In 2019, the U.S Census Bureau found that students make up 25% of the population ages three and older in the United States. Because such a large portion of the population spends significant time in classrooms, it is evident that schools are an incredibly important indoor environment that have an impact on both people and the planet. It is up to us to determine whether that will be a positive or negative impact.
An outdoor, shaded playground, photo by Ama Step, via Unsplash.com.
Many schools are working towards producing a positive impact. For instance, Washington Elementary STEM Magnet School in Pasadena, California, planted trees and vegetable gardens with the help of Amigos de los Rios, a nonprofit in the area. This action can have a multitude of benefits. In addition to the positive impact on the climate, trees provide shade, cool the area, and reduce pollutants in the air, all of which benefit student and faculty health.
At another school, however, Rachel Gutter found that her mother, a former teacher, had been exposed to mold within a portable classroom. Upon checking attendance records from students in the class, they found high levels of absenteeism. If it were not for the teachers recognizing a problem and advocating for their students, this trend would have likely continued impacting student health and performance in school.
These initiatives exemplify the steps that schools can take when trying to become more sustainable; however, they might not be accessible for some schools for a variety of reasons – such as land space, lack of financial resources, or a lack of readily available information. Other actions may be, though, if teachers and staff know where to look. For educational professionals that are unsure where to start on their journey towards a greener school, ideas might come from the organization that brought us LEED certification.
LEED, or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, is one of the most widely used green-building rating systems worldwide. Run by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), LEED-rated buildings are measured across nine categories, including location and transportation, energy and atmosphere, indoor environmental quality, and water efficiency. While achieving LEED certification standards for an entire school building can take more time or resources than the average school has access to in a given year (certification can cost thousands for a single project), there are smaller steps we can take to promote greener practices at schools without seeking the full LEED certification.
The LEED Green Classroom Professional Certificate is a low-cost option for older students, teachers, or other faculty interested in implementing green practices at their school. This certificate, also worldwide, provides an introduction to green building principles and an array of steps across a variety of budgetary limits that can be taken on a personal, classroom, or school-wide level. It provides a foundation of knowledge for those curious about implementing practices that promote environmental sustainability and human health. Additionally, unlike pursuing LEED certification, the certificate applies to the person obtaining the knowledge rather than the building they are working in– meaning they can take that knowledge with them across schools.
Photo by Tu Chu, via Unsplash.com.
The certificate offers many avenues for taking action while maintaining the three main principles of what a Green Classroom Professional should do: 1) take direct action when possible; 2) communicate with others when you cannot take direct action; and 3) advocate for green policies throughout the school.
Some of the key categories for action are water efficiency and quality, air quality, energy efficiency, pest management, and materials used in the classroom. Many of these are similar to categories included in full LEED certification, allowing professionals to learn about and implement solutions from some of or all of them without additional costs, time, or other resources. For each category, the course gives learners ideas of ways in which they can take action, communicate, or advocate. Working across these categories can help to improve student and worker health as well as lessen the environmental impact of the school on the planet.
Whether the work is being done across categories or within one specific category, it has the potential to have a positive impact. For instance, a teacher has the ability to influence both student well-being and classroom sustainability by changing the way they light their classroom. Utilizing daylight over artificial lights when possible helps improve student mood, alertness, and cognitive performance– including up to 20% improvement in test scores with the addition of natural light– while also saving money and decreasing energy consumption. While this primarily applies to the energy efficiency category put together by USGBC, it has the dual positive influence on students as well as the planet.
In another example, teachers could improve the indoor environmental quality of their own classroom by improving the acoustics. This could include installing acoustic tiles or soft surfaces to reduce sound reverberation or even simply turning off unnecessary equipment to reduce background noises.
Photo by Katerina, via Unsplash.com.
However, there are many steps that teachers, students, or individual staff members might not be able to implement on their own; this is where communication and advocacy become more important. For instance, a school may not allow teachers to choose their own classroom cleaning supplies. In this case, a teacher may find it useful to work with parents, maintenance, students, and other staff to communicate about greener cleaning products and advocate for a school-wide change. It can also be useful to involve students as involvement in decision-making processes can positively impact their self-esteem and life skills. Similarly, it might not be possible for an individual teacher to start a school-wide compost or garden, but gaining support to advocate for starting one may help to showcase the longevity of the project when pitching it and tip the odds in their favor. It is also a great way to incorporate teaching students about composting, food systems, and food waste.
Photo by Meris, via Unsplash.com.
While it might be less comprehensive than a full LEED certification, the Green Classroom Professional certificate is a great introductory resource for people who are eager to take steps towards making their school a more resilient built environment that is better for the people within it and the external environment that surrounds it. It provides information across a variety of categories, additional resources, and specific steps that can be taken towards greater action within a school.
It also exemplifies how making changes in just one of the given categories can create a greater impact than you might imagine; having this information in your arsenal can be beneficial if you are facing resistance when trying to advocate for more school-wide changes. By earning the Green Classroom Professional Certificate, educators and students alike can take practical steps toward a healthier, more sustainable school environment. For more information, visit USGBC’s website.
See our other resources at: https://climatesteps.org/schools-parents-kids/.
Catie Carter received a Masters of Science in Sutainability from the University of Sussex, UK, in 2024. This spring and summer (2025), she is interning with Climate Steps, focusing on climate change and health/environmental justice, as well as researching how schools can grasp and deal with climate change. She is especially interested in rural communities mitigation and adaptation to climate change.