The Role of Schools in Achieving Net-Zero Goals

Without a doubt, when establishing new ways of  doing things, schools play a fundamental role. This is especially true when addressing global environmental challenges. Their education, research and community involvement can produce long-lasting environmental effects and societal change not just as teaching centers but as practical sites where different initiatives or projects can be implemented as part of their day-to-day operation.

According to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization,  sustainability is a paradigm for thinking about the future in which the economic, environmental and social dimensions are intertwined, not separate, and are balanced in the pursuit of an improved quality of life. In order to achieve this, the economic and ecological considerations of institutions must be fully integrated.

Currently within the real estate field, many segments, such as corporate, hotels, residential and industrial parks, are moving toward sustainability, but the work is not only up to  them but also up to our schools. If we want to achieve net zero to avoid a drastic change in the way we live, we all have to join in. 

The change starts with how we educate our children and our community, so it is essential to inculcate habits and a more environmentally conscious culture in students from an early age so that they can make more informed decisions about sustainability. All schools must be prepared and congruent in order to have an impact on students. JLL’s proposed “Green schools” program and others like it can teach an environmental philosophy.

School is the place where different families are interconnected so, when some of these schools share a sustainability success story or lead a community project, the potential to convene, mobilize or inspire is great.From a building point of view, being a green school encompasses many elements. Sustainability standards must be implemented at the design and construction stage, whether it is a new building or partial remodeling. This could be the selection of materials, equipment and technologies that are going to be implemented to ensure efficiency in water and energy consumption as well as the minimization of waste generation.

The above  starts with the design and construction stage but once the building is operating, new sustainability challenges arise in all areas. JLL’s  five pillars cover everything we have to consider: water, energy, waste, materials, and emissions. CO2 is actually very much immersed in the others because to the extent that you reduce energy, you reduce emissions, to the extent that you properly dispose of waste, ensuring it does not go to landfills and does not generate gases, and also to the extent that you recycle and incorporate recycled materials into new raw materials or dispose of smaller amounts of virgin materials from nature to minimize the amount of gases emitted to the atmosphere.All this impacts CO2.  

By incorporating sustainability into everything that schools do, they can become spaces in which students at all levels, from kindergarten to university, have the opportunity to experience these projects first-hand. It should not only be the general services or maintenance people implementing these projects; the students themselves should participate. Ideally, the students should be able to devise and create their own initiatives and be part of the implementation and even of the operation. There are many innovative projects that can be promoted so that students learn in a different, richer, and more efficient way because the more they experience it, the more they will take that knowledge and make it their own. To the extent that children take these practices and lessons  to their homes, the inner circle will start to adhere because they start to share and that is really when we are going to do things differently. Every aspect of experience at school contributes to this – the buildings, the grounds, the culture and the opportunities to gain new experiences and take on responsibilities. These things are all transformative – and often far more so than the lessons learned in class. 

If you look at it as a business, it is also an opportunity to get the same benefits as the other properties. For example, if you comply with expectations for waste, water, energy, supplies and CO2, your operating expenses for maintenance and consumption will decline and you can become more resilient and depend less on other companies. Therefore, sustainability goes hand in hand with resilience Similarly, a school can benefit from implementing all these programs; everywhere you look, there will be an opportunity. Being a green school can bring enormous benefits in many aspects: many diseases can be avoided since the conditions surrounding the environment would be incredibly healthier, increasing attendance; likewise, the impact on the community is really important.

For many teachers, it may be difficult to change the way they teach, but we must find a way that makes sense to them and make them understand that it will make learning more meaningful for their students. 

There is no limitation, any school could participate in the program, it only requires will and organization. Under the program and model we are designing, the main thing is to work as a team and pre-design these structures. Whether it is a new project or one that you already have, the strategy can be implemented.  

A big factor why many schools do not join these projects is the lack of knowledge. In general, they do not know what opportunities they have, they do not have the capital or it is a matter of communication evangelization.

In some cities, such as Mexico City, schools can also benefit from tax incentives as part of the private education sector for implementing actions to reduce their carbon emissions. Although for many schools it is not their priority, you increasingly can find schools in Mexico with LEED certification under the New Construction or Operation and Maintenance rating systems. But the program itself under the five pillars (water, energy, materials, waste and CO2) does not exist. These projects have not been developed in an integral or transverse manner as proposed by JLL Mexico. At present, the Rochester School in Colombia is the closest approach in Latin America to this model. 

JLL Mexico is a key actor as a strategic stakeholder for schools that want to implement this model. JLL Mexico understands  real estate management, it has the know-how regarding sustainability and it has a very broad network that gives it the opportunity to collaborate and share best practices and benchmarking, providing clients with integrated solutions. 

JLL has developed this model with the support and information provided by the USGBC and incorporating the philosophy and tools provided by the Center for Green Schools which drives the green school movement by working directly with those implementing sustainability within school systems and offering a wide array of initiatives including communications, advocacy, network-building, training, and the development of tools and platforms through which to accelerate action and hence making the accomplishment of goals easier.

We may think we are doing this to save the planet from climate change, but instead, think of it the other way around: we should be doing this for us, because nature is still there and will continue to exist; it will change, weather conditions will change, places will have floods, there will be ong drought seasons, warmer summers but nature is still there and the most  affected are human beings. So, the main reason for doing all this is for ourselves, to generate a better space for ourselves and for those who will come in the future.

Climate change and all the consequences that will result seem unimaginable. may believe that nothing is going to happen, but the truth is that it is just around the corner. Through these programs, we have the opportunity to work with schools, with children from an early age, which is the key for us to really change our mindset as a society and to nurture  other values, principles, with other routines and with another culture. It is to live as a society, and to be resilient  as human beings. We must be congruent to achieve the world’s 2050 goals for non-carbonization . Corporations cannot do it alone; all sectors must join in. 

It is a very ambitious challenge, but we do not necessarily have to start with something gigantic, which often prevents us from doing many things. The most important thing is to begin. If you can't do everything, start by contacting companies in the real estate and sustainability sector that have experience to guide and accompany you. Start with small steps that make a difference. Don’t wait for the government, your company, or your community to demand that you  reduce your emissions. Let’s turn plans into actions, and today, not tomorrow.