New Greenwood school is green -- and a nice place to work, learn

With towering windows bringing in natural light and energy-efficient heating, Seattle's Greenwood Elementary is among a growing class of cutting-edge, "high-performance" buildings.

A $15.7 million renovation the school completed in 2002 brought the aging building up to 21st-century standards by using an emerging federal government standard to save energy, use more recyclable building materials and make the building more efficient and user friendly.


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	Kindergartners take to the carpet in Lori Forrest's classroom at Greenwood Elementary School. A $15.7 million renovation of the building, completed in 2002, followed new standards for energy efficiency and use of recycled materials. The Washington Environmental Council says the new standards can raise children's test scores.

"It's a great building to work in, the atmosphere, the ambiance," said Greenwood Principal Robert Radford. "I'm not sure it all translates into measurable evidence, but it's certainly a pleasure to be in the building."

Nationwide, 167 projects have gained certification for meeting the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or LEED, standards, and 1,834 have been registered. In Washington state, 13 have been certified of 101 registered.

Environmental activists think the new standards do have a measurable impact, economically and academically. According to the Washington Environmental Council, the new standards have lowered utility costs by 30 percent, raised standardized test scores by 20 percent and increased student attendance and employee retention rates.

To improve student health, the school monitors air quality and used "low-emitting" building materials in construction.

And while students, faculty and administrators glow over their new brighter and "greener" classrooms at Greenwood Elementary, lawmakers in Olympia are considering making all of the Evergreen State a little more environmentally friendly.

Rep. Hans Dunshee, D-Snohomish, is sponsoring House Bill 1272 to require that new school and state buildings over 5,000 square feet use LEED standards.

Proponents say "green buildings" pay for themselves in eight to 10 years through lower utility costs. And schools benefit even more, they say. Healthier students through better air quality means more state money, because funding is linked to student attendance.

Features of high-performance building include water and energy savings, a recycling program, erosion control and minimum air-quality standards.

The bill would require LEED silver certification, requiring a score of 33 on a 69-point scale.

To get silver certification, projects also must use more recycled products in construction.

But opponents, namely the timber industry, say the federal standards discriminate against timber use and instead require recyclable products such as cement and metals.

"The bill puts Washington-produced forest products at a competitive disadvantage," said Bill Garvin of the Washington Forest Protection Association.

Dunshee argues that builders can earn a LEED point by using local products, but he said he will try to add an amendment to encourage the use of local timber.

Some school districts have their own problems with the requirement in the proposed law that all new schools receiving state money adhere to LEED standards. They say the capital costs are much higher and it's not fair to expect struggling districts to pick up that tab.

If the standards were cost-effective, school districts would have adopted them a long time ago, said Pete Wall, director of planning and Construction for Tacoma Public Schools.

Wall said the LEED standards go far beyond cost-saving measures, asking for recycled products, as well as better classroom acoustics.

He said the Bainbridge and Seattle school districts have expressed similar concerns but would support a bill that gave incentives to schools for following the standards.

Tacoma Public Schools and many other districts, according to Wall, have already adopted environmentally sustainable building standards.

Dunshee said that while there are some tough environmental standards in the certification process, the program is very flexible and would be a smart investment for schools.

Architects and designers are applauding the bill. Hundreds of architects in Washington are certified designers, and a new design requirement would create demand.

Washington state even has one of the five LEED-certifying companies in the country in Seattle-based Paladino and Co.

Kristin Ralff-Douglas, a LEED accredited professional with Paladino, said that high-performance buildings can often be built with no or little cost to builders, especially because of strict environmental codes already in place throughout much of the Puget Sound region.

Estimates add 2 percent to construction costs for the high-performance buildings, according to Dunshee, and certification costs a minimum $1,500 and up to $7,500.

But despite the initial sticker shock, Dunshee said, the bill is well worth it.

"It's time to do the best for our kids and get at it," said Dunshee, who shot down the bill in the past two years because of the cries from bill opponents.

Dunshee said his bill stands a very good chance of passing, drawing bipartisan support.

The only opposition may be a few legislators concerned with the effect on the timber industry, he said.

House Bill 1272 is scheduled for a vote Feb. 10 in the House Capital Budget committee Thursday, chaired by Dunshee.

A companion bill in the Senate was referred last week to the Water, Energy and Environment committee, chaired by its sponsor, Sen. Eric Paulson, D-Seattle.

P-I reporter Kyle Arnold can be reached at 360-943-8311 or kylearnold@seattlepi.com

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