A Year of Chapter Advocacy Efforts: Part Two - Green Schools

Emily Knupp
K-12 Associate, Center for Green Schools
U.S. Green Building Council

As we at USGBC wind down 2011 – and gear up for a promising 2012 I am pleased to have the opportunity to reflect on what an incredible year it’s been for green schools. With the help of our seemingly tireless volunteer and chapter network, the Center for Green Schools at USGBC has had a first year that has exceeded many expectations. Even heading into a time of year when things typically seem to slow down, USGBC’s volunteers continue to be hard at work on behalf of green schools. To learn more about the recent goings-on of Green Schools Committees from coast-to-coast, read on, and be sure to check out this video from the 2011 Green Schools Committee Symposium held this past summer. To get in on the action, find a committee near you.

I had a few opportunities to see these volunteers in action throughout the year, and started things off in San Francisco back in April. USGBC Colorado and Northern California Green Schools Committee leaders Peggy Kinsey and Pauline Souza joined me at the National School Boards Association’s 71st Annual Conference, where we met with school board members from around the country to work toward our country-wide green schools goals, and they shared their stories of building grassroots green schools movements in their own backyard.

In May, the Detroit Regional Chapter participated in the local Green Living Festival. On the eve of the festival, the chapter’s green schools committee was joined by dignitaries, community leaders and media for an evening of celebration, featuring a fashion show, live music, networking and organic treats. The evening was capped off with an awards ceremony to recognize the dedication and achievement of several Michigan green leaders. Proceeds from the event went to the Chapter’s Green Schools Committee’s Green School in a Lunch Box project -- their 2010 USGBC Green Schools Innovation grant winning initiative!

Montana Chapter Green Schools Committee members Wendy Weaver and Dawn Smith co-authored a piece for Montana Parent Magazine, introducing their state to Center for Green Schools initiatives and how they’re being implemented in the Treasure State.

Just in time for the new school year, Mississippi Chapter Green Schools Committee Chair Sally Zahner and her committee were involved in the groundbreaking for what could be Mississippi's first LEED certified school, Hancock North Central Elementary. The school in coastal Mississippi is being built with a combination of funds from the district and FEMA, and in addition to being green, a portion of the new structure will be able to withstand 200 mile per hour winds.

In October, USGBC Orange County (California) kicked off their Adopt-a-School project, which will connect volunteers with nearby Davis Magnet School in Costa Mesa. GSC members will work to promote the school as a teaching tool, while actively providing a school with a classroom makeover. Congrats to Green Schools Committee Chair Wendy Rogers for securing some major local partners.

The USGBC Arkansas Chapter launched the Arkansas Green Schools Challenge just before Thanksgiving. Green Schools Committee Chair Dustin Davis reports that 41 schools across Arkansas have already signed on to participate in the competition that will “empower students and communities to be good stewards of their own environments.” Dustin partnered with Arkansas Association of Educational Administrators (AAEA) to kick this off. Just up north, the USGBC South West Virginia Chapter’s GSC Chair Steve Sunderman is busy preparing for his chapter’s second year of the VA Green Schools Challenge, coming in 2012.

To close out the year and open up a newer side of the green schools conversation, Chris Tyler and the Kentucky Chapter helped bring together a bipartisan team of state legislators at Richardsville Elementary in Bowling Green, Ky., to discuss political common ground around the topic of green schools. Richardsville is the nation’s first net-zero energy school, and serves a 78% free and reduced lunch population. The school was constructed without spending any additional money than the conventionally built schools in the Warren County School District. Lawmakers from six states around the region discussed ways to work together to advance the green schools movement in their communities. You can read more about the day’s events and the incredible story in Warren County.

It’s been another incredible year for the green schools movement, and with this many advocates and champions out there, I know that we have all the more to look forward to in 2012.

This is part two in our blog series on USGBC chapter advocacy efforts. Also see part one in the series.

A Year of Chapter Advocacy Efforts: Part One

Matt Pearce
Campaign Specialist
U.S. Green Building Council

Despite the long list of challenges that governments face today – the down-economy, which drives budget constraints, which drives partisan politics, which drives gridlock, which fails to deliver basic government services, which can impact the economy… – our green building conversation continues to resonate with diverse audiences. In August, USGBC released a report detailing some of the conversations that took place in 2011 and how these conversations translated into real world policy impact. And while not every policy advancement can be traced directly back to USGBC advocacy efforts, many can.

