Green Technology, in conjunction with the state of California, held the first California Green Schools Summit last week. The Summit, aimed at furthering Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s green building initiatives in California schools, brought together state officials, environmental leaders, green products and services companies and a host of celebrities in a three day summit held December 4-6, 2007 in Pasadena, California.
The summit featured:
- 75 educational workshops and sessions
- an exhibition floor complete with a model green school building and more than 200 companies offering green products and services
- a special “Student Summit” featuring green-school projects for California high school students
- keynote speakers
- an awards ceremony to celebrate sustainable schools throughout the state.
As Secretary Rosario Marin and State Architect David Thorman wrote in a recent commentary for the Summit, ” A school is not just a building, as any parent or teacher can tell you. Our schools provide an environment that fosters learning and provides young people with knowledge and experience that enable them to imagine their futures.” Indeed, it is no minor task to create a school that facilitates learning and provides a safe and healthy environment for students to learn. Add in the moral mandate we all have to build in an ethical, sustainable and socially responsible fashion, and one can quickly ascertain that the task set before Californians for greener schools is an immense challenge.
But it is not an impossible challenge, as evidenced by the tremendous number of exhibitors, state officials, educators, students and community members who participated in this event. California has set the pace for other states in recent legislation titled Proposition 1D, which allocated $100 million to assist the process of greening California’s K-12 schools.
Never one to shy away from leading the rest of the country, California is setting the pace once again.
For more information on the Green Schools Summit, please go to Green Technology.
Allie - Reporting Green for We Can Live Green
Nick said,
December 23, 2007 @ 7:24 pm
We had the opportunity to participate in both exhibiting and in the classroom mock-up. Unlike some other venues, there seemed to be a genuine, concious effort by all involved to look at practical applications & avoid the “greenwash” syndrome. We look forward to participating in the advances of Green Schools, and next year’s Summit.
The plug - please review our latest outreach video at http://www.ultratouch.net/video.html
Thanks again, Nick…
Yes, I work with the manufacturer’s representative - no plug here, but welcome the interest, feedback, and of course the growth in the raving fan base. Thanks again, Nick…