Best Practice Action 3.2
GreenStep City Best Practices: Buildings and Lighting
New Green Buildings No. 3
Construct new buildings to meet or qualify under a green building framework.
Best Practice Action Detail
Best Practice Action 2
Work with the local school district to ensure that future new schools are built using the SB 2030 energy standard and/or a green building framework.
- Encourage individual schools and school districts to participate in the Minnesota GreenStep Schools program.
- See a list of green building frameworks, which include codes, standards (including the SB 2030 energy standard), rating systems with certification, and guidelines with verification.
- See the The Advanced Energy Design Guide—Achieving Zero Energy for K-12 schools, from ASHRAE.
- School Siting Guidelines (U.S. EPA: 2011) emphasize siting schools along existing safe routes, among other aspects.
- Green schools resources from the MPCA, including the Healthy Sustainable Schools: Guide for Change.
- Use the International Dark-Sky Association Lighting for Policy Makers guide to promote reduced/smarter outdoor lighting. See the GreenStep Dark Skies best practices for more.
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One or more school buildings exist that were built to a green building standard, or the school board passes a resolution to use a green building standard or certification or code but third-party verification is not necessary. |
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The school board resolution requires that all buildings be certified or be rated under a green building framework; report a high anticipated percentage of students who could walk/bike to school. |
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The school board resolution requires that all buildings meet the SB 2030 energy standard; that all buildings be certified or be rated at the highest level under a green building framework. |
Who's doing it
Austin -
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Implementation details:
Austin Public School District is building a new 5/6 Intermediate School that will be using green building standards (i.e. Energy Star rated appliances, daylight harvesting, occupancy sensors, thermal energy storage, etc.)
*We are still in the design phase for this project but have had preliminary scope development conversations regarding green building standards. Building is scheduled to open in the fall of 2013
*We are still in the design phase for this project but have had preliminary scope development conversations regarding green building standards. Building is scheduled to open in the fall of 2013
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For more information contact:
Janet Anderson (Community volunteer) | janetanderson2840@gmail.com | 5072190680
Partners: Austin Public Schools, City
Mankato -
Date action report first entered:
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The new Rosa Parks Elementary School located in Mankato was awarded LEED Gold status in January of 2012, under the direction of school district members. The school is the second building in south-central Minnesota to be LEED certified (the first being the Blue Earth County Justice Center).
Outcome measures/metrics/money saved:
Descriptive File:
Descriptive links: http://mankatofreepress.com/local/x1267396396/Rosa-Parks-certified-gold
For more information contact:
Molly Westman (City staff) | mwestman@mankatomn.gov | 507-387-8571
Partners:
Rochester -
Date action report first entered:
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Implementation details:
While the most recently constructed school meets a green building standard, there is no firm policy in place applying to all new district buildings.
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For more information contact:
Jeff Ellerbusch (City staff) | ellerbusch.jeff@CO.OLMSTED.MN.US | 507-328-7132
Partners:
Greenstep Advisor
Melissa Wenzel, Built Environment Sustainability Administrator, Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, 651/757-2251, melissa.wenzel@state.mn.us