The Ashkin Group is dedicated to creating healthier, more productive indoor environments with lower burdens on natural systems, while creating sustainable value for its clients. The company's commitment to Green Cleaning is more than business, it is a passion, a calling, a mission in life - to transform the cleaning industry.

Guide explaining the economic, environmental, and community benefits of natural landscaping. Natural landscaping is the planting or preservation of native vegetation in ways that help retain or augmentnatural landscape features, such as wetlands, prairies or woodlands. Natural landscaping can be applied in nearly any public green space, from parks to school grounds to municipal building lawns.

Searchable database of green building case studies.

Features a database of energy efficient buildings, including schools.

Introduction to a comprehensive federal guide for exterior envelope design and construction for institutional/office buildings.

Rodent and roach infestation, mice droppings, mold that has caused mushrooms to grow, asbestos, extreme heat or cold in classrooms, severe overcrowding, and nonfunctional bathrooms are just some examples of the appalling physical conditions found in thousands of our nation's public schools, a American Federation of Teachers (AFT) report revealed. These conditions are adversely affecting millions of students and school staff -- and potentially every student and school employee who walks through the doors of our public schools. Schools can be modernized or built from scratch using proven, cost-effective and environmentally sound solutions. Many schools already are meeting these high standards, serving as models to others. The AFT believes that healthy, well-maintained schools that are conducive to learning cannot be reserved for select communities; they must be part of the academic agenda for every American student.

The Campus Environmental Resource Center--CampusERC--is intended to be a great library of resources to support campus environmental performance improvement. Developed collaboratively by NACUBO, C2E2, CSHEMA, APPA and the EPA, the primary audience is staff, administrators or faculty who are looking for resources to better understand environmental regulations, find relevant contacts, seek model practices, track news or build and manage better environmental programs.

Part of the U.S. Green Building Council, this center helps schools become more sustainable. Also provides information about LEED for schools.

CHPS has developed and maintains a six-volume technical best practices manual for high performance schools. The manual covers planning, design, high performance benchmarks, maintenance and operations, commissioning and relocatable classrooms in high performance schools. The manual was developed through a consensus process with the assistance of school officials, state agencies, industry representatives and design professionals. CHPS periodically updates each volume of the manual. The volumes are available for download at this web site (the majority of which is non-printable format), or you may order a hard copy of the manual at this site.

The New York State Education Department (NYSED) published the New York High Performance Schools Guidelines (NY-CHPS 1.1) in 2007 as a voluntary Appendix to the NYSED Manual of Planning Standards. NY-CHPS adopts core CHPS Criteria and adds: Operations and Maintenance requirements and options, expanded Indoor Environmental Quality requirements and options, and Materials durability requirements based on life-cycle costs. NY-CHPS 1.2 (2009) references a more stringent NY Energy Conservation Construction Code and applicability to existing buildings.

Consists of schools that have met the CHPS high performance building standards using the CHPS Designed or CHPS Verified recognition programs as well as schools that have registered for either of these programs. Includes links to case studies.

The mission of the Collaborative for High Performance Schools is to facilitate the design, construction and operation of high performance schools: environments that are not only energy and resource efficient, but also healthy, comfortable, well lit, and containing the amenities for a quality education.

Promote a healthy learning environment at your school to reduce absenteeism, improve test scores and enhance student and staff productivity.

Provides information on daylighting for reducing electricity use and thereby increasing energy efficiency.

Since 2000, over 400 award-winning case studies have been collected that showcase the most innovative learning environments from over 30 different countries. These include early learning facilities and alternative learning environments as well as elementary, middle school and high schools from around the country.

Education and awareness raising is a starting point in achieving sustainability in the built environment.

EPA’s State and Local Energy and Environment Program offers free tools, data and technical expertise about energy strategies, including energy efficiency, renewable energy and other emerging technologies, to help state, local and tribal governments achieve their environmental, energy and economic objectives.

Bi-monthly magazine covering the green building industry.

The Go Green Initiative is a simple, comprehensive program designed to create a culture of environmental responsibility on school campuses across the nation.

