arlington, va. — students usually worry about schoolwork and tests, but the looming threat of climate change adds additional stress to children’s futures.

“we need to educate, we need to step up and we need to really ensure that our planet is protected and we’re able to function in a sustainable and environmentally-friendly society,” student leader thomas brulay said.

with education being one of the largest public sectors in the united states, coalitions like aspen institute’s k-12 climate action plan and generation180 partner with schools to help them reach sustainability goals and net-zero energy.

“it’s really thinking about the school districts developing these local climate action plans and then how state and the federal government can really help support that implementation,” laura schifter, a k-12 climate action plan senior fellow, said.

schools in the u.s. occupy about 2 million acres of land and teach around 50 million students, according to schifter. generation180 program director tish tablan also said that schools emit carbon dioxide levels similar to that of 18 coal power plants and that switching to solar would reduce schools’ carbon footprint.

“in 29 states plus dc, you can go solar with no upfront costs, so the barrier of upfront costs can be removed for many schools around the country, and that really levels the playing field, so that solar is not a technology just for wealthy districts,” tablan said.

stockton unified school district in california championed green advocacy work by its quick production of electric school buses. energy education specialist gilbert rosas said their bus fleet acts as a model for other school districts and opens the students’ eyes to environmentally-friendly careers.

“not only do i understand the demographic of stockton unified, but i look like the demographic,” rosas said. “i think it’s important for kids to realize that we have cool green career path choices, and they have the ability to be anything they want to be.”

discovery elementary school in arlington, virginia is one of the many schools that are being catalysts for educating environmental activists. as soon as students enter primary school, they work on year-long mastery projects to help their school become greener.

“all of the projects that the students come up with are amazing. the way they get excited about growing lettuce, that i swear they won’t eat until they’re a part of the process, and how proud they are to have taken part in that is just really inspiring,” principal erin russo said.

from primary school to high school, students like holly thorpe and thomas brulay, join and form organizations to put what they learn into action. thorpe and brulay lead environmental efforts in green champions, a student-run club in florida’s miami-dade county school district. these groups help kids realize their impact on the planet.

“we’re running out of time, and the climate crisis keeps getting worse and worse, and if we don’t step up and do something about it, then it’s going to be irreversible effects to the environment,” brulay said.

• cop26 goals, straight from the event’s website: what do we need to achieve at cop26?

• 10 charts explaining the economic benefits of climate change mitigation in the u.s. as leaders discuss environmental policy, learn more about how advancing climate policy will help our country economically. file some facts away to teach others who are more economically motivated during conversations about sustainability!

• what is ‘net zero’ and why does it matter? find out what net zero means and the current scientific conversations surrounding it.

• feminism and environmentalism go hand in hand. look back at this commentary from gender day at the global climate talks in 2018 to learn more about how feminism and environmentalism intertwine.

check back tomorrow for more info on what is being explored at cop26 — and good reads to keep you informed!

the latest to join the fight against the climate crisis is the washington, d.c., suburb of arlington county, virginia, which recently announced their plans to have net-zero emissions and become carbon neutral by 2050.

despite arlington county’s recent announcement, they have been working for more than a decade now to become more eco-friendly. according to adam segel-moss, the county’s energy outreach specialist for the leadership in environmental and energy design, the process started in 2007 by cutting greenhouse gas emissions by a sizeable amount.

“to date, the county has reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 24% from 2007-2017,” segel-moss said.

he explained how arlington county plans to build on its previous accomplishments — and even take them a step further.

“we are going to have more stringent energy codes that make renovated buildings more energy efficient, incentivizing new buildings to be designed, built, and operated more efficiently than is required by code,” segel-moss said.

segel-moss also explained that the funding the county will receive will be put to good use to help “local and regional needs.” he also said transportation will go through a change, as the county aims to make it more energy efficient. 

a question that a lot of people have is how this eco-friendly transformation will affect the residents of arlington county. however, segel-ross is confident the changes will have very little effect on everyone’s daily routines.

“we expect these changes to be incremental and to have little effect on day-to-day life,” he said. “there will be small changes such as cleaner air due to electric vehicles and electric school buses being used. however, much of the work we do is invisible, such as building efficiency, accelerating a clean electric grid, creating low-carbon transit options, and ensuring new development is net-zero or well above baseline building code.”

the changing climate has become one of the biggest issues in the political arena, and more officials from every level of government have started to take notice — from arlington county to every presidential candidate. 

said segel-ross: “we have no choice but to do our part. climate change is serious. businesses, residents, and governments must act.”

believe it or not, phipps conservatory and botanical gardens in pittsburgh’s oakland neighborhood is one of the many buildings vying for the “greenest” title. rising from the crest of a hill, the eye-catching conservatory is a beacon of sustainability in a city better known for its industrial past than its environmental forward-thinking.

referring to phipps as a building is a bit of a misnomer, as the campus includes a tropical forest conservatory, a production greenhouse, a welcome center and cafe, a research building, and a modular learning facility called the seed classroom.

now in its 125th year, phipps began to show clear commitment to a sustainable future in the last decade. it reduced carbon dioxide emissions by 56 percent per square foot over the course of a decade, exceeding the 2025 goals set by the paris agreement. the campus is powered 100 percent by on-site solar and wind or through the purchase of renewable energy credits. a majority of the sanitary water from the buildings is cleaned by constructed wetlands on the campus.

