While many of the Consortium’s partner organizations have long and distinguished histories serving the region’s business community, we are fortunate that they are also interested in sharing their expertise with schools.
We are especially excited when these partners have programs and resources that meet the needs of both educators and students, providing valuable training and support for each. The Green Building Alliance is one such partner that offers one-stop access to resources and expertise.
Since at least 2012, “we’ve done a lot with schools,” said Leslie Montgomery, GBA’s Vice President of Education. “We’ve offered a huge variety of programming.”
GBA programming includes training for facilities managers that need help identifying or addressing environmental issues. For students, they provide avenues for exploring environmental careers or adding certifications to their resumes. For educators they offer support implementing the STEELS (Science, Technology, Engineering, Environmental Literacy & Sustainability) standards.
Some of GBA’s programming is scheduled on the organization’s calendar. But much of what it offers on its programming menu for schools is by individual arrangement.
“It’s more à la carte,” said Montgomery. “We can customize it that way.”
On the building maintenance front, GBA recently received a grant from The Grable Foundation that will enable the organization to provide free training and technical assistance for facilities managers and custodial teams trying to improve indoor air quality in their schools. The assistance is timely because Women for a Healthy Environment, a Pittsburgh nonprofit, just issued a report in August calling out unaddressed environmental issues, such as mold, in districts across the state.
GBA can also help facilities managers assess and improve energy efficiency, both in existing buildings and in planning for new school construction.
For students, GBA offers multiple resources for environmental and career learning. One marquee program is the LEED (Leadership in Environmental & Energy Design) Green Associate Exam Prep Course. The course familiarizes participants with concepts involved in sustainable design, equipping them to bring this perspective to a range of careers. The course also prepares students to sit for the certification exam given by the U.S. Green Building council and earn a stackable credential before graduating. Educators also are eligible for the training.
Although GBA typically advertises general sessions of the course twice a year, Montgomery also will offer it by special arrangement for classrooms, clubs, or groups of 10 or more.
“The course and the certification really apply to a lot of different career pathways,” she said, from mechanical engineering and architecture to carpentry and other trades.
Beyond sitting for the course, students can also learn more about green buildings and sustainability by visiting GBA’s headquarters or other green buildings where GBA will host tours on request.
In addition, GBA is willing to participate in school career fairs to discuss pathways and will be on hand this year to answer questions about job opportunities and sustainability when it presents at the Consortium’s Student Sustainability Design Challenge (SSDC) kickoff events on October 23 at Washington & Jefferson and on November 13 at Rodef Shalom, as well as at SSDC’s culminating events in the spring.
GBA offers support for educators as well. Among other ways, Montgomery said she and her organization can assist teachers still implementing the STEELS standards, under which the Pennsylvania Department of Education is trying to ensure that science education incorporates more applied, or hands-on learning opportunities.
Montgomery said sustainability can become a “lens” for doing many jobs that might seem unrelated. It also speaks to a need for agency that students seem to have. “I think a lot of kids are looking for purpose, looking for answers, and looking to control the outcomes of their future.”
