Different ways to ensure environment-friendly facilities
dubai — While some schools are focusing on implementing ecofriendly initiatives by the students, others are ensuring ‘green’ facilities for their students.
The Jumeira Baccalaureate School (JBS), for instance, is trying to ensure they have a ‘green facility’. “Research continues to show how ‘green facilities’ have a positive impact both on students’ abilities to learn, as well as teachers’ ability to teach. It is a key part of our curriculum that young people come to understand the importance of sustainability. After all, we are creating the leaders of the future,” said Richard Drew, the principal of the school.
“We have changed all our lights to LEDs, all taps have been fitted with devices to reduce water usage and we recycle all non-food waste. We reuse paper and monitor our photocopying output closely, plus all students from Grade 3 onwards are encouraged to ‘bring their own device’ to school which have a greater impact on the amount of paper used, as well as, creating technically savvy young people.
We reuse paper and monitor our photocopying output closely, plus all students from Grade 3 onwards are encouraged to ‘bring their own device’ to school.” Richard Drew, principal, JBS
Our water and electricity consumption invoices are also monitored closely. Sustainability is a key part of the IB curriculum — it is taught from Grade 1.”
Our school has been purpose-built with natural lighting. Our lights are rarely on and the lights turn off automatically when someone leaves the room.” Jackie Schemenauer, sustainability coordinator, SISSD
The Swiss International Scientific School Dubai (SISSD) is also focusing on ensuring their facilities are green. Jackie Schemenauer, the sustainability coordinator at SISSD, said that poor air quality can harm a student’s concentration levels, which is why it is “essential” to ensure a school is green.
“Our school has been purposebuilt with natural lighting. Our lights are rarely on and the lights turn off automatically when someone leaves the room. Our building has been built on a vacuum seal, so our windows don’t open. We have a filtration system for indoor air quality, which is monitored and there is a system in place. We also have lots of plants inside to improve air quality,” she had previously told Khaleej Times.