conservatory staples revitalized

most of the leed-silver certified welcome center is underground, as it is earth-bermed on three sides. its parking lot is on the grassy lawn — no asphalt required. the center’s cafe, which is 3 star certified green restaurant, composts 500,000 pounds of waste per year and sources organic and local foods whenever possible.

the seed classroom, which is used primarily for children’s education and activity programs, is net-zero energy and is petal certified by the living building challenge. it is a stand-alone building made primarily of lightweight, recycled materials and is intended to be a superior alternative to overflow trailers used by some schools. all of its mechanical systems are exposed so that students can learn through interaction.

even the botanical gardens themselves are full of surprises. mixed in with the living flowers are vibrant glass flowers that are instantly recognizable as the work of renowned artist dale chihuly.

the only greenhouse of its kind

there is only one greenhouse in the world to be leed-certified, and, not surprisingly, it’s at phipps. it has an open roof system and features 16 different growing climates thanks to highly sophisticated computer controls.

the tropical forest conservatory is the first conservatory in the world to be powered by a fuel cell. it is completely passively cooled by underground tubes in the earth that bring cool air up into the building.

the greenest building in the world (maybe)

the real highlight, though, is the center for sustainable landscapes, a 24,350-square foot education and research facility located behind the main conservatory building. it’s the only building in the world to have been awarded the four highest green building certifications: it was the first to get a four star sustainable sites certification; has the highest number of points for leed platinum v2.2; was the first well platinum building; and, most impressively, has certified living status under the living building challenge. it is one of only 15 buildings in the world to be certified living.

the center for sustainable landscapes has so many “green” qualifications that it becomes almost impossible to appreciate how remarkable each one is. not only does it power itself through solar and wind power, it produces enough electricity annually to power 12 homes. it uses 75-percent less energy and 90-percent less potable water than a typical office building, and it manages 3.25 million gallons of stormwater per year. the atrium and green roof feature over 100 native plant species and offer a stunning view of downtown pittsburgh.

why pittsburgh?

that phipps is achieving all of this in pittsburgh may be part of the awe value. in many minds, the city is known for steel manufacturing and pollution, not net-zero buildings and exotic plants. but pittsburgh is experiencing a renaissance of sorts, having cycled through the boom and bust of industrial america’s past. it’s a city on the rise, aided by sustainable titans like phipps.

this is not the new google campus or a shiny tower in a destination city. though its glass exterior gives the conservatory a futuristic appearance, phipps was founded in 1893 by steel magnate henry phipps, at the height of the city’s significance as an industrial center. it was even a stop on the tour of exotic plants from the 1893 chicago world’s fair. the welcome center, built in 2005, speaks to the conservatory’s gilded age roots with a gorgeous neo-victorian dome made of glass.

perhaps what is most impressive about phipps is not just its certifications or marvels of sustainability, but its roots in the community. the conservatory offers free children’s wellness events and resources, and its education programs are attended by 5,000 adults and 40,000 family groups annually. the homegrown program installed over 200 vegetable gardens in underserved neighborhoods in an effort to increase access to healthy, fresh food. phipps collaborates with local universities to research sustainability, botany, and environmental health issues, and it offers paid internships to high school students from low-income households.

one of the greenest buildings in the world is one you may not know about. but the people of pittsburgh know about it. it may be their best kept secret.

a seed is a modular classrom that meets all 20 imperatives of the living building challenge and is composed of 3 modules, with a core module that houses all of the systems and components the classroom needs to be self-sustaining. these modules can be shipped anywhere in the world. once they arrive at their site, they are rooted in place and the seed becomes immediately functional. in many cases, just the seed core will travel to the site, and sprout! collective (the non-profit currently building the protoype seed – www.thesproutcollective.org) will work with the community to design and build the outer modules of the seed on site, out of local materials.

every seed comes with a seed packet – a curriculum package that allows the seed to become a living laboratory for its students. data collection and commissioning of its net zero water and energy systems and components are part of the children’s daily studies, as is urban agriculture that is also an integral part of the learning space; materials research on healthy non-toxic products used to construct the classroom; and studies into the carbon footprints of buildings and where the seed stacks up. all seeds will have the ability to connect with one another in our seed-patch to share their lessons learned and the student’s innovative lessons and ideas.

by providing a learning space that can be placed anywhere in the world and teach children about the importance of caring for and restoring our planet, we are creating a new normal for the next generation of leaders and doers. the environmental health and social well-being of our planet is in their hands. we know that once a seed is planted, many amazing and inspiring things will sprout from within its walls. we can’t wait to watch it happen.

we have completed the net zero energy rehab of our 111-year-old historic folk-victorian home in ann arbor, mi. a net-zero energy home (also called zero energy home) is a home that produces as much or more energy than the occupants consume. this is accomplished by first reducing energy demand, typically by 60% – 70%, then meeting that demand by adding on-site renewable energy. we were inspired by the challenge of the late ray anderson, the founder of interface, inc., to create a society with zero environmental footprint.

we are now fulfilling our family’s goal to create a living building by rehabilitating a home that creates its own energy, creates zero waste and will be a restorative part of our community. in march 2011, we paid our last utility bill . . . ever. our home is believed to be the oldest home in america to achieve net zero energy. usa today honored the home as one of the “best green houses of 2010”

learn more at http://www.missionzerohouse.com