ERIC Number: EJ999208
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2012
Pages: 4
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1059-7417
EISSN: N/A
How to Create Healthy Indoor Environments in Schools
Rhodes, Diane; Di Nella, Frank
Educational Facility Planner, v46 n2-3 p70-73 2012
A green and healthy indoor environment should be a fundamental concern in the place where kids learn and grow. Good indoor air quality (IAQ) has been shown to have positive effects on student and staff productivity, performance, comfort and attendance. Conversely, poor IAQ in classrooms--caused by mold and moisture issues, problems with HVAC systems, insufficient cleaning or excessive use of toxic cleaning chemicals--can exacerbate allergies and respiratory problems. Over 7 million children in the U.S. have asthma and are at risk of attacks, trips to the nurse's office and even missed days of schools if they encounter these triggers. The good news is that these triggers can be avoided, and by taking a few easy and low-cost steps, schools can be proactive in creating healthy school indoor environments. Three school health champions share their best practices to improve staff and student productivity, reduce absenteeism and promote environmental health and safety using the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA's) "IAQ Tools for Schools" Framework for Effective School IAQ Management. The "IAQ Tools for Schools" Framework, which includes the Six Key Drivers and Six Technical Solutions, is designed to promote the proven approaches and strategies for IAQ management that advance environmental health in schools. This Framework can help everyone involved in the maintenance and operations of the school, as well as those involved in school design and construction, understand the overarching purpose of the work that school leaders do every day and how those day-to-day tasks translate into significant environmental health achievements.
Descriptors: Pollution, Sanitation, Best Practices, Educational Facilities, Educational Environment, Health Promotion, Hazardous Materials, Guidelines
Council of Educational Facility Planners International. 11445 East Via Linda Suite 2-440, Scottsdale, AZ 85259. Tel: 480-391-0840; Fax: 480-391-0940; e-mail: contact@cefpi.org; Web site: http://www.cefpi.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=3372
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: Elementary Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A