On average, green schools use 33% less energy and 32% less water than their conventional counterparts, and save $100,000 per year on direct operating costs, according to the U.S. Green Building Council. Many of these schools, particularly those built in the last three years, indicate that they have achieved LEED certification for no additional cost to the project’s budget and oftentimes for a total cost that is less than regional construction costs for conventional schools built during the same time period. More than 3,000 schools are LEED certified.
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