New Relationship Aimed at Incorporating Sustainable Design Elements and Lessons into GEF Green Building Curriculum
July 29, 2013— Green Education Foundation (GEF) and Autodesk have collaborated to integrate sustainable design as an integral component of GEF’s Green Building Program, a free K-12 curriculum where students learn first-hand about green building attributes and benefits. Autodesk will assist GEF in the development of lessons, tools and resources focused on sustainable design and architecture to ensure students understand the significance and importance of green design for both existing and new construction projects.Autodesk provides design professionals, engineers, architects, digital artists, students and hobbyists software to unlock their creativity and solve important challenges. The company launched its Sustainability Workshop website in an effort to educate college students on green architecture and sustainable design. Through this relationship, Autodesk will educate K-12 students on this field’s potential by providing free software and related lessons to encourage environmentally-friendly design at school and home. Downloads of this tool will be available on GEF’s Green Building Program website this fall.
“We’re delighted to work closely with Autodesk in educating students on the resounding benefits associated with green design and construction by introducing classrooms to state-of-the-art software tools for use with our green building curriculum,” noted Victoria Waters, GEF president and CEO. “With green jobs outpacing all others combined, now is the time to prepare students for these exciting opportunities by engaging them in real-life hands-on learning.”
GEF’s Green Building Program offers a semester and yearlong blended Green Building Course that can be integrated into an existing class or offered as an elective for upper middle and high school students. The curriculum explores the relationship between a school’s building, human ecology, sustainability and the environment. Students will learn about a variety of sustainability topics, including an introduction to sustainability, sustainable sites and landscapes, water and energy use and indoor environmental quality as they relate to building construction, operation and maintenance. The capstone project features a comprehensive audit and report with student recommendations for building improvements based upon the results of their school-wide audit.
“The goals of GEF align well with our education efforts to advance design skills and sustainability literacy at 8-12 schools across the globe," said Adam Menter, sustainability education program manager, Autodesk. "Providing schools with the tools to educate their students on how we can ‘design better’ to protect our natural resources without sacrificing performance is a win for everyone. Autodesk is proud to be part of this forward-thinking initiative."
Goals of the Green Building Program include educating students on:
• the importance of integrating sustainability into the design of structures and buildings
• how to reduce energy and water usage in buildings
• ways to improve indoor and outdoor environmental quality
• how to upgrade the school building to accommodate for a healthier, more productive learning environment for occupants
GEF Green Building Course materials in each unit include student readings, scripted lessons, pacing guides, a teacher manual, presentation slides & transparencies, hand-outs, audit overview and capstone project. Visit http://www.greeneducationfoundation.org/green-building-program-sub.html to learn more.
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About Green Education Foundation (GEF)
Green Education Foundation (GEF) is a non-profit organization committed to creating a sustainable future through education. Sustainability education provides educators with the real-world applied learning models that connect science, technology, and math education with the broader human concerns of environmental, economic, and social systems. GEF provides curriculum and resources to K-12 students and teachers worldwide with the goal of challenging them to think holistically and critically about global environmental concerns and solutions.Become a member for free to gain full access to GEF’s comprehensive library of standards-based lessons and activities at www.greeneducationfoundation.org. Join the sustainability education conversation by following GEF on Twitter @greenedufdn and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/greenedufoundation. Visit www.gefinstitute.org to access online courses and certificate programs in sustainability for academic and professional credit.