ColorBrightonGreen supports a Green Redevelopment Project at the Brighton Central School District’s Brookside School. The letter that ColorBrightonGreen is sending is included below. If you live in the Brighton Central School District and think it is important that the building be redeveloped using methods that reduce energy usage and long term operational costs, you may want to copy and send this letter or your own letter to the Brighton Central School District as soon as possible.
Dear Superintendent McGowan, and Brighton Board of Education:
The Brookside Redevelopment Project is an exciting opportunity to create a healthier and safer space in which our children can learn, while also saving taxpayer money.
As a town, Brighton has committed to being a Climate Smart Community, and we must all act swiftly to ensure the future of our community by doing all we can to provide a safe and sustaining environment in which our children can thrive.
Therefore, the ideal school design must incorporate passive heating and cooling, and utilize green building techniques, in order to ensure:
- Healthier air that will support learning: Passive heating and cooling dramatically improves indoor air quality and minimizes the use of toxic building materials that off-gas volatile organic compounds (VOCs).
- Lower operating costs of the school: Low energy needs will save taxpayer money
- A reduction of our carbon footprint: Climate Change is a serious concern for the future of our children, and its our duty to protect them. A green redevelopment project will help our town to achieve its Climate Smart Community promise by reducing Greenhouse Gas emissions through minimizing the building’s energy consumption.
As was reported in the NYS Energy plan, on-site combustion (primarily for heating homes and buildings) accounts for 35% of NYS fossil fuel greenhouse gas emissions. A “Passive House School” is so well insulated that energy demands for heating and cooling are reduced by 75% compared to a conventionally constructed building. Therefore, a Passive House School is a fiscally smart investment, and also the right choice for safeguarding the future of our children and demonstrating our commitment to help our community fight climate instability.
While there are many sustainable design features we would like to see incorporated in any new building, the commitment to a passive building is the top priority. Specifically, we respectfully request the Board of Education to:
- Direct the district architects to incorporate a Passive House approach where energy load goals would be 4.75Btu/sf/year for heating and cooling and air tightness goal would be .6 air changes/hour @50 Pa.
- Include the annual energy costs of any building in the planning and decision-making process
- Use the annual energy savings from a passive house school to pay down the construction loan
Our children need our steadfast commitment to their well-being now and in the future, and we do not have the luxury of time to waste before taking full responsibility to ensure the best future for them that we can possibly afford. I know that you are just as concerned to serve the best interests of our community as I am. Thank you in advance for your support.
Respectfully, ColorBrightonGreen.org
