Realtor ®-The Woodlands Real Estate

So Why aren't they doing their part?                                             

I am reading the Houston Chronicle this morning and am a little disappointed, yet I am excited at the same time.  Last Night I posted Why is GREEN slow to catch on? and woke up to a nice surprise.  They are discussing the first LEED school in Texas.  I was so excited!  Passing on the knowledge of GREEN to our future leaders!

Although I am short on time I stopped to read it.  It talks about the passive solar design, natural lighting, and how the kids that go to this school will be more likely to recycle and buy GREEN products.  Then the infamous, go to the page to read the rest. Which I did.

I get to the other page and it talks about the study pond that has drawn attention to the native wildlife of Texas.  Great!  Keep reading..

It talks a little more about the sustainable design, and then THE END!

This is where the disappointment comes in to play.  This story was Front Page!  Yet they did not mention one time that these children are schooling in a healthy environment.  It mentioned Low VOC Paints used.  What's that? Of course I know, but what about the public?  Do they know why this is relevant?

These lucky kids are going to school daily with healthier indoor air quality in an environment with less toxins, less allergens, and in a quieter school that will probably promote better learning. Yet not one mention of this. 

So, my rant for the day.  Houston Chronicle, Thank You for writing this lovely story about the Eco-Friendly school.  Next time, let's tell the public how it benefits the children going to it.  Let's educate the public about Healthier Living Standards that are available.  The media plays a HUGE role in education and education is dearly needed on this subject. 

Other than that it was a great story.  To the Private School that made this effort to provide a Healthier and Cleaner Environment for the children- A big Thank You from us Greenies!

Below is what I sent to the editor:

I first would like to say Thank You for publishing the article today regarding the First LEED school in Texas.  It is great that you have taken a step to inform the public on LEED efforts.  The article I can tell was well thought out and very informative.  I am a Realtor in the North Houston area with an EcoBroker Designation that revolves around the Green Built Community and found it to be quite fascinating.  

I just wanted to note a few things that I thought could have been in the publication.  LEED homes/buildings are designed for the people as much as it is the environment.  These children are lucky enough to be going to a school that has very low levels of toxins, allergens and counterproductive byproducts.  On top of that, the LEED school is more than likely a quieter environment that will promote better learning.  Green topics are something that really need to be pushed to inform the public of it's assets and I thought that this article would have been a great tool for that.  For instance, Low VOC paints are probably something the general public knows the benefit of.    I thought that with the school receiving $5.1 million dollars to build the school, people may want to know how the children benefit as opposed to just the environment.  

Thank you again for the article and your time reading this. 

I will let all of you know what happens.

***Apparently they liked the email.  It will be in tomorrows' paper under Letters to the Editor!***

Here is what was published:

Thanks for the Chronicle's June 19 article "The Class is always greener/The new St. Catherine's Montessori facitlity is a lesson in environmentally friendly designs"regarding the first school in Texas to receive the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. This is a coveted rating that points to energy efficiency, water savings, use of green materials, good air quality and sustainable site development.

The article was very informative. As a Realtor in the North Houston area, with an "EcoBroker" designation that revolves around the green-built community, I found it quite fascinating. LEED homes/buildings are designed to be good for people, as well as for the environment.

The St. Catherine's children are lucky to be going to a school with very low levels of toxins, allergens and counterproductive byproducts. On top of that, the LEED school will probably be a quieter campus, and that will promote learning.

The assets of building green are numerous. Even though St. Catherine's will receive$5.1 million dollars to build their school, the children who attend the school will benefit, too - not just the environment.

UNEDITED**  Well, the words were changed, but the message was not.  Actually, I think maybe their's was better.  :)