“The power under the constitution will always be in the people. It is entrusted for certain defined purposes, and for a certain limited period, to representatives of their own choosing; and whenever it is executed contrary to their interest, or not agreeable to their wishes, their servants can and undoubtedly will, be recalled.”

~ George Washington (1787)

Thursday, December 13, 2012

Houston, we have a problem.....


USA TODAY special report finds little link between environmentally friendly buildings and learning or energy use.


The Houston Independent School District took a big step in 2007 toward becoming environmentally friendly by designing two new schools to meet a coveted "green" standard set by a private-builders' group.

The nation's seventh-largest school district added features such as automated light sensors and a heat-reflecting roof, in hopes of minimizing energy use.

But the schools are not operating as promised.

Thompson Elementary ranked 205th out of 239 Houston schools in a report last year for the district that showed each school's energy cost per student. Walnut Bend Elementary ranked 155th. A third "green" school, built in 2010, ranked 46th in the report, which a local utility did for the district to find ways of cutting energy costs.
Read the rest here.

This is yet another example of where climate change alarmism and environmentalism send valuable education funds down a rat hole, chasing elusive cost savings and improved student performance under the guise of going "Green".

The Houston area is highlighted in the article, but the problem is nationwide.  Any compromise with climate change alarmists is an exercise in futility.