the Save Our T-Pack initiative to protect Idaho’s wolves.
School District Champion: Darien Clary, director of sustainability at the Austin (Texas) Independent School District, has led efforts since 2016 to integrate sustainability across the school system’s 130 facilities, 73,000 students and 10,000 staff. Her work has influenced green building practices, renewable energy and sustainable food systems.