Mayor Menino Celebrates $100,000 Award to Build Green Schools
Roosevelt School the gold standard in sustainability
October 16, 2009 – (RealEstateRama) — Mayor Menino today celebrated the Franklin D. Roosevelt K-8 School in Hyde Park and the City receiving $100,000 to build additional green school buildings. The award is from the US Green Building Council (USGBC), which gave the Roosevelt School annex a gold rating for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED). San Jose, California-based technology company Adobe Systems is the funding partner for this effort.
“Thanks to this funding, we’ll be able to build more green schools like the Roosevelt across our city,” said Mayor Menino. “These sustainable schools not only teach our students to be environmentally-conscious, but they will also be more cost-efficient and healthy for our community. This is just the next step in our efforts to turn Beantown into Greentown.”
The $4.4 million renovation and expansion of the Roosevelt building includes six new classrooms, computer room, cafeteria and outdoor play structure, as well as extensive renovations to existing spaces. Environmental features include a green roof, solar collector, super-insulated walls, water-saving sinks and toilets, light fixtures that dim from daylight, porous pavement in the parking area, and renewable materials such as bamboo.
USGBC teamed with technology leader Adobe Systems to donate $100,000 for advancing greening efforts at the Roosevelt School.
“We’re proud to be a part of this landmark greening project for Boston’s public schools,” said Ann Lewnes, Adobe senior vice president of global marketing. “Adobe has worked hard to achieve our own standing as a corporate leader in green practices. The lifelong health and economic impact that a sustainable environment provides can’t be underestimated.”
The Boston Public Schools have been a model for others to follow in energy and environmental sustainability. A green school provides a tool for learning and understanding the relationships between ecosystems and design decisions, and helps foster the ideals of what a community values most.
Boston has been recognized as the sixth most sustainable city in the nation by SustainLane, a national organization advancing cross-sector sustainable development for state and local government. The city has implemented numerous sustainability initiatives under Mayor Menino’s leadership, including: the first in the nation green building standards for private and public large building developments; the largest municipal purchaser of green power in New England; clean vehicle and fuel policies for municipal vehicles; and energy efficiencies for city buildings.
The Mayor continues to advance climate change solutions through municipal actions and in partnership with residents and visitors through an ambitious sustainability agenda. To learn more about the city’s plans, visit www.cityofboston.gov/climate.
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