Healthy Schools Sprout Healthy Kids

Our children’s Health is Priceless! When we send our children to school we expect them to go to a healthy and clean environment. However, even the newest buildings are not always built with the most modern construction technologies or clean air in mind. The components and materials in new and old buildings alike can contain toxic ingredients such as: fiberglass, asbestos, and off gassing VOC’s (volatile organic compounds). These toxins can have both immediate and long term health effects.

The Eco12 program provides feasible and sustainable alternatives to the entire institution. Suggestions for changes in the classroom, gymnasiums, cafeterias, and boiler rooms ensure that the entire school becomes a healthier and more sustainable place for our children to learn.

We literally need to build a fortress that protect our children from unhealthy air. Even state-of-the-art filtration systems find it virtually impossible to eliminate dust, allergens, and impurities inside our schools. This harmful air can cause our children to get sick and miss school.

The goal of the new air standards is to bring crisp, fresh outside air in to your schools, this is often very energy intensive and is not always best for our health. So, it is important to understand local air quality and how it affects our health, building failure and energy cost.  We can preserve indoor air quality and mitigate health risks by cleaning filters and providing suitable make-up air and adequate ventilation.

While maintaining a Healthy School, it is important to remember the economic constraints on the institution. Investing in state of the art equipment may be impossible based on budget constraints. The Eco12 program aims to improve school health using affordable alternatives, technology, and equipment that more than pays for itself.

For instance: schools require a significant amount of fresh air when they are fully occupied. Heating and cooling this air can add as much as 30% to 40% to the cost of heating and air conditioning. When the entire building is left in the occupied mode beyond normal school hours, there is a significant amount of energy being spent on conditioning fresh air that may not be required.

By creating not only a sustainable, but an EFFICIENT school, our children can thrive in a healthy environment.

Helpful links:

PA Indoor Air Quality

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Air Quality Near Schools

PA Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Air Quality Regulations