What Does It Mean to Be Green?

The Buzz word these days is about being "Green." What was once a little known topic has now burst into mainstream society with marketers and advertisers jumping on the bandwagon. So how does a school, such as CATEC, try to reduce its carbon footprint and help educate students about being environmentally friendly?

Well, one group that has taken this initiative by storm is our Carpentry Program. Each year our high school students construct a modular home that is sold each year in the spring. Our 2006/07 house followed the US Green Building Council's LEED guidelines for construction. LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design and its purpose is to use sustainable and environmentally favorable practices and materials during the construction process. While our house did not gain official LEED certification it did shed a whole new light for our students on how to use "best practices" to go Green.

CATEC is currently in the design phases on construction this year's house (2007/08) with the hope of gaining official LEED certification as the first to be built by high school students in the country. We need great partnerships in our community to make this happen but will not fail based on desire and perseverance.

In the end, whether the house built by our students is certified or not, we have made a lasting impression on a future generation of consumers and less of an impression with our carbon footprint.

D.Bonham