Best Practices

If the school has an environmental club or green team, see if they want to be involved in improving the sustainability curriculum. Ask for their input and what they think would be exciting learn about. 

The credit does not specify how long the curriculum must be in place, but the intent is that it is ongoing, and that lesson plans evolve and improve over time.

Consider inviting the teachers to walk the site during construction and take photographs of the construction process. These can be used later on with the curriculum. Photos might be especially helpful for shop or art classes. 

It is a good idea to get approval in writing from the school administrators. 

The design team and contractor may want to track specific product data sheets that could help with the curriculum. For example, the teachers might find it helpful to have the window specifications or the

Consider including a webcam to document construction activities for future use in a classroom, or using the energy model and building plans as teaching tools. 

Make sure that the curriculum covers ten hours for every full-time student. For example, if you have a middle school with grades 6–8, you might have one lesson plan for each grade. For example: 

You can create a demonstration lab that compares the energy consumption of different light fixtures, such as typical incandescent, halogen, and compact fluorescent. Make sure that the fixtures used in the school are demonstrated too, so that students can understand what’s going on in their building. 

You may want to include a building management system that automatically tracks energy and water data. However, you can attain trending data even without an automated system. Consider providing first-order measurement systems that track or spot-meter energy and water use. You don’t need fancy tools to keep students interested—inexpensive temperature sensors are a great way to learn about heat transfer and energy consumption. 

Consider holding at least one meeting at which the design team and the teachers can discuss the process of design, and the teachers can gain a better understanding of the building.