Prerequisite: None
LL005 Making the Grade: Achieving Indoor Air Quality Convergence in Design, Construction and Maintenance of Schools
Christina Zucco, Market Segment Manager, GREENGUARD Environmental Institute
Session Description:
With the explosive growth in asthma, allergies and learning disabilities among children, experts seek to minimize exposure to environmental pollutants at the earliest age. Children spend about 90% of their time indoors so schools are obvious locations for controlling exposure to environmental contaminants. Achieving and maintaining good indoor air quality is an integral part of green building protocols such as LEED for Schools and the Collaborative for High Performance Schools (CHPS). While environmental impacts such as carbon emissions and energy consumption should be a part of any sustainability approach, a holistic indoor air quality (IAQ) strategy is a critical foundation for high performance schools to ensure healthy, non-toxic air for children. To support the design of a healthy school, there are best practices that can be implemented during construction that will make sure the Architect/Designer’s intent is met. The final piece of the puzzle is the maintenance of our school buildings. While cleaning is a necessary part of the school day, the side effects of some cleaners often create an environment that is detrimental to student learning. But, cleaning can be systematic, efficient, and effective without harm to the people who use these products, the micro environment of our classrooms and schools, and the environment at large.
Learning Objectives:
1.) Discuss factors that can contribute to air quality in schools and how do those factors affect the success of the school.
2.) Explore what can be done to ensure enhanced IAQ during the design and construction phase as well as throughout the building operations and maintenance
3.) Explore basic statistics of cleaning industry regarding health, costs and numbers
4.) Learn what it means to adopt green cleaning that is effective, efficient and healthy
Room: Learning Lounge