Monroe Central High School in Woodsfield, Ohio, has become the 100th public school building in the state to receive LEED certification for its environmentally friendly elements.
Monroe Central, in the Switzerland of Ohio Local School District has received a silver LEED rating.
The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) says in a news release that Ohio has more LEED-certified public schools than any other state; hundreds more school facilities in Ohio are in line to receive a LEED certification; since 2007, the Ohio School Facilities Commission (OSFC) has required the design of every school building for which it provides funds to at least seek LEED Silver certification.
“The OSFC and the entire state of Ohio are national leaders in creating healthy, sustainable schools,” says Rachel Gutter, director of the Center for Green Schools at USGBC. "Since 2007, we've watched the OSFC successfully grow a program that shows LEED is working for Ohio — these schools are saving money, energy and resources.
Of the 100 LEED certifications in Ohio schools, 44 have exceeded LEED Silver, earning LEED Gold or Platinum. Other notable LEED-certified schools include London Middle School of the London City School District in Madison County, which was the first LEED Platinum school in the state and boasts a 40 percent reduction in water usage and 42 percent energy savings.
Robert A. Taft Information Technology High School in Cincinnati became the first public high school in the state to receive LEED Platinum certification.
More than 300 schools in Ohio are either registered to become LEED-certified or already are certified. On average, the USGBC says, Ohio’s 100 certified schools have been designed to use 35 percent less energy and an average of 37 percent less water than comparable buildings constructed and operated to traditional standards.
All Ohio School Facilities Commission projects pursuing LEED certification encourage the use of products and materials that are harvested, manufactured or produced within a 500-mile radius of the project. On average, nearly 35 percent of building materials for these schools was procured from regional sources, and 22 percent of the schools’ building materials contain recycled content.
The 100 schools also have diverted more than 188,114 tons and 57,565 cubic yards of construction waste from Ohio landfills.
