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California
Small Business Enterprise #38395 admin@sustainenvironmental.com 3104 "O" Street, Suite 164 • Sacramento, California 95816 • (916) 457-1856 |
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| Sustainable
Schools The Greening Synergies of Master Planning “By encouraging respectful and productive communication among diverse constituencies, a broad and inclusive [school facilities] planning process can bring about results far superior to one developed by only educators, or architects, or any other single group. Many viewpoints and multiple perspectives really are better than just a few, and an inclusive planning process can forge renewed commitment to the community’s schools. People tend to support what they help create. " “The synergy of shared decision making, problem solving, and goal setting builds a strong foundation for collective responsibility and an enduring support for schools.” SOURCE: Schools as Centers for Community: A Citizen’s Guide for Planning and Design, National Clearinghouse of Educational Facilities, 2003. |
California school districts are faced with aging infrastructures and rapidly rising attendance numbers. At the same time, environmental regulatory agencies are applying increased pressure to provide safe and healthy learning environments, while parents and educational governing agencies push for higher student performance levels. Everyone seems to be demanding more of schools while resources remain as limited as ever. But these priorities don’t need to compete!
SEI is working on finding win-win solutions and synergistic planning opportunities that can release some of these pressures on school districts. We start with where school districts are right now, assisting them in meeting their immediate permitting needs and developing proactive measures to avoid expensive pitfalls and delays later on. We work to build stakeholder support to help smooth and energize the planning process. We look for ways to integrate design measures that will save school resources while improving performance measures. We consider the big picture while taking care of the details.
SEI is dedicated to becoming an enduring resource for sustainable schools. Below we have provided links to various regulatory requirements and informational resources available to schools. As you will notice, some requirements target specific resources (i.e., water) or contaminate issues (i.e., pesticides), others are broader in scope, looking at many different site variables (i.e. school siting checklist) at once. Additionally, some variables are considered only once during site specific development while others must be reviewed on a larger scale and a more cyclical basis. As a result, considerable informational overlap is likely to occur. One option districts may want to consider is integrating sustainable environmental master planning with other five-year planning horizons or permitting reporting requirements.
Check back often as we will be adding more hyperlinks to EMS, CEQA, and school health indicators. Contact us with any suggestions or questions — we thrive on feedback!
Helpful Links for the “Public School Construction Process”
SEI directs school districts to two pages on the California Department of General Services’ “Public School Construction Process” web site. A task list outlines the steps you must follow depending on whether or not you are applying for state funds. The “help” page tracks every item on the CDE school siting checklist using a question and answer format and providing links to related agencies and departments.
“Your district may want or need to contact numerous agencies and departments, depending on the particular circumstances of your project. In some cases, these agencies may have special expertise that may be of help to your district. In other cases, the agencies may be responsible for a special problem or location that involves your proposed school project. Probably the easiest way of determining whom you should or must contact is to ask yourself the following questions. Following each question is an identification of the agency involved, a brief discussion of how it will help your district’s project, and the means of contacting that agency for more detailed information.”
• Do you need assistance in preparing educational specifications (program offerings)?
• Would you like to view previously used school designs?
• Do you want ideas on or funding for energy efficiency?
• Are you interested in receiving advice on, and possible funding for, waste management strategies or the use of recycled materials in construction?
• Is construction the result of a declared disaster?
• Will your project disturb five or more acres of land?
• Are you building on or near a waste disposal site?
• Are you building within two miles of an airport runway?
• Are pesticides used in your vicinity?
• Are you building in an agriculturally protected area?
• Will your project affect historic landmarks or resources?
• Is your school project located in a coastal zone?
• Is your proposed school located in the Delta?
• Does your project disturb a fish or wildlife habitat?
• Will your construction affect the shores or waters of San Francisco Bay or Suisun Marsh?
• Will your school be located near a dam?
• Are you worried about earthquakes or other geologic hazards?
• Is outdoor air quality a problem in your area?
• Is indoor air quality a problem?
• Are you concerned about lead-related construction or drinking water problems?
• Is your school constructing its own water system?
• Do you intend to discharge waters or waste?
• Do you have questions concerning construction wage rates?
• Do you need information on workplace safety standards or need a variance?
What is a Sustainable Environmental Master Plan and how can it help your district?
A Sustainable Environmental Master Plan (SEMP) is a tool for integrating site-specific environmental reporting and permitting requirements into other districtwide, cyclical planning horizons. A few of the opportunities, benefits and synergies created by a SEMP follow.
PLANNING AND REPORTING SYNERGIES
• Provides one centralized master-planning document that complies with various current-day permit requirements and anticipates potential future regulatory issues for schools.
• Enables school districts to complete necessary renovations and retrofits, as well as to undertake new school development, with minimal subsequent environmental documentation.
• Provides an inventory of the condition, design and utilization of existing facilities, and a preliminary assessment of future school sites. By using key facility site indicators, the master plan would help districts locate, budget and operate existing and future schools more efficiently and effectively.
• Enables school districts to streamline permitting reapplication deadlines, including MS4 stormwater permits.
• Addresses all water and air quality, solid waste reduction, energy efficiency, and public outreach requirements under one umbrella.
• Provides one document for garnering federal, state and local funding sources that require CEQA/NEPA documentation, eliminating duplicative and redundant efforts.
RESOURCES:
School District Facility Master Planning
Long Term Facility Management Plans
DESIGN SYNERGIES
• Provides a vehicle for school districts to systematically incorporate resource-efficient designs that can capture funding opportunities as well as reduce operating costs.
RESOURCES:
Collaborative for High Performance Schools (CHPS)
State Architect’s Sustainable Schools Resource
California Energy Commission Bright School Program
The Costs and Financial Benefits of Green Buildings
Savings By Design
• Enables school districts to advance toward targeted student performance goals by integrating design elements proven to improve student health and learning as well as increase teacher retention rates.
RESOURCES:
School Facility Conditions and Student Academic Achievement
New Designs for Learning: K-12 Schools
Essential Learning Conditions for California Youth: Educational Facilities
Do Indoor Environments in Schools Influence Student Performance? A Review of the Literature
Daylighting in Schools: Reanalysis Report
Windows and Classrooms: A Study of Student Performance and the Indoor Environment
Daylighting in Schools. An Investigation into the Relationship between Daylighting and Human Performance
Teacher Attrition Rate and School Facility: Literature Review
EDUCATION AND STAKEHOLDER SYNERGIES
• Enables school districts to advance toward targeted student performance goals by integrating design elements proven to improve student health and learning as well as increase teacher retention rates.
RESOURCES:
CIWMB School Diversion and Environmental Education (DEEL) Program
Planning School Grounds for Outdoor
California Regional Environmental Education Community Network (CREEC)
• Creates excitement and community interest in school district efforts, broadening and deepening stakeholder involvement.
RESOURCES:
Community Use Resources National Clearinghouse for Educational Facilities (NCEF)
Schools Designed With Community Participation
A Visioning Process for Designing Responsive Schools
Taking School Design to Students