Quick facts about graywater reuse, graywater systems, and water quality.

This reference guide includes links to both popular materials and more technical information. It is not an exhaustive list and it includes information that will help you continue research at your local library. Includes news; books and periodicals; products and services; associations and meetings; newsgroups and e-mail lists; and web sites. Pages or the entire guide may be printed for future reference and convenience. Developed and maintained by WMRC Librarian/GLRPPR Help Desk Librarian Laura Barnes.

A project of the Healthy Schools Campaign, this web site features online access to portions of the free HSC publication, The Quick and Easy Guide to Green Cleaning in Schools. The site also features related news, events and educational opportunities; success stories; regulatory and market updates; featured green cleaning products and equipment; and a question-and-answer style column called Ask Steve, written by Steve Ashkin, president of the Ashkin Group, nationally renowned green cleaning expert and author of The Quick and Easy Guide to Green Cleaning in Schools.

Written by Gregory Kats, this report is intended to answer this fundamental question: how much more do green schools cost, and is greening schools cost effective? This report documents the financial costs and benefits of green schools compared to conventional schools. This national review of 30 green schools demonstrates that green schools cost less than 2% more than conventional schools - or about $3 per square foot ($3/ft2) - but provide financial benefits that are 20 times as large. Greening school design provides an extraordinarily cost-effective way to enhance student learning, reduce health and operational costs and, ultimately, increase school quality and competitiveness.

Evidence has accumulated that shows that the quality of indoor environments can affect the health and productivity of adults and children. One consequence is that a movement has emerged to promote the design of schools that have fewer adverse environmental effects. To examine the potential of such design for improving education, several private organizations asked the National Research Council (NRC) to review and assess the health and productivity benefits of green schools. This report provides an analysis of the complexity of making such a determination; and an assessment of the potential human health and performance benefits of improvements in the building envelope, indoor air quality, lighting, and acoustical quality. The report also presents an assessment of the overall building condition and student achievement, and offers an analysis of and recommendations for planning and maintaining green schools including research considerations. (PDF Format; Length: 192 pages)

The focus of this webpage is a comprehensive solid waste management program; however, here are areas to consider that will help further your transformation to a Green School.

How-to-guide on organizing and running a design charrette. Helps define what it is, when it should occur, who should participate, role of the owner, and desired outcomes.

Links to GreenSeal certified products used in schools.

The term heat island describes built up areas that are hotter than nearby rural areas.

This document describes the sustainable features of the Roy Lee Walker Elementary School (Texas), a prototype Eco Education school that blends the physical environment with the student learning process while protecting the site.

The following curation of cost-effective and energy-efficient solutions—including the industry’s best strategies, technologies and tools—can help you or your clients address common barriers to lowering operations and maintenance expenses, gaining a competitive edge, and increasing tenant comfort, satisfaction and retention.

Each school day, more than 60 million students and staff attend our nation’s schools, representing 20 percent of the American population. Unfortunately, half of them are being exposed to polluted indoor air, including lead, asbestos, chemical fumes, pesticides, molds, and other toxins at those schools. A green cleaning program can help reduce these harmful exposures - from reducing carbon emissions to boosting test scores, green cleaning comes with a long list of benefits.

Here are 10 steps you can take to help save a threatened historic school in your neighborhood.

Intended to help Illinois school administrators, school board members and other key decision makers learn the principles of health school design so they can engage in a meaningful dialogue with their design team about the plans for their new school.

The Illinois Sustainable Schools Compact program launched on January 31, 2008 features best practices that K-12 schools can voluntarily pursue to achieve greater environmental sustainability. Schools as well as districts can check off up to 12 practices to participate, including things on the list the school or district is already doing. Those who wish to participate should print two copies of the compact, have the principal sign the documents after checking off practices the school is now pursuing and aims to pursue, then mail both copies to: Office of the Lieutenant Governor, Attn: Jon Zirkle, Thompson Center, 100 W. Randolph, Suite 15-200, Chicago, IL 60601-3220. Lt. Governor Quinn will sign both copies, keep one on file, then mail one copy back to the school.

