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:
For 6th graders, building sustainability might be incorporated into their electives. In art class they could draw their ideal sustainable building and include a narrative. In shop class they could make recycled furniture. In home sciences they could cook with onsite or locally grown food.
If the 7th grade science class is biology, students can learn about the vegetable garden (or green roof) and the wildlife it attracts; they can look into the food chain and where humans get their food; they can learn about pesticides and fertilizers; they can see how composting works and learn about its benefits; and they can study the effects of the collection and reuse of rain, and see how a living machine can support life.
The 8th graders might collect data and monitor systems in the building for a year. They could take the ambient air temperature, wall-surface temperature inside and wall-surface temperature outside to determine the R-value of the wall assembly. They may also collect and track water and energy bills to determine savings.