In the United States alone, buildings account for:
• 72 percent of electricity consumption
• 39 percent of energy use
• 38 percent of all carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions
• 40 percent of raw materials use
• 30 percent of waste output (136 million tons annually)
•14 percent of potable water consumption.
- per The U.S. Green Building Council
On a daily basis, we pollute both our bodies and our enviroment will unessecary toxins that are only going to build up over time.
It has been discussed previously: Why just stop at eating clean? Why not make your whole life clean, green and sustainable?
A healthy diet will not only add years to one’s lifetime, but a clean, green way of living will do the same and add extra years to the planet to boot.
A college prep school in Hartford, Connecticut is doing just that.
Founded in 1881, the Watkinson School, Hartford’s only independent school, is a coed day school teaching grades 6-12. They have 275 students that represent 43 towns in New England. The college preparatory school has made recent headlines with their new Center for Science and Global Technology Building.
Developed with the help of San Francisco’s Project Frog, Watkinson’s new building, constructed of renewable or recycled materials, boasts “smart” classrooms that “feature 75 percent energy-demand reduction , abundant natural light, superior air quality and fungible user technology,” as stated on their website.
The building is the first of its kind in New England and opened on October 24, 2009.
“Watkinson is very committed to going green. We have a garden on campus, so we teach the students about eating naturally,” says Associate Director of Communications Katie Novack.
“It’s neat teaching the students how live sustainably and eat clean in a sustainable building. They love it,” says Science teacher Marti Harmon.
It is Watkinson’s passionate commitment to sustainability and good health that they hope will translate into the minds and lives of their students.
