Nine More Ohio Schools Achieve LEED Green Building Certification

The Ohio Facilities Construction Commission (OFCC) announced that nine Ohio schools recently achieved LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Green Building Certification, bringing the state's number of certified schools to 382 -- the most of any state in the country. 

OFCC, which oversees capital projects undertaken by the state and manages Ohio's school facility programs, explained it uses the U.S. Green Building Council's (USGBC) LEED for Schools system as a tool to design, construct, and operate buildings to maximize occupant health and productivity, use fewer resources, reduce waste and negative environmental impacts, and?decrease life cycle costs.

"Ohio has more LEED certified schools than any other state in the country, also making it the world leader in environmentally friendly schools," OFCC Executive Director Cheryl J. Lyman said in a written statement. "Well-designed schools are proven to have an impact on student achievement, as well as health indicators among both students and staff."

The rating system looks at design and construction practices including daylighting, classroom acoustics, indoor air quality, sustainable building materials and energy efficiency. Third-party verification provides more assurance to parents, teachers, and the community that the schools will be energy efficient and healthier places for children, OFCC said. 

Once design and construction for a building are complete, its systems have been tested, and it has met LEED standards, a project is eligible for one of four levels of recognition: Certified, Silver, Gold or Platinum. 

The newly certified LEED schools include the following: Whitney M. Young K-8 in the Cleveland Metropolitan School District; the new K-12 building in the Carlisle Local School District; New Atkinson elementary school in the Fremont City School District; New Croghan elementary school in the Fremont City School District; Dover High School in the Dover City School District; Thomas Ewing Jr. High in the Lancaster City School District; the P-6 Elementary in the New Bremen Local School District; and the P-6 South Campus and the 7-12 North Campus in the Winton Woods City School District. 

A full list of certified schools can be found at https://tinyurl.com/mr2pr7dh.