This article was originally published on the Green Schools National Network blog as “LEEDing by Example: Conference Keynote has Passion for Green, Healthy, and Sustainable Schools” Read the original version.
Rick Fedrizzi, CEO and Founding Chair of USGBC, is not a stranger to the ins and outs and daily challenges faced by schools. His wife, Cathy, a third grade teacher in the Syracuse, N.Y. public school system, has inspired in him a passion for green and healthy schools, as well as a desire to enrich students’ lives and empower teachers through sustainability education.
As the head of USGBC, Rick has been deeply involved in the development and expansion of the LEED building certification program, and its application to the specific challenges of schools was one of Rick’s early goals. However, for green schools to take root, it was soon apparent, the rating system was just the starting point. Policy at the local, state and national levels, as well as education and resource development for school districts and parents, were necessary initiatives. Thus, Rick established the Center for Green Schools at USGBC to expand the Council’s programmatic work into these areas.