A Comment I have heard many people make is, “How How can I help my school go "green" if it was not build according to the LEED process? Additionally when I am discussing green school issues I'm often asked to explain the meaning of the acronym, “LEED”. LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, an internationally recognized green building certification System. There are four different levels of LEED certification: LEED Certified, Silver, Gold and Platinum. In May of 2008 the School District of Palm Beach County decided to build all new schools to the LEED Silver standard as a minimum guideline. Many people are unaware of the standard, LEED EB (OM), which stands for LEED for Existing Buildings (Operations & Maintenance). Even if your school was not built according to LEED standards and is an older school, going "green" is not only possible, it's very easy to take the first steps! As of last year the School District of Palm Beach has registered the first K-12 school in the state for LEED EB accreditation. Your school may not have been built according to LEED standards; nonetheless, you can take many steps towards helping your school go "green". Remember the first steps towards going "green" are; Reduce, Re-Use, and Recycle!
