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This lesson introduces students to the major topics they will examine in depth later in this module. They begin by considering how the school environment affects them by noting the characteristics of rooms in which they feel the healthiest and most productive during the school day. This reflection helps introduce students to an important system goal in LEED, the Impact Category called Enhance Individual Human Health and Well-Being. Next, via a lively video, students learn about sick building syndrome. They play a matching game to link conditions, symptoms, causes, and possible solutions related to sick buildings. A presentation helps students establish a base from which to learn about the LEED Indoor Environmental Quality Credit Category by introducing categories of air quality, lighting, acoustics, and occupant comfort as key components. Finally, students review and share their analyses of case studies of actual healthy building projects to stimulate their interest in the strategies they will investigate in later lessons.

In this lesson, students investigate how passive design strategies, such as the use of passive solar, thermal mass, daylighting, and natural ventilation, can be used in a building to harvest “free” energy and conserve energy. First, they learn how key strategies can be integrated in a heating and cooling system for all seasons. Then they view photographs of actual buildings to evaluate the effectiveness of their passive design. Students then apply what they learn by designing, building, and testing a model house that incorporates passive design strategies.

In this lesson, students examine how buildings commonly use energy, particularly to regulate temperature and provide electricity, and where this energy comes from. They tour their school building to examine different ways energy is used within the building. Then they research several impacts that using that energy has on the environment, including climate change, acid precipitation, and ozone depletion. Students form groups to create mini-lessons on five key areas of environmental impact and then teach their peers about the impact. Throughout the lesson, students examine how human behavior and green building can effectively reduce energy consumption in buildings and, thus, the use of fossil fuels.

Supplementary References

Every LEED Prep lesson includes references in the Assess section to the GBES LEED v4 Green Associate Exam Preparation Study Guide (when relevant), the LEED Green Associate Candidate Handbook (for Task and Knowledge Domains), and LEED Impact Categories. Those resources are included here, along with other references students may find helpful in preparing for the LEED Green Associate Exam.

Below you will find a plethora of resources that will be helpful for students studying for the LEED Prep Green Associates Exam including the GBES Study Guide referenced in most lessons of the LEED Prep: Green Building Lessons for a Sustainable Future.

This lesson page provides free resources for you, the teacher, to advance your own knowledge of sustainability and green building, and support your teaching.

This page is a great starting point for new sustainability teachers or a resource for experienced teachers. It will provide you with some background information to help you understand the impact of green schools and prepare you to start to take actions at your own school.

All the materials are available for free download in the “Prepare” tab below. For additional information about each resource, check out the “Teach” tab.

We’ve broken them down by:
- Green Schools Profiles and Case Studies
- Reports and Guides
- LEED Resources
- Pedagogy
- Videos

And check out additional resources in the Extend tab to expand your school's sustainability initiatives. We've called out reports to share with your legislators to drive green school initiatives as well as training to share with your facility staff.

The materials in this lesson are designed to support teachers, not implement as instruction in your classroom. But feel free to share materials with your students, colleagues, or community!

When you are ready, dive into the Learning Lab lessons. Looking for a place to start? Check out Every School Can Be A Green School: Getting Started Checklists. Or search the catalog by grade level, subject and theme.

In this lesson students get an in-depth look into a global, sustainability-focused organization. A case study provides a situated context for understanding how broad and still-evolving ideas, such as sustainability and sustainability professionals, are becoming more established.

The students continue to research a field of interest including setting up and conducing an informational interview. This experience will help students make connections and gain confidence that will be valuable to them as they prepare for their own personal career journey.

Students will conclude by creating an action plan to meet their green career goals.

In this lesson, students are then encouraged to explore their personal strengths and aspirations, define their personal mission statement, and then conduct in-depth research into their field of interest.

This lesson introduces students to the idea of green careers and what it means to be a sustainability professional. We break down the concepts of "green" and "sustainability" and encourage students to explore how the concepts could apply to their career.

The lesson includes identifying potential green career opportunities and the skills, certifications, and credentials that can enhance a resume and improve a graduate’s employability.