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Green building on college campuses


Green building on college campuses is the purposeful construction of buildings on college campuses that decreases resource usage in both the building process and also the future use of the building. The goal is to reduce CO2 emissions, energy use, and water use, while creating an atmosphere where students can be healthy and learn. Universities across the country are building to green standards set forth by the USGBC, United States Green Building Council. The USGBC is a non-profit organization that promotes sustainability in how buildings are designed and built. This organization created the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating system, which is a certification process that provides verification that a building is environmentally sustainable. In the United States, commercial and residential buildings account for 70 percent of the electricity use and over 38 percent of CO2 emissions. Because of these huge statistics regarding resource usage and emissions, the room for more efficient building practices is dramatic. Since college campuses are where the world’s future leaders are being taught, colleges are choosing to construct new buildings to green standards in order to promote environmental stewardship to their students. Colleges across the United States have taken leading roles in the construction of green building in order to reduce resource consumption, save money in the long run, and instill the importance on environmental sustainability on their students.

Green buildings on college campuses provide benefits to the campus in several different ways. Campuses can benefit from the short and long term economic benefits. Initially, federal and state governments will sometimes provide tax incentives for buildings constructed that surpass the standards set by the government. There are also long term savings. According to the USGBC, with an upfront investment of 2% in green building design, the resulting life savings is 20% of the total construction costs. With many universities lacking funding, this kind of savings could dramatically help the yearly budget. Along with this increase in monetary savings, green building and architecture has been proven to make the occupants more productive. Studies have shown a link between improved lighting design and a 27% reduction in the incidence of headaches. Also, students with the most daylighting in their classrooms progressed 20% faster on math tests and 26% faster on reading tests in one year than those with less daylighting. Both of these studies show that better lighting conditions, which are one of the main features of green buildings, can increase the productivity of its occupants. Students at colleges where green buildings are being used will benefit by increasing their potential to gain knowledge. The last important benefit of green buildings on college campuses is having the university seen as environmentally sustainable. Students are becoming increasingly aware of the issues the Earth faces with carbon emissions and increased consumption. These students want to attend universities that are striving to reduce their environmental impact. Universities participating in sustainable initiatives, like constructing green buildings, will attract more highly qualified students. Green buildings on campuses benefit both the school as well as the students.


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