How do children relate to and interact with their natural and built environments? What opportunities in science are schools and other groups offering children to help their environmental encounters to be a positive and healthy--even enjoyable--experience? These are questions raised by the concept of "environmental education"--the…

As the workforce development arm of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), and cluster leader for the Architecture and Construction career cluster, Home Builders Institute (HBI) has a vested interest in keeping America's elementary, middle and high school students excited and knowledgeable about what's new in residential construction.…

In 2010, the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation co-convened three cross-sector summits to develop recommendations for growing energy innovation in the United States. The first summit was held in Washington, D.C., on May 7, 2010, in partnership with the White House. Gallup and the city of Omaha, Nebraska, hosted the second summit on June 16, 2010,…

The University of South Carolina's "Green Quad" aspires to be a living-learning community that integrates sustainability into all aspects of its operations and serves as a model and advocate for sustainability on campus and in the larger community. This article outlines the general approach and specific strategies pursued by the Green…

Higher education can be a key leader in sustainability efforts, with issues cutting across all areas of functioning and extending into the community. This article examines educational change, which is particularly important because of its far-reaching effects. In particular, this article describes student-led sustainability research at the…

Technologies like solar, wind, and geothermal are exciting, but relatively new and untested in the context of universities, many of which are large enough to be cities unto themselves. And, like cities, universities count on a reliable, uninterruptible source of power. It is imperative, too, that precious dollars are wisely invested in the right…

If adversity brings opportunity, great opportunity may now be on the doorstep. The dual forces of an economy transitioning from an industrial focus to an innovation imperative, and a global financial downturn of massive proportions are leaving families, organizations,and communities scrambling for relief, solutions, and hope. Meanwhile, a…

Facing diminishing budgets and increased operating costs, districts across the country must make some very difficult choices. Some districts are even at the point of having to close schools. One strategy that might help schools reduce operating costs and allow administrators to redirect those savings to salaries, facilities, and curricula is wind…

The Obama administration, along with many others, has placed a high priority on accelerating the nation's transition to a cleaner, greener economy. Transforming the nation's economic, energy, and environmental systems to become more sustainable will require a level of expertise, innovation, and cooperation unseen since the 1940s war effort. Public…

As petroleum reserves are being depleted worldwide and energy costs are increasing, the use of alternative fuels is being more widely considered as a solution to the impending energy crisis. In this classroom activity students are presented with a real-world problem in which they must evaluate the properties and environmental impacts of a variety…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to provide information about past and present efforts undertaken at Central Connecticut State University (CCSU) to reduce its carbon footprint and to institute a campus culture centered on the principles of environmental sustainability. Provide some recommendations to other institutions of higher education…

The high price of storing and processing data is hurting colleges and universities across the country. In response, some institutions are embracing greener technologies to keep costs down and help the environment. But compared with other industries, colleges and universities have been slow to understand the problem and to adopt energy-saving…

This paper presents the 2011 Yearbook of the Healthy Schools Network. This yearbook contains: (1) Tough Time To Be a Child: Parents and Taxpayers Should Be Enraged; (2) National Coalition For Healthier Schools: Healthy Schools 2015--Sustaining Momentum In Tough Times; (3) Healthy Schools Heroes Award Program; (4) National Healthy Schools Day…

Sustainability, sustainable, green, eco-friendly--these are more than just buzz words. These are words that are now entangled in the daily fabric of life. Kids are learning about sustainability in primary schools, more students are studying environmental concerns in college, and people of all ages are making attempts to be green, from recycling to…

Each day over 53 million school children and 6 million adults--20 percent of the entire U.S. population--enter the nation's 120,000 school buildings to teach and learn. Unfortunately, in too many cases, they enter "unhealthy" school buildings," that undermine learning and health. In a recent five-state survey, more than 1,100 public schools were…