Roosevelt School earns "gold rating" from U.S. Green Building Council

Mayor Thomas M. Menino today celebrated the City and the Boston Public Schools receiving $100,000 to build additional green school buildings. The award is from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), which gave the new annex of the Franklin D. Roosevelt K-8 School in Hyde Park a gold rating for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED). San Jose, California-based technology company Adobe Systems is the funding partner for this effort.

“Thanks to this funding, we’ll be able to build more green schools like the Roosevelt across our city,” said Mayor Menino. “These sustainable schools not only teach our students to be environmentally-conscious, but they will also be more cost-efficient and healthy for our community. This is just the next step in our efforts to turn Beantown into Greentown.”

The $4.4 million renovation and expansion of the Roosevelt building includes six new classrooms, computer room, cafeteria and outdoor play structure, as well as extensive renovations to existing spaces. Environmental features include a green roof, solar collector, super-insulated walls, water-saving sinks and toilets, light fixtures that dim from daylight, porous pavement in the parking area, and renewable materials such as bamboo.

USGBC teamed with technology leader Adobe Systems to donate $100,000 for advancing greening efforts at the Roosevelt School.

“We’re proud to be a part of this landmark greening project for Boston’s public schools,” said Ann Lewnes, Adobe senior vice president of global marketing. “Adobe has worked hard to achieve our own standing as a corporate leader in green practices. The lifelong health and economic impact that a sustainable environment provides can’t be underestimated.”

The Boston Public Schools have been a national model in energy and environmental sustainability.

The district’s efforts in green management practices have earned state and national recognition. Strategies include:
· The use of green cleaning products in all schools and central offices;
· An anti-idling program for all 700 BPS buses and other vehicles, including signage and driver training, as well as low-sulfur diesel fuel for the entire BPS bus fleet;
· Use of natural gas in all schools for heat, hot water and cooking, saving on maintenance costs and reducing pollution;
· Solar panels on at least four school buildings;
· An energy management system in which the temperature in nearly all school buildings is controlled centrally to reduce energy use and costs; and
· Opportunities for wind turbines on school grounds to generate power through clean energy.

A green school provides a tool for learning and understanding the relationships between ecosystems and design decisions, and helps foster the ideals of what a community values most.

City and school officials held a press conference this morning in Ms. Gwendolyn Reed’s third grade classroom at the Roosevelt, overlooking the green roof of the new annex. Students described their efforts to promote conservation and protect the environment in and out of school. Last April, the school held a “Green Week” of learning about the environment, featuring guest readers and other special visitors to engage students in educational activities about preserving natural resources.

Boston has been recognized as the sixth most sustainable city in the nation by SustainLane, a national organization advancing cross-sector sustainable development for state and local government. The city has implemented numerous sustainability initiatives under Mayor Menino’s leadership, including: the first in the nation green building standards for private and public large building developments; the largest municipal purchaser of green power in New England; clean vehicle and fuel policies for municipal vehicles; and energy efficiencies for city buildings.

The Mayor continues to advance climate change solutions through municipal actions and in partnership with residents and visitors through an ambitious sustainability agenda. To learn more about the city's plans, visit www.cityofboston.gov/climate.

The Roosevelt K-8 School occupies two buildings in Hyde Park: the former Hemenway School building at 30 Millstone Road (kindergarten and grade 1) and the Roosevelt building at 95 Needham Road (grades 2-7, with 8th grade added next year). Recent MCAS results show the Roosevelt making some of the most significant gains among all city schools, with tremendous increases in the percentage of students scoring advanced and proficient at every grade level in Math and English. Nearly four times as many third grade students achieved proficiency in Mathematics this year compared to last.

Top photo: Mayor Menino with teacher Gwendolyn Reed and 3rd grader Ky-Auna Joyner of Hyde Park.

Middle photo: A sign outside Ms. Reed's classroom welcomes students and visitors to the "Green Room."

Bottom photo: Accepting the $100,000 check from the U.S. Green Building Council (left to right), Jim Hunt, City Chief of Environmental Services; Roger Platt, USGBC; teacher Gwendolyn Reed; Roosevelt principal Emily Glasgow; Mayor Menino; and Councilors Rob Consalvo and John Connolly.