Building green, sustainable growth, low-impact development. These are terms increasingly heard in discussions of educational design and construction these days. And no wonder! The United States is witnessing a boom in K-12 educational construction of historic proportions. U.S. Department of Education estimates total educational building investment over the first decade of this century to exceed $250 billion. In 2007 alone, the Council of Educational Facility Planners International says schools will spend approximately $53 billion on construction. It expects 10 percent of that to consist of green building.

According to the National Center for Educational Statistics, the average age of the country’s 93,000 schools is 40 years. Many see this period of unprecedented construction and renovation as an opportunity to create learning centers that fit comfortably into the environment by creating few negative impacts. It is an idea that is catching on.

Much has been written and said about Collaborative for High Performance Schools (CHPS)and Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certified building practices. It is easy to see how improved energy efficiency and reduced material consumption are environment-friendly. But the discussion should not end there.

Stormwater runoff is a huge problem in this country, contributing to flooding, erosion and loss of topsoil, and is the leading cause of pollution of our nation’s lakes and streams. To address these problems, attention is increasingly focused on natural solutions to stormwater management.

These concerns offer challenges and opportunities to K-12 educators and administrators.

In the Kansas City area, the Mid-America Regional Council (MARC) and the Kansas City Metro Chapter of the American Public Works Association (APWA) have jointly developed new guidelines for taking a more natural, watershed approach to drainage issues. Their goals are to minimize necessary development’s negative impacts on the environment while enhancing quality of life. The guidelines are also designed to comply with new water quality regulations, specifically the National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES). These guidelines are collected in a Manual of Best Management Practices for Stormwater Quality (BMP Manual).

Those involved in educational design and construction should download and familiarize themselves with the BMP Manual. The document can be found at http://www.marc.org/Environment/Water/bmp_manual.htm. Discuss it with your engineer and architect.

The goal is to reduce both runoff and pollutants in the region’s watershed. Cities in the metro region are adopting principles from the BMP Manual for new development. It is expected that more cities will follow suit. If your district does not find itself currently subject to these standards, it probably soon will.

Alternative stormwater management includes practices like preserving natural vegetation and building bioswales, designed to remove silt and pollution from surface runoff water. Creating prairies and wetlands not only helps manage flows from smaller storms and filter water pollutants, it also creates valuable wildlife habitat. New development can take advantage of these techniques to not only protect the environment, but reduce infrastructure costs as well.

These new building techniques offer the educator new teaching opportunities. A school rain garden, for example, can be the basis for fun and engaging lessons in multiple disciplines.