How can schools improve the health and learning of our students?
Air Quality
Improving indoor air quality can reduce student illnesses and asthma related absences, while improving student performance.
Lighting
Studies show that natural and adequate light can improve student performance significantly.
Exercise
There are wide differences in the amount of exercise students students. We help students create healthy habits for exercise.
Sleep
Student health and learning deteriorates when sleep is missed. Observing their performance with different amounts of sleep is a great lesson for students.
Asthma triggers and toxins
Removing or reducing asthma triggers and toxins in schools and homes can improve the health and attendance of students.
Community/Belonging
Loneliness can be as dangerous to health as cigarettes. Our project brings students together to collaborate in small teams
Nutrition
Nutrition affects the health and learning of students. Students have strong opinions on whether school meals are tasty and nutritious.
Acoustics
Loud or distracting noises can interfere with attention, students ability to hear their teachers and classmates, and increase stress.
Stress
Students study how to stress affects their health and learning and ways they can reduce or respond to their stress successfully.
Nutrition/Water
Nutrition and water intake affects the health and learning of students
How do we benchmark these factors?
We start by talking with administrators, teachers, facility staff, and students about their school and problems they have noticed. We use short surveys to gather more information on what needs attention at the school.
Next, we observe school conditions and operations using three different protocols:
Tools for Schools by EPA helps students and teachers proactively identify and remediate potential air quality issues like mold, dust, chemicals, water leaks or blocked ventilation units.
Operational Reports offer insights into the lighting, air quality, acoustics, temperatures, humidity and air quality of different areas of the school.
Energy Star Portfolio Manager by EPA, enables us to benchmark and compare the energy and water use of a school against other similar schools. so we can . enter energy and water data into Energy Star Portfolio Manager.
We engage students and teachers in these activities so they can learn how to create these benchmarks and repeat these benchmarks each year.
Then We Challenge Our Students
Study and Improve a Factor that Affects Your Health and Learning.
This changes everything.
Students get to work together in small groups to choose their own topics, design and carryout their studies, and then present their findings to other students, teachers and administrators.
“Success begins–and continues–with the health and learning of our students.
Shan Gordon
Cool Green Schools