PROJECT SPOTLIGHT:
First Mesa Elementary School
Dyron Murphy Architects designed this K-6 elementary school for the Hopi Tribe, in Polacca, AZ. The school will serve children from kindergarten through sixth grade. The colors and materials selected for the exterior of the building were chosen to complement the surrounding area and reflect traditional Hopi culture. more
About the Arizona Initiative
The U.S. Green Schools Foundation will begin its work in Arizona with the Arizona Initiative. We are located in Arizona and believe we can most effectively develop a strong model for green schools renovation and community collaboration in our home state.
We envision the model developed under the Arizona Initiative being applied in other states as our organization grows.
Pilot Project
The Foundation is seeking school districts with a new building project in the pre-design stage for inclusion in our pilot project for the Arizona Initiative. We will launch the pilot with a maximum of three school building projects by August 2008.
The selected districts will already have funding approved for the new building project, but not necessarily the funding to make the project green. The Foundation will use the pilot to make the projects high profile with the inclusion of the Clinton Climate Initiative and the Alliance to Save Energy, and will work to bring in financial support from the local business community. Funds raised will supplement the district’s already approved funding to enable the building to become LEED certified.
Neil Douglas, Executive Director of U.S. Green Schools, has been in conversation with several facilities planners of Arizona school districts and is encouraged by the general enthusiasm for green building. “People are beginning to see that green building is not only good for the environment, but is also good for the bottom line. Schools are hurting for funds, and if they build right in the first place, they can reduce financial pressures in the long run. It takes courage, and foresight, but people are starting to realize that they need to make the leap towards green building.”
Interested in our programs? Contact us.
