Jan 22, 2007

Menlo Park schools may go green

By Banks Albach / Daily News Staff Writer

With the Menlo Park City School Board looking at sweeping changes to the district because of spiking enrollment, a switch to greener energy and buildings is coming at a good time.

The board considered new environmental standards last week and could vote on them at a Jan. 30 meeting. The standards include adopting solar power, using legally harvested wood, and providing better airflow and lighting in classrooms.

The decision would steer the district toward certification with the Collaborative for High Performance Schools, a San Francisco nonprofit that advocates greener campuses.

"It's everything you can imagine green," Board Member Laura Rich said.

The certification hinges on numerous steps, said Kristin Heinen, assistant director for the program. To even be considered, she said, the district must have a recycling program, beat California energy efficiency standards by 10 percent, recycle half of its construction debris and put up a display explaining the certification. After that, the schools can get points from a wide array of green ideas, such as minimizing parking, using solar power, building with materials that don't emit harmful chemicals and using waterless urinals, Heinen said.

"There are numerous benefits to going through certification," Heinen said. "Most important is the health of the student."

The office of the state architect, which has endorsed the CHPS certification, claims that test scores and teacher retention go up and that sick days and liability for lawsuits go down, when schools adopt these guidelines. Heinen also said that districts operating with the certification can expect to save between 20 and 30 percent in energy costs.

"We would be doing this anyway even without the incentives," Board President Terry Thygesen said. "The environmental quality of the classroom is important."

The certification, now roughly four years old, started as a program schools could implement alone by paying $200 and following the nonprofit's guidelines. Starting this year, the nonprofit is offering a second choice at $2,000 per project that includes on-site inspection.

After the certification is qualified, Heinen said, it's up to the school to stay on par with the green guidelines through an honor system. The district could cash in on going green, too. Proposition 1D, which voters passed in November, includes $100 million in incentive grants.

E-mail Banks Albach at

balbach@dailynewsgroup.com.