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Tag: Environmental Issues

Published on

Kim, Hong, & Koo, 2012

Green-roof systems offer various benefits to man and nature, such as establishing ecological environments, improving landscape and air quality, and offering pleasant living environments. This study aimed to develop an optimal-scenario selection model that considers both the economic and the environmental effect in applying GRSs to educational facilities. The following process was carried out: (i) 15 GRSs scenarios were established by combining three soil and five plant types and (ii) the results of the life cycle CO2 analyses with the GRSs scenarios were converted to an economic value using certified emission reductions (CERs) carbon credits. Life cycle cost (LCC) analyses were performed based on these results. The results showed that when considering only the currently realized economic value, the conventional roof system is superior to the GRSs. However, the LCC analysis that included the environmental value, revealed that compared to the conventional roof system, the following six GRSs scenarios are superior (cost reduction; reduction ratio; in descending order): scenarios 13 ($195,229; 11.0%), 3 ($188,178; 10.6%), 8 ($181,558; 10.3%), 12 ($130,464; 7.4%), 2 ($124,566; 7.0%), and 7 ($113,931; 6.4%). Although the effect is relatively small in terms of cost reduction, environmental value attributes cannot be ignored in terms of the reduction ratio.

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Published on

Hong, Kim, & Koo, 2012

As the area of urban forests rapidly decrease in size, there is growing interest in green roofs as the only alternative to urban forests. This study aimed to evaluate economic and environmental effects of functional improvement in elementary school facilities by applying various improvement scenarios based on green roof systems (GRSs) with the combination of energy-saving measures (ESMs). A total of 16 possible improvement scenarios from the combination of GRSs and ESMs were developed, and energy modeling (Energy Plus ver. 6.0), based on the (i) characteristics of building, (ii) regional climate, and (iii) season, was performed. Using the energy modeling result, the amount of the CO2 emission reduction by energy savings and the CO2 absorption by GRSs’ plants was calculated, and a life cycle cost analysis was conducted with the consideration of the life cycle CO2 (LCCO2). The results of this study can be used (i) to introduce the most appropriate ESMs for the specific facility when applying GRSs, (ii) to decide which location is proper to implement GRSs considering characteristics of regional climate, and (iii) to select energy- and cost-efficient elementary school when applying GRSs.

Published on

Gaffron & Niemeier, 2015

It has been shown that the location of schools near heavily trafficked roads can have detrimental effects on the health of children attending those schools. It is therefore desirable to screen both existing school locations and potential new school sites to assess either the need for remedial measures or suitability for the intended use. Current screening tools and public guidance on school siting are either too coarse in their spatial resolution for assessing individual sites or are highly resource intensive in their execution (e.g., through dispersion modeling). We propose a new method to help bridge the gap between these two approaches. Using this method, we also examine the public K-12 schools in the Sacramento Area Council of Governments Region, California (USA) from an environmental justice perspective. We find that PM2.5 emissions from road traffic affecting a school site are significantly positively correlated with the following metrics: percent share of Black, Hispanic and multi-ethnic students, percent share of students eligible for subsidized meals. The emissions metric correlates negatively with the schools’ Academic Performance Index, the share of White students and average parental education levels. Our PM2.5 metric also correlates with the traffic related, census tract level screening indicators from the California Communities Environmental Health Screening Tool and the tool’s tract level rate of asthma related emergency department visits.

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Published on

Inter-American Development Bank, 2015

Rise Up Against Climate Change! A school-centered educational initiative.

Module 8

Thousands of children and young people who attend schools every day (on schedules ranging from 4 to 10 hours) consume large amounts of natural resources (water, trees made into paper, fossil fuels for energy, and others). These resources are used in the manufacturing of books, notepads, backpacks, pencils, paint, and so on.

To a large extent, schools represent the way a society uses its natural resources. Using these materials in a more sustainable fashion will lower demand for natural resources. We can also learn innovative ways of using them in the learning process.

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Published on

Inter-American Development Bank, 2015

Rise Up Against Climate Change! A school-centered educational initiative. 

Module 1

We invite you to make a short assessment of your environmental behavior. A few moments’ reflection will surely serve you well for the future. Then invite your colleagues—both teachers and students—to do so as well. You will most certainly discover that, although everyone wishes for a promising and happy future, few of us are doing anything to ensure it. Perhaps even small efforts, such as the creation of this manual, will help us adopt new attitudes and rethink how we teach, learn, and transform the world.

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Published on

Inter-American Development Bank, 2015

Rise Up Against Climate Change! A school-centered educational initiative. 

Module 6

Take a look at the garbage bin in your school or home. Have you ever wondered what makes its content garbage?

If you look inside, you may see that the waste at the bottom of the bin is made up of items that are no longer of use and therefore have been tossed out. You may also find materials that are of mixed composition (made of glass, paper, metal, organics, and the like). Breathe in deeply, and you may notice an unpleasant odor.

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Published on

Inter-American Development Bank, 2015

Rise Up Against Climate Change! A school-centered educational initiative. 

Module 5

Have you ever wondered where the water you drink comes from, where it goes after you use it, or how people survive when water is not available or easily accessible?

Water is almost as old as the planet. Despite the fact that the earth looks blue-green from a distance—evidence of its abundant volumes of water—not all of this liquid is available for human consumption. Ninety-seven percent of the earth’s water is salt water, 2 percent of it is frozen, and only 1 percent flows as fresh water under or over ground.

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Published on

Inter-American Development Bank, 2015

Rise Up Against Climate Change! A school-centered educational initiative. 

Module 4

How much energy do you think is needed to light and mobilize all the machines and devices operating on the planet? Have you ever thought that by turning on a light in your house or school you are impacting the environment and emitting gases into the atmosphere?

Energy is an essential component of our lives. Omnipresent and invisible as it is, we often forget that our basic, everyday activities depend on it.

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Published on

Inter-American Development Bank, 2015

Rise Up Against Climate Change! A school-centered educational initiative. 

Module 7

How often do you take a look at your surroundings, whether at school or on your way there? Have you thought about the nonhuman companions that you live with every day?

Many types of plants, insects, and birds are probably your neighbors, both at school and at home. What do you know about them? Do you know how much you depend on them or how much they depend on you? Do you know what risks they face? Do your actions heighten these risks?

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Published on

Inter-American Development Bank, 2015

Rise Up Against Climate Change! A school-centered educational initiative. 

Module 9

Climate change poses new hazards to schools and heightens preexisting ones. Every day we hear news of some community in the world being adversely affected by natural phenomena such as excess water (floods, landslides), extreme winds, or drought. Such events may leave communities without access to a reliable supply of drinking water, create conditions conducive to the spread of fires, force school closures, and affect the economy.

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