PASADENA, Calif. — Green Technology magazine, alongside partners Gen7 and Panasonic, honored a number of institutions leading the way in sustainability at the Green California Schools & Community Colleges Summit in Pasadena earlier this month.
OAKLAND, Calif. — La Escuelita Education Center, which opened in fall 2012 in Oakland, recently received the Collaborative for High Performance Schools (CHPS) verification, California’s highest distinction for sustainable schools.
SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. — Change is on the horizon at California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo (Cal Poly SLO). The school recently announced a two-year, master-planning process that will solidify the future of the university and develop a campus that better serves students.
ROCHESTER, Minn. — Several thousand students at six Rochester schools will soon be learning on new iPads. School board members voted unanimously on Nov. 10, with one member not in attendance, to purchase 3,480 Apple iPads at a cost of roughly $1.4 million. Each device will reportedly cost the school district $374, and the program will be funded through the district’s general fund and operating capital, according to KAAL TV.
MANTECA, Calif. — The Gen7 Regional Environmental Studies Center (RESC) in the Manteca Unified School District (MUSD) was recently awarded LEED Gold certification for its modular, zero net energy design. The school district partnered with locally based American Modular Systems to build the center, which is now the first K-12 supporting facility in California’s Central Valley to earn LEED Gold.
BOKA Powell, a full-service architecture, planning and interior design firm with offices in Texas, including Fort Worth, Dallas and Austin, has hired Mark H. Dabney, AIA, to lead its growing Fort Worth practice. Dabney brings more than 25 years of architecture and interior design experience to his new role as associate principal, and most recently served as director of PBK’s Fort Worth office.
The American Electric Lighting Autobahn LED luminaires from Acuity Brands Inc. are designed to deliver quality performance and a quick payback. LED technology and precision-engineered optics provide exceptional illumination, while reducing energy costs and CO2 emissions by 60 percent compared to traditional sources. The luminaires can also integrate with the ROAM wireless outdoor lighting system from Acuity Controls to maximize maintenance savings. Suitable applications include local, collector and major roadways.
The Strawberry Tree is an urban solar device and a smart city platform in one, providing public mobile phone charging, Wi-Fi, local information and environmental sensing. Designed for use on college campuses, parks, city squares and a number of other public spaces, the Strawberry Tree optimizes energy production and consumption, and can work for up to 20 days without solar energy. Each Strawberry Tree includes 530-watt solar panels, a 4.7 kilowatt-hour rechargeable battery, 16 charging cords and up to 1.5 million, 10-minute charges annually.
NEW YORK — Manhattan Star Academy, a school that serves children diagnosed with autism and other developmental disabilities, opened its new Upper West Side location in New York in October.