IAQ Tools for Schools Action Kit shows schools how to carry out a practical plan to improve indoor air problems at little- or no-cost using straightforward activities and in-house staff.

This website provides K-12 students and educators with access to quality homework resources, lesson plans and project ideas for learning and teaching about the environment. Environmental education (EE) is a multi-disciplinary approach to learning about environmental issues that enhances knowledge, builds critical thinking skills, and helps students make informed and responsible decisions.

The focus of this report is to present research on methods and their cost-effectiveness for prevention and control of pollution to air, land, water, and subsurface resources; protection of water quality in public water systems; remediation of contaminated sites, sediments and ground water; prevention and control of indoor air pollution; and restoration of ecosystems.

This guide covers lighting and daylighting retrofit strategies that have consistently proven to provide the greatest long-term energy savings while maintaining, and often improving, lighting quality. These strategies and technologies have been tested and demonstrated on campuses throughout California.

U.S. EPA IPM resources

This report describes how to control the costs of green building projects by summarizing the research done on that topic for the Alameda County Waste Management Authority (ACWMA), the California State and Consumer Services Agency (SCSA), California's Sustainable Building Task Force, and the California Department of General Services (DGS). (PDF Format; Length: 88 pages)

The Minnesota Sustainable Design Guide educates and assists architects, building owners, occupants, educators, students, and the general public concerning sustainable building design. The Guide is a design tool that can be used to overlay environmental issues on the design, construction, and operation of both new and renovated facilities. It can be used to set sustainable design priorities and goals; develop appropriate sustainable design strategies; and to determine performance measures to guide the sustainable design and decision-making processes. It can also be used as a management tool to organize and structure environmental concerns during the design, construction, and operations phases. The Guide was developed by the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities Campus, College of Architecture and Landscape Architecture.

Created in 1997 by the U.S. Department of Education, the National Clearinghouse for Educational Facilities (NCEF) provides information on planning, designing, funding, building, improving, and maintaining safe, healthy, high performance schools. The NCEF site provides extensive resource lists on various topics, which are grouped into the following broad categories: Preplanning, Planning, Design, School Spaces, School Grounds, Case Studies, Safe Schools, Healthy Schools, High Performance Schools, Technology, Materials & Equipment, School Construction, Financing, Building & Operating Costs, and Maintenance & Operations.

Describes the benefits of permeable pavers for reducing Total Suspended Solid (TSS), nutrient, metal and thermal loading in watersheds.

Planet Reuse is the world's first website that connects buyers and seller of reused and reclaimed construction materials and equipment from around the world and allows them to purchase products online.

Energy efficiency is the easiest, most cost effective way to reduce energy consumption, yet remains a challenge for many school districts. PowerSave Schools reduce consumption an average of 5-15% in one year through no-cost operations and behavior changes! Through the PowerSave Schools program students are empowered to grow as leaders, apply academic knowledge to solve the real-world challenge of increasing utility bills, and move their schools and communities toward a greener future with energy efficiency practices and measurable energy savings.

Publications from the National Institute of Building Sciences on historic school preservation.

Written by Laurie Case, this Illinois Waste Management and Research Center classroom activity guide is designed for grades 7-12, and describes what a Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) is and its three basic components. Also included is an activity in which students perform a LCA for a tennis shoe. (PDF format; Length: 4 pages)

This study of three green building rating systems (Green Globes, SBTool 07, and LEED NC 2.2) assesses their effectiveness in supporting the goals of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) sustainability position statement. In late 2007, the initial results were shared with the three groups whose systems were reviewed. After receiving feedback, the study was modified and further refined into the final report. The purpose of this exercise is to offer analysis to both industry and the public as an opportunity to learn how three unique, creative and evolving green building rating systems resonate in various dimensions with the goals of the AIA position statement on sustainability and our goal to achieve carbon neutrality in buildings by 2030.

The Rain Garden Network strives to fill the gap between policy making and hands-on resources by developing resource options and creating applications to help you pick the right materials, identify your situation and make installation easy. In addition the website offers news, interviews and articles about rain gardens and other on-site solutions.

