Giving Compass' Take:

• A study from Environmental Education Research demonstrates that "green schools," school buildings made from renewable energy resources, help students become more cognizant of sustainability and environmental impacts. 

• How can donors help school districts have more green buildings? 

• Learn about the benefits of green infrastructure for urban cities.

Nearly 40% of the world’s energy-related carbon dioxide emissions come from buildings, according to the United Nations Environment Program. As non-renewable resources become more scarce, some school districts are turning away from coal and oil toward alternative sources of energy, such as solar panels.

For a new study, Laura Zangori, assistant professor at the University of Missouri, and Laura Cole, assistant professor of architectural studies, collaborated with the school district in Columbia, Missouri, to examine the impact of a certified green school building on 37 fifth-grade students.

Roughly half of the students went to class in a green school building over the course of the school year while the other half attended school in a neighboring trailer classroom. Both classes conducted similar curricular activities throughout the school year.

When teachers asked the students to draw a picture that reflected how their school building affected the ecosystem, the researchers found that students taught in the green building saw a much more positive relationship between the building and the environment.

“Green school buildings provide an opportunity for students and teachers to learn about sustainability by using the building and environment they interact with every day. Rather than solely using fear-based tactics, such as showing pictures of wandering polar bears to explain climate change, let’s teach kids to love nature before we ask them to save it.”

Read the full article about green schools by Brian Consiglio at Futurity.