There's clearly a demand growing all across the country for green schools. That means different things in different jurisdictions, considering the politics of green. But everyone wants a healthy environment for their kids, and there's greater recognition that high-performance buildings produce high-performance students. Unfortunately, a lot of facilities in this country don't meet basic needs. People often say they don't have the resources to "go green." Does it cost more to build green? No, you can build green at any price point. There's a lot of simple, low-hanging fruit. A top priority of a sustainable school is indoor air quality and light, something that can be achieved at any price point. At Manassas Park Elementary School, in Virginia [a Title 1 school that earned an AIA 2010 COTE Award], we made use of Solatubes, which were very inexpensive and haven't leaked, despite record snowfalls. They provide light all day because of their unique parabolic shape.
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