Trane Helping Schools Cut their Energy Bills in Half

The combination of efficiency and renewables is driving big savings at Massachusetts' Dighton-Rehoboth Regional School District. A performance contract signed with HVAC manufacturer Trane Inc. is expected to slash the districts annual energy spending by 62 percent, or $564,000 each year.

Trane is far more than just a leading manufacturer of HVAC equipment, they also offers cost saving projects and renewable energy efficiency solutions. They helped to design and install the district's 1.2-megawatt solar photo-voltaic system including five carport canopies ranging in size from 117 kW to 639 kW. This system now generates around 75 percent of the energy used by the district.

The Academic Superiority of Green Schools

Green schools may be more conductive to academic success than traditional schools. As reviewed in a 2012 press release, the University of Colorado Denver (UCD) there is a positive correlation between green schools and academic success.

The research was funded by the GSNN and UCD. The research consisted of a survey sent to more than 350 primary and secondary schools that identified themselves as green. Schools that took part in the survey observe GreenPrint core practices as defined by the Green Schools National Network (GSNN).

There was a positive correlation between academic success and the following 5 GreenPrint core principles:

Everblue Training Institute's Comprehensive Green Building Curriculum

As the nation’s leading green educator, Everblue Training Institute has the primary goal of helping people to succeed in the green economy. Whether to earn professional certification or for personal edification, at Everblue people can learn everything they need to know about sustainable, green building principles and practices.

Princeton is Building the Largest Solar Array of Any University

Princeton University is planning to build a 27-acre solar field consisting of 16,500 photovoltaic panels making it the largest solar field for any US college or university. It will produce enough energy to power 700 households. The EPA estimates that the solar array is equivalent of taking more than 1,200 cars off the road, which translates to a reduction of 3,090 metric tons of carbon dioxide each year.

Organizations and Groups in the USGBC's Center for Green Schools

The US Green Building Council's (USGBC) Center for Green Schools is dedicated to increasing the number of green schools. Here are some of their organizations, groups and initiatives.

Green School Buildings Offer Many Benefits

Green school construction offers many benefits including thousands of new jobs. Green schools use an average of 33% less energy and 32% less water than conventional schools. A 2006 study sponsored by the American Federation of Teachers, the American Institute of Architects, the American Lung Association, the Federation of American Scientists and USGBC found that building green would save an average school $100,000 each year in energy costs along – enough to hire two new additional full-time teachers, purchase 5,000 new textbooks, or buy 500 new computers.

USGBC's Center for Green Schools

The the U.S. Green Building Council's (USGBC) Center for Green Schools envisions green schools for everyone within this generation. To help achieve this objective the USGBC provides resources for green builders, school administrators, elected officials and community members.

Video: Sustainable Case Study: Mount Wachusett Community College

Mount Wachusett Community College in Gardner, Massachusetts moved from being a sustainable laggard to being a sustainability leader. Using innovative financing and thinking, the college switched to renewable energy sources. The campus-wide initiative also transformed the curriculum.

© 2011, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

Related Posts
Video: Sustainable Education at Central Piedmont Community College
Video: Sustainable Leadership from Higher Education
Video: Colleges and Universities are Crucial to a Sustainable Future
Video: Green Street Environmental Program
Video: Green Education Directory
Video: College of Energy Environment and Sustainability

Video: Sustainable Leadership from Higher Education

"We're in a very exciting time in thinking about conservation and sustainability. Higher education has to lead the way, and college presidents need to step up and demonstrate that they're willing to make this commitment."

© 2011, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

Related Posts
Sustainable Case Study: Mount Wachusett Community College
Video: Colleges and Universities are Crucial to a Sustainable Future
Video: Green Street Environmental Program
Video: Sustainable Education at Central Piedmont Community College
Video: Green Education Directory
Video: College of Energy Environment and Sustainability

Conestoga College Post Graduate Environmental Engineering

Conestoga College in Cambridge Ontario is an environmental engineering college. They offer a program which responds to increased concern regarding the protection and management of the environment.

Top Five Green Master Degree Programs

In 2010, Master Degree Online.com published their list of the five of the best sustainable schools. (This list has been updated by The Green Market for 2011).

Ashridge Masters in Sustainability and Responsibility

This practice based program is for students who want to an education in responsible and successful business. It is intended for people working in businesses, consultants, activists, public sector managers and NGO professionals.

Hult International Business School Launches Master in Social Entrepreneurship

Hult business school has launched a degree at their London campus in the emerging academic discipline of using business solutions to solve social problems. Hult is well known for its one year MBA program which is ranked in the top 30 in the world by The Economist and among the top 100 by the Financial Times.

Online Green MBA Programs

Here is a list of online green MBA programs assembled by The Green Economy Post:

US Green MBA Program Directory

The Green Economy Post, is one of the premiere green and sustainable business sites on the Web, their directory of Green MBAs features profiles of over 80 programs from across the United States.

To find MBA programs click on the state you are interested in from the list below:

World's Best Green MBA Programs

In an article titled The Top 5 Green MBA Programs in America (Probably the World), Karin Kloosterman suggests that despite a slow economy there are opportunities for those with who pursue sustainability oriented degrees. She quotes a Bloomberg Businessweek article about the surge of green MBA programs, "sustainability represents one of the few potential bright spots in an otherwise dismal recruiting environment."

Here are Kloosterman's top green MBAs:

Stony Brook University's Sustainability focused BA Degrees

Stony Brook University now has five new sustainability-focused BA degrees. Stony Brook University's Sustainability Program Director, Martin Schoonen, Ph.D., says, "Our students will be exposed to many of the challenges facing today’s world, and through critical examination explore possible solutions to create and define sustainable models for future generations."

See the program description for each of the five BA degrees: Ecosystems and Human Impact, Environmental Humanities, Sustainability Studies, Environmental Design, Policy, & Planning and Coastal Environmental Studies.

Harvard Corporate Sustainability Distance Learning Course

Harvard University is offering an open enrollment, distance learning course on sustainability. The fall 2011 course is focused on Corporate Sustainability.

This course explores sustainability from a corporate perspective with a focus on the global marketplace. The course covers all three responsibilities of sustainability: environmental stewardship, social well-being, and economic prosperity.

E-Learning Course on the Legal Frameworks of Sustainability

A new online course is being offered for those who want to deepen their expertise by knowing more about the legal frameworks surrounding sustainability. The course is being offered from October 10 to November 4, 2011. The four week e-learning course titled "Legal Preparedness for the Green Economy," costs 350 euros or 505 USD.

The overall objective of this e-learning course is to enable self-paced training which aims to enhance the capacity of legal experts, and those in the public and private sector.

Video: Sustainable Education at Central Piedmont Community College

This video reviews green education at Central Piedmont Community College (CPCC). Students are increasingly interested in sustainability and a growing number of schools, community colleges and universities are responding to this demand by offering a range of programs from short duration certificate programs to post doctoral degrees. One such school in Charlotte NC is providing more sustainable content as well as becoming more sustainable themselves. At CPCC, sustainability is woven throughout their curriculum. Local community colleges like CPCC are helping to provide the educational resources, for a well trained workforce that has a good understanding of sustainability. A green education helps to secure a good job and contributes to a strong economy, but it also supports a society wide paradigm shift which will see much greater importance being ascribed to environmental considerations.

For more information click here.

© 2011, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

Related Posts
Video: College of Energy Environment and Sustainability
Video: Green Education Directory Online