It's official, Learning Gate school is green

The curriculum is the obvious way that Learning Gate Community School goes green.

Its students grow organic fruits and vegetables to donate to food banks. They study water conservation and put it into practice by collecting rain in rain barrels for their plants. They take nature walks on the wooded campus.

But what's overhead, underneath and along the classroom buildings also made major contributions to Learning Gate earning the highest certification it could for environmentally friendly buildings.

"Finally, it's here," said Principal Patti Girard.

The charter school recently achieved platinum certification through the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED for Schools standards. It was the first public school in the country to receive the platinum rating in that category.

The LEED - Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design - rating system considers a new building's air quality, water and energy efficiency, environmentally friendly materials and construction waste. Even the type of landscaping around the building and how it is irrigated is considered.

LEED for Schools is a relatively new designation that puts more of an emphasis on sound and indoor air quality than the LEED standards for general new construction, said Drew Smith, president of Sarasota-based Two Trails.

"That's the path Learning Gate had chosen to take," Smith said. "It's a little more stringent, but they were able to get through it. It's an unbelievable undertaking."

Two Trails served as the consultant for Learning Gate's project and did all the testing of the school's energy and mechanical systems to ensure they met the criteria.

Schools get points based on how well they do in various categories. The more points earned, the higher the certification. A platinum designation such as Learning Gate's is the highest of four possible levels.

"It takes a great effort to get to platinum," Smith said. "It's not an easy task whatsoever. You've got to hit a majority of categories to get there - interior, structural and environmental."

Michele Northrup, school spokeswoman, said Learning Gate had to document everything they did, from the type of glue in the carpet to the amount of construction waste that was recycled. They had to record where building materials came from, staying within a 500-mile radius to avoid goods that were shipped cross-country, wasting fuel.

A charter school in Lutz, Learning Gate is state funded but privately run. It serves children in elementary through middle school.

Learning Gate opened the first of its three modular green buildings two years ago. The buildings, which contain 10 classrooms, have a cooling system that dehumidifies while drawing in fresh air. Lights bounce off the ceiling for a softer glow without as much electricity and adjust automatically when people leave the room or if the sun goes behind clouds.

Biodegradable soy foam insulates the building. A cistern system filters and purifies rainwater and dew, pumping it into low-flow toilets for use. The school installed solar panels this spring to offset energy costs.

With so many special features, green buildings seem expensive. But Smith said schools can keep costs low by considering environmentalism from the start of planning. Girard said the $1.3 million cost - offset by a $250,000 grant from the Lowe's Charitable and Educational Foundation - was comparable to a traditional classroom building. Prices shouldn't discourage schools from pursuing LEED certification, she said.

"I think most people are afraid," Girard said. "They think it's going to cost a lot of money. They don't understand the process and the benefits. It almost has to become a requirement."