Lesson 4 from GreenBuild 2014: The State of Ohio Posted: Nov 2014 Posted by: Mats Inc.

The panel leading the session titled, Leveraging Green Schools for Market Transformation was comprised of individuals mostly from Ohio including David Scott, Partner, Kohrman Jackson & Krantz; Lisa Laney, Sustainability Administrator, State of Ohio, Ohio Facilities Construction Commission; and Ian MacGregor, MS, Senior Research Scientist, Battelle; with one panelist from PA, Kelly Henderson, Advisor, Green Schools Academy, Green Building Alliance. Panel members delivered research statistics from LEED certified schools; operational data from green schools; and the status of legislation banning LEED in Ohio.

Hired by the Central Ohio Chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council, Battelle performed scientific research to determine if there is a connection between LEED-certified schools and student attendance rates, discipline and test results. They selected specific counties in Ohio with student data from sustainably-built and conventionally-built schools, used advanced statistic modeling and found the resulting data did not support a statistically significant positive or negative impact.

Ohio state policy requires all new K-12 public schools achieve a minimum of LEED silver certification and the state leads the nation in green school construction. It was reported that there are approximately 171 LEED certified schools in Ohio that include 94 silver, 71 gold and 3 platinum certifications. Additionally, there are approximately 340 LEED registered schools and $40 million in current construction. These LEED certified schools are designed to save 35% more energy and use 37% less water, and during construction they have diverted 188,114 tons of waste from landfills.

Despite the positive operational results and feedback from their schools, Ohio’s State Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee passed legislation that would ban LEED v4. If Senate Concurrent Resolution (SCR) 25 passes, no state project in Ohio will be eligible for LEED registration and certification once LEED v4 goes into effect. The resolution currently resides in the Ohio House of Representatives’ Manufacturing and Workforce Development Committee. Panelists indicated that with the recent collaboration of the lobbyists with the USGBC, it is likely that SCR 25 will not come to pass.

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