Green by design

The Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) has made greening a districtwide priority, guided by the leadership of the board of education, the superintendent, and executive team. Their commitment is driving the expansion of healthier, welcoming, and more sustainable outdoor environments across all campuses. A key focus of this work is transforming schoolyards into greener spaces that offer shade, nature, and outdoor learning opportunities. Research shows that these improvements support student wellness, engagement, and academic success. This direction is reflected in the 2022-2026 Strategic Plan and several major board actions, including the Green Schools for All Resolution (2022), which sets a minimum goal of 30 percent green/natural space for school sites. Additional initiatives, such as the 100 percent Clean Energy Resolution (2019) and the Climate Literacy Resolution (2022), further elevate sustainability and environmental education as district priorities. This article explores how green schoolyard strategies and high-performance features support the guiding ideal that has shaped LAUSD’s work for more than two decades.

School as a learning tool For more than two decades, the Los Angeles Unified School District has approached its school building program with a simple but powerful idea: the school can be a teaching tool. Since adopting the Collaborative for High-Performance Schools (CHPS) criteria in 2003 (standards that promote healthy, efficient, and sustainable learning environments) the district has delivered more than 130 new schools and numerous CHPS-certified modernization projects, steadily implementing green building practices long before they became required by building code.

Now, with CHPS being incorporated into the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED v5 framework, we have an opportunity to reflect on what we’ve learned and how we can continue advancing high-performance school design. Among all the strategies implemented at green schools, one of the most meaningful is also one of the simplest: educational signage.

Why educational signage matters When we talk about “green schools,” the focus is often on systems and materials: efficient HVAC systems, daylighting, solar panels, and low-emitting materials. Yet the most transformative impact happens when students understand why these strategies matter and how they relate to their own lives, environment, and health.

LAUSD has long required that every CHPS project include an educational display explaining the high-performance features of the building and site. These signs have become one of the most influential components of our high-performance school program. They are low-cost, highly visible, and accessible to every student, teacher or visitor on the campus. With colorful and eye-catching graphics, informative diagrams, and accessible language, the educational display sparks curiosity, provides information and starts dialogue — increasing awareness and influencing behavior not only at school but also at home.

Project teams collaborate with principals and teachers to explain technical features with age-appropriate explanations. Each project develops signage that reflects the grade levels served and highlights the specific sustainability strategies implemented at their school. By aligning the information in the educational display with the school’s curriculum, it provides a relevant and impactful interpretation of the green building features for the student.

The result is more than a sign on a wall, it is a learning moment, a gathering point, a visual reminder that sustainability is part of everyday experience.

Demonstration areas: Going beyond the sign Many LAUSD projects also incorporate demonstration areas, taking the concept of informational signage a step further. These areas illustrate sustainability strategies through tangible physical demonstration. Our project teams work to make these demonstration areas as interactive and hands-on as possible. Some examples include:

• Cut-away sections of wall assemblies showing insulation and air barriers.
• Energy efficient lighting and natural daylighting.
• Recycling and green waste.
• Outdoor areas that demonstrate stormwater capture or native planting.
• Low water use plumbing fixtures.

These hands-on installations invite students to explore how the systems work, ask questions, and possibly invent their own solutions. Demonstration areas transform abstract ideas into learning laboratories that are embedded into the everyday life of the school.

Teaching green Incorporating educational display and demonstration areas into our projects reflects an essential goal of the green school movement: building green matters, teaching green matters more.

Educational signage and demonstration areas connect the students with their environment by translating what is built into something meaningful to their lives and the lives of their community.

High-performance schools do more than save energy or improve indoor air quality. They inspire curiosity. When our students see themselves as part of a healthier, more sustainable future, they become empowered as environmental stewards.

Alignment with LAUSD Strategic Plan Creating safe and healthy environments to promote joy and wellness is a key pillar in the LAUSD 2022-2026 Strategic Plan. One of the ways we are doing this is by developing safe and sustainable green spaces and outdoor learning environments where, amongst other things, students can learn about greening and the environment. Thank you to the LAUSD Board of Education, superintendent and executive leadership for making green schools, greening and teaching green a priority.

Julia Eiko Hawkinson is a facilities asset development director for Los Angeles Unified School District. She is a fellow of the American Institute of Architects and holds multiple accreditations for building professionals including LEED and WELL.