INTERDISCIPLINARY JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL AND SCIENCE EDUCATION
Research Article
Jun 05, 2022 143 75

Green Schools: An Examination of Practices and Possibilities in Alabama

Nicholas Bourke 1 * ,
Kate Simmons 1,
Monica Ousley 1
1 Auburn University at Montgomery, Montgomery, AL, USA* Corresponding Author
Interdisciplinary Journal of Environmental and Science Education, 2022, 18(4), e2292, https://doi.org/10.21601/ijese/12144
Full Text (PDF)

ABSTRACT

Green schools are schools that reduce environmental effects, improve the health and performance of students, and increase sustainability literacy. Green schools reinforce optimal learning aligned with resource efficiency and minimal pollution. This study implemented a descriptive survey research design to assess the extent to which green school practices are being applied in a three-county region of central Alabama. Survey results revealed inconsistent availability of green school practices at participating schools. Survey implications point to a need for more focused emphasis on green school practices and collaboration between schools, school faculties, and local education agencies.

KEYWORDS

green schools environmental education sustainability

CITATION (APA)

Bourke, N., Simmons, K., & Ousley, M. (2022). Green Schools: An Examination of Practices and Possibilities in Alabama. Interdisciplinary Journal of Environmental and Science Education, 18(4), e2292. https://doi.org/10.21601/ijese/12144
Harvard
Bourke, N., Simmons, K., and Ousley, M. (2022). Green Schools: An Examination of Practices and Possibilities in Alabama. Interdisciplinary Journal of Environmental and Science Education, 18(4), e2292. https://doi.org/10.21601/ijese/12144
Vancouver
Bourke N, Simmons K, Ousley M. Green Schools: An Examination of Practices and Possibilities in Alabama. INTERDISCIP J ENV SCI ED. 2022;18(4):e2292. https://doi.org/10.21601/ijese/12144
AMA
Bourke N, Simmons K, Ousley M. Green Schools: An Examination of Practices and Possibilities in Alabama. INTERDISCIP J ENV SCI ED. 2022;18(4), e2292. https://doi.org/10.21601/ijese/12144
Chicago
Bourke, Nicholas, Kate Simmons, and Monica Ousley. "Green Schools: An Examination of Practices and Possibilities in Alabama". Interdisciplinary Journal of Environmental and Science Education 2022 18 no. 4 (2022): e2292. https://doi.org/10.21601/ijese/12144
MLA
Bourke, Nicholas et al. "Green Schools: An Examination of Practices and Possibilities in Alabama". Interdisciplinary Journal of Environmental and Science Education, vol. 18, no. 4, 2022, e2292. https://doi.org/10.21601/ijese/12144

