MaintenanceSuppliesMag.com |

In July, the Healthy Schools Campaign held a round-table discussion at Tarkington School of Excellence in Chicago, Ill. I was invited to attend. The panel included experts from Chicago Public Schools, ISSA, the office of the governor of the state of Illinois, and a senior policy adviser from the EPA. The host was Vincent Iturralde, principal of Tarkington School, who proudly shared some of his thoughts about Green schools after the meeting.

"Tarkington became a LEED rated Gold school in 2007," he said. "As a new school, specific designs were included that resulted in the construction of a vegetable garden, lots of natural daylight, operable windows and a reflective roof that reduces the cooling load on the building." (On my visit, I toured the school and saw the roof. It was a good example of LEED design credits at work.)

To be certified as Gold, USGBC requires certain approaches and designs called prerequisites. To earn points, the project must have earned various credits. LEED Gold buildings earn from 60 to 79 points on a scale of 110 points available.

Iturralde pointed out that an added benefit produced by the LEED program was not connected to the prerequisites or credits. Students became interested in the changes that were taking place and wanted to become involved. "So now, we are creating the Green stewards of tomorrow here at Tarkington," said Iturralde. He added that once he had met with architects and the Public Building Commission for the project, he began to understand the purposeful design of the LEED points and credits. "Then, I thoroughly appreciated the concepts. Even better, I started urging the students to use their imagination about environmental issues."

Iturralde believes that imagination is what led to the formation of a Green Club at Tarkington. Teachers and students alike combined to create the club. Three years ago, it was formed by a group of 20 students who wanted to become involved. The membership quickly grew to a limit of 60 students. This year 125 students applied for the Green Club. Students are awarded membership based on their demonstrated leadership skills and behavior, not on test scores. "Life skills are as or more important than test scores," says Iturralde.

Much of the awareness of LEED systems at Tarkington School is achieved by the students own natural curiosity. These kids know what they are looking at when they see oversized windows (an example of day lighting) and reflective roofs. They know that the land site drains storm water to the adjacent lagoon to control storm water runoff which in turn helps control erosion. What they may not know are the facts surrounding the use of Green certified cleaning products and processes.

Distributors thinking ahead of the curve will develop awareness and education programs designed to include Green clubs and associated stakeholders. These programs should include information and links to websites that help to teach students the short- and long-term benefits of Green cleaning.

Here's to all the Green-eyed visionaries at Tarkington School! And because children are the most valuable asset for the future, you, as DSRs, are helping to promote the sustainability of Green buildings and a Green society.