CHPS Releases 2009 Edition CA-CHPS Criteria for Public Review

For immediate release
Please contact: Ariel Dekovic, 415-970-6604, ariel@chps.net

July 16, 2008 (San Francisco) - Dear High Performance Schools Community,

The Collaborative for High Performance Schools (CHPS) Board of Directors and Technical Committee are pleased to release the 2009 Edition of the CHPS Criteria for public review. The proposed 2009 CHPS Criteria advance the standard for the design and construction of high performance school buildings that are efficient, comfortable, environmentally responsible and healthy spaces for children to learn in. The new Criteria apply not only to the design and construction of new schools, but also to major modernizations and additions to existing school campuses.

The revised Criteria resulted from a rigorous consensus process that involved experts in all aspects of high performance school design. The CHPS Board and Technical Committee represent school districts, architects, engineers, construction managers and product manufacturers all made contributions as well as experts on waste reduction and materials selection, daylighting, acoustics, air quality, water efficiency and energy efficiency. We are proud that we were able to involve so many of the stakeholders in California school construction and address all their comments and concerns and we look forward to addressing yours.

The 2006 CHPS Criteria is a response to public demand for high performance school facilities that contain all the amenities for a quality education. The CHPS program has been adopted by 30 school districts in California, representing over 2 million K-12 students. These students will soon experience the health, productivity, resource efficiency, and energy efficiency benefits of a CHPS high performance school.

California Education Secretary Alan Bersin says that, “Our children are the future and we need to build our schools in a way that sets an example for our children about what the world should look like in the future. Children learn best by example, and by building energy efficient, environmentally friendly schools, the lesson will not be lost on them. CHPS provides an outstanding framework to help California school districts design and build such facilities.”

Organized in 2000, CHPS is a non-profit organization that works to raise the standard for school facilities. CHPS’s goal is to improve the quality of education for California’s children and facilitate the design of learning environments that are resource efficient, health, comfortable, well lit and contain the amenities needed for a quality education. Board members include representatives from a broad range of California government, private industry, and non-profit organizations. For more information about CHPS visit www.chps.net.