REFERENCES

  1. Alabama Department of Education. (2015). Alabama Course of Study: Science. https://www.alex.state.al.us/browseSC.php
  2. Archie, M. (2003). Advancing education through environmental literacy. Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
  3. Barr, S. K., Cross, J. E., & Dunbar, B. H. (2014). The whole-school sustainability framework: Guiding principles for integrating sustainability into all aspects of school organization. The Center for Green Schools. http://www.centerforgreenschools.org/sites/default/files/resource-files/Whole-School_Sustainability_Framework.pdf
  4. Barrett, P., Davies, F., Zhang, Y., & Barrett, L. (2015). The impact of classroom design on pupils’ learning: Final results of a holistic, multi-level analysis. Building and Environment, 89, 118-133. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2015.02.013
  5. Berger, R. (2017). School district sustainability: Saving ‘green’ by going green. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/rodberger/2017/05/15/school-district-sustainability-saving-green-by-going-green/?sh=6ec76675371e
  6. Berto, R. (2014). The role of nature in coping with psycho-physiological stress: A literature review on restorativeness. Behavioral Sciences, 4(4), 394-409. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs4040394
  7. Center for Green Schools. (n. d.). Advancing green schools. https://www.centerforgreenschools.org/green-schools
  8. Chan, T. C. (2013). An examination of green school practices in Atlanta schools. Department of Educational Leadership, Kennesaw State University. https://www.thefreelibrary.com/An+Examination+of+Green+School+Practices+in+Atlanta+Schools.-a0341839957
  9. Coyle, K. J. (2020). Green schools in the United States. In A. Gough, J. C. Lee, & E. P. Tsang (Eds.), Green schools globally: Stories of impact on education for sustainable development (pp. 370-385). SERIES: International Explorations in Outdoor and Environmental Education. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-46820-0
  10. Dillman, D. A., Smyth, J. D., & Christian L. M. (2014). Internet, phone, mail, and mixed-mode surveys: The tailored design method. Wiley.
  11. Dyment, J. E. (2005). Gaining ground: The power and potential of school ground greening in the Toronto district school board. Evergreen Learning Grounds. https://www.evergreen.ca/downloads/pdfs/Gaining-Ground-Summary.pdf
  12. Dyment, J. E., & Bell, A. C. (2008). Grounds for movement: Green school grounds as sites for promoting physical activity. Health Education Research, 23(6), 952-962. https://doi.org/10.1093/her/cym059
  13. Eitland, E., Klingensmith, L., MacNaughton, P., Laurent, J.C., Spengler, J., Bernstein, A., & Allen, J. G. (2017). Schools for health: Fondations for student success. Harvard T.H. Chan School for Public Health. https://forhealth.org/Harvard.Schools_For_Health.Foundations_for_Student_Success.pdf
  14. Ghent, A., Trauth-Nare, A., Dell, K., & Haines, S. (2014). The influence of a statewide green school initiative on student achievement in K-12 classrooms. Applied Environmental Education & Communication, 13(4), 250-260. https://doi.org/10.1080/1533015X.2014.983658
  15. Gordon, D. E. (2010). Green schools as high performance learning facilities. National Clearnighouse for Educational Facilities. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED512700.pdf
  16. Kats, G. (2006). Greening America’s schools: Costs and financial benefits. The Massachusetts Technology Collaborative. http://www.usgbc.org
  17. Kerlin, S., Santos, R., & Bennett, W. (2015). Green schools as learning laboratories? Teachers’perceptions of their first year in a new green middle school. Journal of Sustainability Education, 8. https://doi.org/10.1088/1742-6596/1572/1/012042
  18. National Environmental Education Foundation. (2022, February). Benefits of environmental education. National Environmental Education Foundation. https://www.neefusa.org/education/benefits
  19. National Research Council. (2006). Committee to review and assess the health and productivity benefits of green schools. Green schools: Attributes for health and learning. National Academies Press. http://www.nap.edu/catalog/11756.html
  20. National Research Council. (2012). A framework for K-12 science education: Practices, crosscutting concepts, and core ideas. The National Academies Press.
  21. U.S. Department of Education. (2021, January). Green ribbon schools: Highlights from the 2021 honorees. U.S. Department of Education. https://www2.ed.gov/programs/green-ribbon-schools/performance.html
  22. U.S. Department of Education. (2022, February). U.S. department of education green ribbon schools. U.S. Department of Education. https://www2.ed.gov/programs/green-ribbon-schools/index.html
  23. United States Environmental Protection Agency. (2010, November). Indoor air quality tools for schools. https://www.epa.gov/indoor-air-quality-iaq
  24. Yang, B. Y., Zeng, Z. W., Markevych, I., Bloom, M. S., Heinrich, J., Knibbs, L. D., Dharmage, S. C., Lin, S., Jalava, P., Guo, Y., Jalaludin, B., Morawska, L., Zhou, Y., Hu, L. W., & Yu, H. Y. (2019). Association between greenness surrounding schools and kindergartens and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in children in China. JAMA Network Open, 2(12). https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2019.17862

LICENSE

Creative Commons License
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.