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Aug
18
Staley High School: Green or not so Green?
August 18, 2008 |
Today the North Kansas City School District opens Staley High School, it’s fourth. With a coming LEED certification it is being trumpeted as the greenest school building in the state. And while that might be true for the buiding itself, how about its larger impact? You see, the site the school district chose at NE 107th and N. Woodland has zero public transportation, few sidewalks, and no bike lanes.
Anyone who works or visits the school will be mostly limited to driving there. Most students who live too close for bus service will either drive there or be driven by parents. Since more than a third of KC’s greenhouse gas emissions come from automobiles, it is important to evaluate a green building’s transportation footprint and the alternative transportation available at its location. Staley High School might be very green terms of conversving water and electricity, but the school will still have a big impact on greenhouse gas and air quality.
Comments
13 Comments so far
I see your point, but since I have little knowledge of KC schools (and it seems like you might?) perhaps you can give us a list of some other KC schools that meet these criteria?
Are there other KC schools that have more sidewalks and bike lanes?
Are there other North KC schools that have more public transportation?
(I honestly don’t know - perhaps most KC schools have all this)
I”m not saying that these thing aren’t important (they ARE), but maybe are you putting this school up to a standard it couldn’t possibly meet? My guess is that EVERY school has a big impact on greenhouse gas and air quality.
They could have easily built this school in a NON-green fashion, and gotten NO LEED certification, and probably no one would have complained. However, since they took steps to make it more green, people then complain that it’s not green ENOUGH!
Sure, it would have been great if this school had met all of these criteria so it would have an even SMALLER footprint, and perhaps there was a denser population area where this school could have been built, but I for one, am glad to see someone at least making a green effort.
No, it’s not enough. New construction that isn’t green is entirely irresponsible and inappropriate. But point here is that the new school’s location pretty much cancels out whatever environmental benefit that may be had through its construction.
The greenest building is the one you don’t have to build new.
Schools don’t build roads.
bahua,
I assume that a school district would build a school in a particular area because that area is where the school is needed (where the population is growing).
Do you agree that this school was needed?
If it was needed, do you have a suggestion of where they could have built the school that would have been a greener option?
I don’t have the answers on this issue, but my point is that most cities probably would have gone the “irresponsible and inappropriate” route - built the school out in the middle of nowhere and NON-Green.
At least the NKC school district got it half right, and perhaps (I don’t know) it is actually looking towards the future and that school area will become much higher density in a few years and grow into an area with bike paths, and all the other things it doesn’t have today.
Perhaps I am giving the school district too much credit?
The important point here is transportation is the biggest part of being “green” - and so far most people either don’t realize or don’t want to acknowledge it. It is great that the school district is building green buildings. But to really make a difference the city also has to transportation options beyond just driving there.
I would chalk this one up to sprawl in general rather than blaming the school. They followed expected demand to that site.
As far as I know, there are really only 3 options to get to school:
1. Driving
2. Walking
3. Biking
No one is stopping anyone from riding their bike or walking, and I’m sure like most schools, they offer a option that has been around awhile - riding on a school bus.
This is a fuel-saving option that schools have been offering for quite a few years, and it’s a form of public transportation. Am I right?
Now I’m only being half serious - there’s nothing stopping kids from riding the bus, but if this school is too far to walk or bike to, does ANYONE have a suggestion where the school SHOULD have been built that would have been more environmentally friendly?
Perhaps everyone’s REAL issue is that Missourians are choosing to live in the low-density areas of the Northland, where they can own huge homes (that aren’t even a little bit green) with plenty of space between themselves and their neighbors and don’t live close to a school.
Maybe it’s not the school that really needs to be greener - perhaps it’s the parents who are more to blame?
Maybe if KCMO Democrats weren’t so bought off by the NEA and the “rent a race mob” circus and there could be real reform in the laughingstock KCMO school district.
It’s a real shame the “progressives” continue to support a system that provides no value to educating our children to anything other than working at 7/11 or Burger King. They expect nothing from these kids and they are not dissapointed.
If the KCMO school district hadn’t been destroyed in the 60’s, there would be no need for any schools north of the river.
Ummm…the urban schools test lower overall because of White Flight to the burbs. The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. Enjoy the $3.66 gasoline…it won’t last, and when the price doubles, things will begin to reverse.
Staley high school was definatley needed. All the schools in the north kanasa city school district are over crowded. As far a bike and walk routes go they are working on improving roades, and I don’t see any reason why they couldn’t be added in the future. If you are a student maybe joining the student council and suggesting some of your ideas to make Staley school “greener” would be a good idea. They are doing their best you can’t expect it to be perfect in the first year.
I agree that right now, there is not too much access to the school and that it is set back from everything else. However, it is connected to the Maplewoods Parkway which will soon be expanded leading to an easier path to the school. I am betting that with this school and the building of NKC’s new elementary school next to it, more homes will be built around there and access will be much easier. Positive progress takes time. And also, the LEED cert. doesn’t mean that everything will be greener relating to the building- it means that the construction and use of the building leaves a small footprint on the environment which is what it did! Due to the location of the school, this will really cut down the commute of several who live close to Staley that had to drive to Oak Park so it will be less of a long term footprint left anyway. Great Job NKC schools- I wish other districts would start thinking like them- we could really make a difference!
As a student from Staley High School, I must say that we are not perfect for it is our first year. But Staley strives with its LEED certification. We are very proud of it there and if you walk into our buildig you can see what we do for the enviorement. We have lights that are motion sensored so only the minumum amount of enrgy is consumed in classrooms. We have ” recycle centers” at lunch where isnted of throwing our trash away we have selceted piles for compost,glass,platic,paper ect. We also are starting to save paper and using the our email and the internet to do assignments instead of making handouts. Yes, it is true that many of us students drive to school or are driven to school, but sometimes its hard to be perfect. The reason Im thinking we dont have bike lanes is because the road leading into our school, Woodland, is a very busy road and therefore for the saftey of our students and the community, many students choose not to ride their bikes on that road. It will soon be connected to more roads to make easier pathways to and from the school, but right now its safest to drive. I am assuming that in the future bikelanes and sidewalks will be added as the communtiy grows.
Look. You can complain about Staley’s location all you want, and, to an extent, you’re right. There is a lot of automobile traffic in and out and that does have an effect. But, consider this. What if Staley hadn’t been built to LEED standards? The effect would have been a lot worse. Also consider this. When New Mark Middle School (NKCSD) was built, there was nothing around it besides an 1800’s house. Now, it’s surrounded by many neighborhoods. I think it’s reasonable to say the same thing about Staley’s location.