Lower operating costs

Green schools consume 32% less water and 33% less energy than conventionally designed schools. Efficient lighting, heating and cooling, better insulation, greater use of daylight and natural ventilation, as well as water saving features, all reduce energy and water consumption and, in turn, utility costs.

Greening America's Schools: Costs and Benefits found that while green schools cost two per cent more to build, the return on investment was 20 times more than the cost of going green.

Lower energy and water costs, improved teacher retention, and lowered health costs save green schools about four times the additional cost of going green. For an average conventional school, building green would save enough money to pay for an additional full-time teacher.

Financial savings to the broader community are significantly larger, and include reduced cost of public infrastructure, lower air and water pollution, and a better educated and compensated workforce.

International research suggests that green schools save an average of US$100,000 a year - enough to buy 200 new computers or 5,000 new textbooks.

With that in mind, going green makes sense, both from an economic and educational perspective