TY - JOUR
T1 - The role of physical environment on student health and education in green schools
AU - Okcu, Selen
AU - Ryherd, Erica
AU - Bayer, Charlene
N1 - Funding Information:
This work was partially supported by Southeast Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Unit (SE PEHSU) Student Award. We would like to acknowledge collaborations with Break the Cycle Environmental Health Disparities project leaders Dr. Leslie Rubin, Janice Nodvin, and others who helped facilitate this work.
PY - 2011/9/1
Y1 - 2011/9/1
N2 - The role of physical school environment on student health and education is becoming better understood. A growing body of literature indicates that improved physical environments in schools (e.g., indoor air quality, lighting, and acoustic conditions) can enhance student health outcomes. In parallel, the green building movement centers around designing buildings, including schools, that are more sustainable to decrease energy consumption, minimize environmental impact, and create healthier spaces for occupants. This paper synthesizes the findings from both green design studies and school outcomes studies to provide a systematic evaluation of the potential impacts of green school design features on student health outcomes. Three inter-related topics are covered in detail: (i) overview of the "green" concept, including existing guidelines for "greening" schools, attitudes toward green schools, and condition of the physical environments in non-green schools; (ii) potential effects of the physical environment on school children, including documentation of national statistics and summary of findings from school research studies; (iii) synthesis of findings, including a discussion of the knowledge gaps in the field of green school research and conclusions.
AB - The role of physical school environment on student health and education is becoming better understood. A growing body of literature indicates that improved physical environments in schools (e.g., indoor air quality, lighting, and acoustic conditions) can enhance student health outcomes. In parallel, the green building movement centers around designing buildings, including schools, that are more sustainable to decrease energy consumption, minimize environmental impact, and create healthier spaces for occupants. This paper synthesizes the findings from both green design studies and school outcomes studies to provide a systematic evaluation of the potential impacts of green school design features on student health outcomes. Three inter-related topics are covered in detail: (i) overview of the "green" concept, including existing guidelines for "greening" schools, attitudes toward green schools, and condition of the physical environments in non-green schools; (ii) potential effects of the physical environment on school children, including documentation of national statistics and summary of findings from school research studies; (iii) synthesis of findings, including a discussion of the knowledge gaps in the field of green school research and conclusions.
KW - Green schools
KW - high performance buildings
KW - student outcomes
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U2 - 10.1515/REVEH.2011.024
DO - 10.1515/REVEH.2011.024
M3 - Review article
C2 - 22206193
AN - SCOPUS:80052692231
VL - 26
SP - 169
EP - 179
JO - Reviews on Environmental Health
JF - Reviews on Environmental Health
SN - 0048-7554
IS - 3
ER -