Shades of Green

Sustainability is everywhere! Anywhere you look people are talking about Green Jobs, Sustainability, LEED, Energy Efficiency even Green Cleaning. It is an exciting time to be involved with sustainable initiatives. In schools there are new clubs, committees and task forces starting up to explore ways to make our schools greener. Around the country people are trying to define what it means to be Green and what it takes to get there in time, resources and money. Not an easy task for anyone.

Personally I have been through this process a few times working with various schools, most notably St. Philip's Academy. I have worked with educators, funders, administrators, teachers, students and families to try and figure out exactly how Green they want to be. It is often an exercise in education, negotation and soul searching. Each time I face this issue I ask school officials a few basic questions:

1. Is it more important to 'look green' or 'be green'? In other words is it more critical to your mission to do something obvious, like putting solar panels on a roof, or to do something that may be more effective like adding insulation to your walls?

2. Where do your sustainability goals overlap with the mission of the institution? Is it important to have teaching opportunities? Is it important to spend the minimal amount of money so resources aren't diverted from existing programs?

3. How will you measure success? Obtaining LEED Certification? Lower Energy Bills? Teaching sustainability to your students?

There is no right answer so I am putting these same questions out to all of you. What shade of Green is your school or company? Where do you see opportunities for your mission to be enhanced by sustainability? Most importantly, how do you measure success?