2Sustain

Kraft Foods, IGA, American Express, and Xerox Corporation have teamed up to help build four high performance, sustainable schoolhouses in the City of Phoenix.

Each of these Green Schoolhouses will be a 5,000 square foot stand-alone, multi-purpose classroom facility that can be used for traditional educational instruction during the day, after-school programs, and community meeting space on evenings and weekends.

And, each will be designed to target a specific K-12 student demographic:  The Loft for high schools students, The Studio for middle schoolers, The Safari for elementary school students, and Tierra Verde, a multicultural K-12 facility.

The group is planning to achieve USGBC LEED-Platinum certification in each of the schools. (As an aside: Currently, there are no LEED-Platinum Certified K-12 schools built or under construction in Arizona.)

Specifically, the sustainable design will include: solar, day lighting, acoustics, energy-efficient HVAC systems, earth-friendly wall systems and flooring, zero-VOC paints, drought-tolerant landscaping, motion detectors, and energy management systems. In addition to providing  a “green” educational learning environment, these components are expected to help achieve net-zero energy, resulting in no additional electricity costs.

According to Jeff Chahley, Senior Director of Sustainability for Kraft Foods, the company’s support of the Green Schoolhouses project aligns perfectly with its corporate sustainability goals. “Our approach to sustainability is meeting the needs of today while being mindful of the future,” he says. “We’re a proud supporter of the Green Schoolhouse program because it provides kids with a better, greener learning environment and teaches future generations about the importance of sustainability.”

Other funding for The Green Schoolhouse Series has been provided by some of the most respected and sustainable general contractors in the nation, including Turner Construction, Weitz, Hensel Phelps Construction Company, and Kitchell Contractors.