Cincinnati and their Sustainable Schools

Cincinnati at forefront of sustainable schools

CPS on pace to become one of country's greenest districts

December 27, 2010 - A science class full of 9- to 12-year-olds at North Avondale Montessori elementary school bundled up in coats and gloves and went outside to examine the plants on the school's "green" roof.

The project - a layer of plants that help soak up rainwater and insulate the roof - isn't just a science lesson. It's one of the dozens of environmentally friendly features that has helped put Cincinnati Public Schools on pace to be one of the "greenest" school districts in the country.

CPS is among the top school districts in the nation with LEED-registered buildings. It has 22 such buildings, a number topped only by Chicago (32) and Albuquerque, N.M., (26) according to numbers from the U.S. Green Building Council.

CPS may rank higher than that. A spokesman for the Chicago district said only 22 LEED-registered buildings were on its internal list. Six of the Albuquerque projects are questionable because they're on hold or the district is considering forgoing LEED certification, according to a spokesman. {continued}