Texas elementary aims for net-zero-energy status

The Coppell (Texas) District has broken ground on an elementary school that will be built as a net-zero-energy campus. The Dallas Morning News says that when Richard J. Lee Elementary School opens in fall 2014, it will be classified as net-zero-ready. A full net-zero classification will come if the school board decides to buy additional solar panels for the school. The 95,633-square-foot school will have a butterfly garden; a rainwater-collection system to flush toilets and sustain an eco-pond; and a geothermal system for heating and cooling.