On the second floor of Suitland Elementary School, students filed past a poster featuring the face of Rachel Carson, an author and environmentalist.
‘‘Those who dwell among the beauties and mysteries of the earth are never done or weary of life,” the poster reads. And the quote is indicative of the way of life at the school.
Built in 2005 on the four-acre former site of Shadyside Elementary School, Suitland Elementary is the first in the county to utilize green technology that will help Prince George’s County achieve targets outlined in the state Global Warming Solutions Act.
The bill, sponsored by State Sen. Ulysses Currie (D-Dist. 25) of Forestville and 18 other members of the Maryland State Senate, sets targets for greenhouse gas reductions across the state at 25 percent by 2020. The bill was passed by the senate March 14 and is awaiting house approval.
One of the steps in reaching the goals described in the bill is to make schools more environmentally friendly by building new schools or by modifying the facilities. According to the U.S. Green Building Council, buildings produce 48 percent of the annual greenhouse gas emissions in the United States. Green building practices like those employed by the builders of Suitland Elementary could reduce the building’s greenhouse gas emissions by as much as 35 percent.
Some of the technology built into Suitland Elementary includes solar energy panels, rain barrels to collect and reuse rainwater and shade awnings to keep rooms naturally cool. The school also utilizes large skylights and windows to allow natural light to flow into the hallways.
Currie and Del. Aisha Braveboy (D-Dist. 25) of Mitchellville both toured the school Monday morning with representatives from the Alliance for Global Warming Solutions to see how the improvements up close.
‘‘We can build schools right now and cut our fossil fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions at the same time as providing healthier learning environments,” said Cherie Yelton, coordinator for the Alliance at a news conference before the tour.
The Alliance is an organization composed of health, faith, business, environmental and community groups in Maryland working to find solutions to global warming.
An elementary school in the Laurel-Beltsville area is slated to open in August with even more environmentally sound specifications than Suitland Elementary, Currie said.
John White, spokesman for the Prince George’s County Public Schools said the new Laurel-Beltsville school will be the first in the county to receive Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification, a green building rating system designed by the U.S. Green Building Council.
White said Suitland Elementary is not LEED certified.
These improvements have not only helped the environment, but also made for an environment more conducive to learning, principal Andre Walker said.
‘‘Kids want to learn in a in a clean, healthy environment,” Walker said. ‘‘They come to school with pride.”
Walker also said the building bridges a gap between the school curriculum and real life.
‘‘We talk about the global effects on the environment and how this is not just about the Suitland community,” Walker said. ‘‘It creates a curiosity among the students. They start to ask questions.”
William Freeman, a sixth-grade student at the school, said Suitland Elementary has been a great place to learn.
‘‘We have a lot of great stuff here,” he said. ‘‘When we learn about the environment and what we are doing, we realize how large the world is.”
Currie also said he thinks a more environmentally friendly school will help students.
‘‘This kind of environment definitely helps performance levels improve,” Currie said. ‘‘There’s better air quality and more sunlight which helps students’ academic performance.”
Rex Wright, chairman of the Baltimore Regional Green Building Council, said a healthy school environment benefits a large number of the population.
‘‘Twenty percent of the population goes to school every day – whether it’s teachers, students or administrators,” Wright said. ‘‘A school building that creates a healthy environment is conducive to learning, and it creates a higher teacher retention rate.”
E-mail Ryan McDermott at rmcdermott@gazette.net.