The Boston Public Health Commission's Safe Shops Tool Kit was developed to describe how the Safe Shops Project was created and to provide other communities which are also working toward goals of environmental health and pollution prevention in auto shops the tools and resources necessary to start or compliment initiatives of their own. Tool Kit sections include: Safe Shops Case Study; Develop & Sustain Partnerships; Identifying Shops; Creating an Educational Program; Addressing Health Disparities; Auto Shop Links & Resources; Apply for Funding Resources; and Providing Incentives. The Tool Kit can be downloaded in its entirety in a zip file at the address listed above. You can also view the sections online and download documents associated with each section separately. Please note that other auto shop educational material and information about the Safe Shops Project can be found at http://www.bphc.org/safeshops.

Prepared by Princeton Energy Resource International, HPowell Energy Associates and the Alliance to Save Energy, this guidebook is designed for K-12 school system business officials and facilities managers. It is designed to meet the specific needs of school district staff for integrating energy efficiency into school building operation and maintenance by not only providing technical information, but also organizational information on barriers, challenges, and the necessary steps required to develop this type of energy management program within the school district organizational structure. The guide also provides case studies and identifies common practices that have been successful in a wide variety of American school districts. (PDF Format; Length: 132 pages)

Schools for Energy Efficiency (SEE) is a comprehensive program to help K-12 schools save energy and money by changing behavior throughout the district. SEE provides a systemized plan, awareness materials, training, and utility tracking for immediate and sustainable savings. SEE provides schools with the strategies, resources, and support necessary to implement an energy management program. The program is meant to be flexible and can be customized to fit the needs of your school district. Though the program primarily serves school districts in Minnesota, districts from other states are welcome to inquire about the program as well.

The Smart Energy Design Assistance Center (SEDAC) is designed to encourage for-profit small business owners, design professionals, and building contractors to incorporate renewable energy systems and energy conservation practices. SEDAC is sponsored by the Illinois Department of Community and Economic Opportunity and is managed by the School of Architecture at the University of Illinois and the 360 Energy Group.

This guide provides designers with information and resources needed to
retrofit school buildings in a responsible and efficient way.

The Division of the State Architect (DSA) is committed to helping schools create high performance educational facilities that will ensure the optimal health and productivity of students and faculty. This website provides a diverse collection of sustainable building resources including the numerous benefits, guidelines, programs, case studies, relevant publications, funding options/incentives, and plenty more! The site is geared toward those interested and involved in designing, developing, and constructing high performance schools, such as school administrators and board officials, developers, architects, planners, researchers, teachers, parents, and others.

On Oct. 6, 2007, the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA), The University of Texas at Austin's Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center and the U.S. Botanic Garden announced the development of a new rating system for sustainable landscape design, called the Sustainable Sites Initiative. Just as the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED® rating system measures a building's environmental impact, the Sites Initiative will measure the sustainability of designed landscapes of all types, including public, commercial and residential projects. The U.S. Green Building Council is lending its support to this project and plans to adopt the Sustainable Sites metrics into its LEED® system once they are finished. The Sustainable Sites Initiative web site provides the rationale for the project, an overview of the scope, products and review process, tips, project history, information on partners, and links to draft reports when they become available.

Teaching and Learning for a Sustainable Future is a UNESCO programme for the United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development. It provides professional development for student teachers, teachers, curriculum developers, education policy makers, and authors of educational materials.

From the Alliance to Save Energy.

The Healthy School Environments Web pages are intended to serve as a gateway to on-line resources to help facility managers, school administrators, architects, design engineers, school nurses, parents, teachers and staff address environmental health issues in schools. Included on these pages are links to information on: the design, construction and renovation of school buildings; energy efficiency for schools; environmental education; facility operations and maintenance; indoor environmental air quality; legislation and regulations related to children's environmental health; outdoor air pollution; portable classrooms; safety and preparedness; waste issues, including recycling, waste reduction and composting; and water issues. The site also provides quick links to relevant U.S. EPA programs.