Rebuilding New Orleans
Global Green USA Initiates Major Program to Help Schools Reduce Energy; Save Money
Announces First of Five "Green Seed" New Orleans Schools; Model Program Releases Applications for Four Additional Schools
New Orleans, June 7, 2007. Global Green USA is proud to announce the selection of the first of its five "Green Seed Schools", A.P. Tureaud Elementary School at 2021 Pauger Street, in the 7th Ward of New Orleans.
The Green Seed School program, with support from a grant by the Bush Clinton Katrina Fund, will help selected schools implement energy saving upgrades.
Each school will first receive an energy and indoor air quality audit which will then serve as a road map for targeted energy and air quality upgrades at the schools. Global Green USA will provide funding to enable the schools to implement many of the needed upgrades.
At A.P. Tureaud, for example, an energy audit indicates a need to reduce electrical lighting, monitor air quality, and to repair windows that do not close properly.
Based on the audit, Global Green is considering plans, (to be finalized with the final energy audit), to eliminate many unnecessary light fixtures, add devices that will adjust electrical lights depending on the adequacy of natural light, and provide a master control system that will make it easier to shut lights off at night. Motion detectors may also be provided to address security needs and allow security personnel to move around the school building at night.
"We are amazed at how many simple, small strategies we can employ to reduce our energy costs. Every savings is important to us because we need to spend as much as possible on educating our youth, while spending as little as possible on energy," said Principal Perretta White Mitchell for A.P. Tureaud.
Global Green will address the repairs of jammed or broken windows, in addition to repairing poor frames and caulking under this program.
Perhaps most importantly, school officials will receive guides for maintaining energy efficiency in the school. These guides are meant both to help the school continue to identify energy saving strategies, and also to help communicate energy saving techniques for use beyond the schools.
"We hope this program will help serve as a catalyst for creating green schools all over New Orleans, and help people who experience the improvements to understand the value of green building in general," said Beth Galante, Executive Director of Global Green New Orleans.
Global Green USA CEO Matt Petersen said "The rebuilding of New Orleans after Katrina and Rita provides an important opportunity to create a model on a city wide scale for green building. We also hope to help more citizens of New Orleans return to New Orleans by helping to improve the schools here. This is why Global Green USA has chosen to develop major green housing, schools, and materials programs here."
"Perhaps most importantly, green schools have been proven to provide better learning environments for students, producing 20-25 % higher test scores. In addition, green schools provide energy cost savings, lower water usage, healthier students and teachers, better teacher retention rates, lower absentee rates and substantially lower long term operation and maintenance costs," said Petersen.
"These upgrades in the Green Seed Schools here will serve as an opportunity to help educate students, teachers and the community of how important sustainable green schools are for the benefit of students, and for the rebirth of New Orleans," said Peterson.
Applications for the four other schools and eligibility criteria are available as of today on line at www.globalgreen.org <http://www.globalgreen.org /> and at the Global Green office at 841 Carondolet Street in the Central Business District, on Mondays - Fridays, from 10:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. The five Green Seed Schools will highlight various green technologies as needed in each school
Deadline for submissions is June 20th. A short list of candidate schools will be selected by July 1st. The final schools will be announced in July.