The collective success of our green building community in a year as challenging as 2011 goes to show that engaged, motivated, prepared, and organized green building advocates can execute successful advocacy campaigns in almost any environment. Through the organized leadership of the USGBC Chapter network, committed volunteers and advocates have resources which enable them to put in the time, effort, and hard work necessary to make so many of these home-grown advocacy campaigns so successful. I want to thank all USGBC Chapters, volunteers, and the green building community for continuing the push year after year in advancing green building issues.

As this year ends, I want to reflect on the local and state-wide initiatives, propelled by USGBC chapters, that pushed green building efforts further and scored big successes for our common goal. As we all head in to 2012 advocacy planning, these excellent campaigns from 2011 can serve as inspiration.

2011 Highlights in Chapter advocacy activity (a far-from-comprehensive snapshot):

• All Texas chapters organized their 2011 State Advocacy Day in Austin on Feb. 22. The event brought 40 advocates together to speak with more than 90 state legislators and staff.
• The Colorado Chapter produced a Colorado Green MLS training and informational video and supported the Green Lending Task Force by traveling through Western Colorado, working with local realtor groups and consumers to promote green homes.
• The Illinois Chapter established the Green School Task Force as a way of supporting the chapter’s Advocacy Day with the Illinois General Assembly and releasing the Task Force’s most recent report.
• The USGBC-Northern California Chapter (USGBC-NCC) continues to build on the Chapter’s strong foundation of robust local efforts around green schools, healthcare, neighborhoods, and residential advocacy in 2011. Efforts included: Appointing seven regional experts to chair/co-chair the committees, recruiting and engaging 60 application advocates, and creating internal Operating Guidelines.
• The California Advocacy Committee, representing all eight California chapters, kicked off its first year of statewide collaboration around green building policy and advocacy with a new, community-developed model for decision-making and engagement. See here for a list of their wins.
• All seven Florida chapters collaborated to execute an advocacy day in Tallahassee on March 29. The event engaged nearly 30 advocates and reached more than 90 state legislative offices.
• All three Tennessee chapters hosted a green schools bus tour for state legislators that took USGBC advocates and state legislators to two LEED-certified schools in the Nashville area on Apr. 11 and 12, and are planning similar upcoming outings.
• The Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming chapters worked together to create outreach and education programs on “Greening the Multiple Listing Service” in each of the three states. These programs are targeting real estate and neighborhood associations in rural areas of Idaho and Montana, and establishing a presence in Wyoming for the first time.
• All three Pennsylvania chapters (Central Pennsylvania, Green Building Alliance and Delaware Valley Green Building Council) have invested a lot of preparation into launching a collaborative state advocacy day in Harrisburg in January of next year. The primary focus of the advocacy efforts will be to compel legislators to support policies that promote leadership by example in state facilities, green schools, and innovative financing for green buildings.
• The Missouri Gateway Chapter’s Technical Committee has been working with code officials and other experts on codes and standards this year on how to advance greener building codes, and also promoting the State of Missouri’s energy code workshops. In response to the needs highlighted in the many conversations with this community, the chapter is currently developing a presentation that code officials can use to inform their colleagues, inspectors, other city staff, elected officials and the general public.
• All three North Carolina chapters worked hard with their peers across the state to promote the adoption of the North Carolina 2012 Energy Conservation Code. This code – effective Jan. 1 of next year – unlocks significant energy savings beyond the current state building code. This effort was a primary focus for the chapters’ North Carolina Legislative Day in February 2011.
• The Kentucky Chapter has developed a first-of-its-kind resource for USGBC’s chapter community on how to run an effective advocacy day at the state legislature.

I apologize if I missed any campaigns or programs run by your local green building community and USGBC Chapter in 2012. But we here at USGBC National really want to make sure to highlight local and state advocacy campaigns in 2012. We want to recognize great work but also many of the homegrown advocacy efforts can serve as inspiration for other campaigns in other areas. So please, email mpearce@usgbc.org with the cool advocacy activities taking place in your area and I’ll make sure they are highlighted here on the blog.

Looking to join the green building movement? Join a USGBC Chapter and help make a difference next year! Join your local chapter to get started.

Tomorrow, we'll post part two in our wrap-up of regional advocacy efforts: A highlight of green schools initiatives.