Green Renovation for TJ Elementary School

OUR PETITION:
The students of the City of Falls Church oppose the decision to construct the addition onto Thomas Jefferson Elementary School without a minimum of LEED Silver certification. In order to maintain the standards of the City and community environment, it is necessary for a public construction project to fulfill the requirements demanded of private contractor. Not only would this benefit the environment, but would also yield long term savings for the City.

More about LEED:

The City of Falls Church requires all private contractors to receive at minimum LEED Silver certification on all construction projects. This ensures that the buildings are environmentally sustainable and the construction process does not create a negative impact on the community.

In order to receive LEED Certification, the project must meet certain criteria. The criteria for certification include sustainable sites, water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, materials and resources and indoor environmental quality. Meeting the outlined criteria will not only ensure a dampened environmental impact, but will also build a healthier environment, deliver lower energy and water bills, reduce exposure to mold, and lower the incidence of flu, colds and asthma.

While meeting all of the LEED certification criteria may seem like a burden financially, the savings in the long term outweigh the immediate costs. Schools that met LEED requirements saw an average of 33.4% in direct energy savings, 50% in indirect energy savings and 32.1% in water savings. On average all of the savings amount to $100,000 per year.