Environmental Impacts

Below is an annotated list of resources that have been used successfully by green schools in Arizona and nationwide to reduce their energy and water use and lessen their impact on the environment.

Energy and Water Efficiency

Reduce energy and water use through efficiency upgrades and conservation measures, saving money on utility bills and maintenance and reducing greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to climate change.

  • DOE/EPA ENERGY STAR for K-12 School Districts  School energy efficiency case studies; how to finance efficiency improvements; overview of energy performance contracting; energy-saving ideas & activities for students.
  • ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager  Online tool to measure and track energy and water consumption as well as greenhouse gas emissions. Benchmark your school against similar schools and get an ENERGY STAR Rating of 1-100.
  • EPA WaterSense  Information about conserving water and purchasing low water use fixtures (faucets, toilets, etc.).

Building Design, Construction, Operations & Maintenance

When building or renovating a school, follow best green building practices to save energy and water, reduce waste, protect watersheds and habitat, and create a better learning environment through improved daylighting, acoustics, ventilation and indoor air quality.

  • USGBC LEED Certified Building  U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) is a green building certification program that recognizes best-in-class building strategies and practices. See the USGBC Arizona Chapter site for more information on Green Schools.
  • Collaborative for High Performance Schools (CHPS)  Movement to improve student performance and educational experience by building the best possible schools. Operations Report Card to benchmark existing school performance. Best Practices Manual for school design, construction, maintenance and operations. Offers training events and free webinars.

Recycling and Waste Management

Reduce the amount of trash that goes to landfills by composting food and landscape waste and implementing recycling programs for paper, plastics, glass and other recyclable materials such as batteries, packaging, printer cartridges and electronics.

  • Keep America Beautiful Recycle-Bowl  Recycling competition for K-12 schools with prizes for state and national winners. School registration deadline is mid-October and competition runs through mid-November. Grades K-12. $ Awards.
  • Keep Phoenix Beautiful  Organizes and implements several programs including education, litter prevention and recycling initiatives in the city of Phoenix. Presenters can come to your school with presentations on various subjects. Grades K-12.
  • Keep Scottsdale Beautiful  Mission is to engage the community in service to promote a clean, green and sustainable Scottsdale.
  • Keep Casa Grande Beautiful  Focus is on community service projects within Casa Grande, like Adopt-a-Street or Park. Also have an annual Recycling & Litter Prevention calendar contest for Grades 3-5.
  • Tucson Clean & Beautiful  Programs emphasize personal action, recycling and waste reduction, land stewardship, urban forestry and beautification within the City of Tucson and eastern Pima County.
  • Terra Cycle  Waste collection programs for difficult to recycle waste in 40 categories such as drink pouches, candy wrappers, pens, etc. Offers free shipping and pays schools for collected materials. Collected waste is then converted into new products. Grades K-12. Fundraiser.
  • Green Up Our Schools   Site has extensive information on recycling and composting for teachers and students. Provides funding and assistance for proposed waste reduction and recycling plans in some CA and CO schools. Grades K-8. Grants.
  • Goodwill of Central Arizona  Works with schools and colleges in Maricopa and Yavapai Counties to organize donation drives. Schools are paid for donated items. Grades K-12. Fundraiser.

Green Purchasing

Conserve energy and reduce utility bills by purchasing energy-efficient and environmentally preferable electronics such as computers, printers, copiers, scanners, etc.

  • ENERGY STAR certified computers and electronics  Information on purchasing energy-efficient ENERGY STAR labeled electronics including computers, monitors, printers, copiers, scanners, routers, and uninterruptable power supplies.
  • EPEAT Green Electronics Registry  Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT) is a comprehensive global environmental rating system that helps purchasers identify environmentally preferable electronics based on strict, comprehensive criteria for design, production, energy use and recycling.

Protect our forests and waterways by buying paper products that are 1) processed chlorine-free, or 2) certified by the Forest Stewardship Council or 3) contain at least 10% post-consumer material.

  • Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)  Sets standards for responsible forest management to protect forests for future generations. Look for FSC Certified wood and paper products.
  • Green Seal  Third-party certification program using life cycle-based sustainability standards for products, services and companies. Green Seal label categories include paper products, cleaning products, paints and coatings, and many others.

Alternative Transportation

Decrease vehicle pollution near the school, improve student health and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by encouraging staff and students to use alternative modes of transportation such as walking, biking, carpooling, taking school buses and public transportation and driving energy efficient, low-emission vehicles.

  • Safe Routes to Schools  Tools to help schools improve the routes students use to walk and bike to school. Information on funding sources for safety improvements. See the ADOT Safe Routes to School page for Arizona contact information.
  • Walking School Bus  Information on how to start a Walking School Bus or Bicycle Train in your neighborhood. Grades K-8.
  • EPA’s Idle Free School Toolkit  Includes all of the information needed to run an effective idling reduction campaign at a school in order to reduce student exposure to toxic vehicle exhaust. Also provides the resources to make this a student-run science or community involvement project. See the ADEQ Anti-Idling Toolkit  to create your own anti-idling program using free, down-loadable materials.