Green Ribbon Schools – Suisun Valley School

Photography by 3 Lopez Media Inc.

Green Ribbon Schools

"Suisun Valley School is a prime example of the journey it takes to develop a sustainable school. Along this journey, the school used the California Green Ribbon Schools application to identify opportunities for the conservation of resources, developing a healthy school environment, and fostering environmental literacy. This school exemplifies what education, commitment, and hard work can do to create a fantastic place for students to learn and thrive!"
—George Garcia, Education Programs Consultant, Green Ribbon Schools Award 
    California Department of Education

The California Green Ribbon Schools Program (Green Ribbon Schools Award Program – School Facility Design (CA Dept of Education) provides a platform for schools and districts to become recognized for excellence in resource efficiency and performance-enhancing sustainability. The Program is based on three “Pillars” that define the environmental sustainability in schools: sustainable use of resources, health and wellness of the student/staff community, and environmental education. Schools can apply through the California Department of Education to be recognized statewide, with the opportunity to have their application submitted to the U.S. Department of Education to be likewise recognized. In 2022, Suisun Valley School (SVS) became one of the California school campuses recognized at the state and national level for its environmental excellence.

SVS is a K-8 school located east of Napa, situated in a world-renowned viticultural area. The school has grown from its humble beginnings as a small four classroom building to a large campus focused on agriscience education. This overview of SVS highlights the sustainable facility infrastructure included in Pillar I of the GRS Program, which led to the school’s recognition as a national GRS award winner.

Pillar I: Reducing Environmental Impacts and Costs on the Campus; Energy, Water and Grounds, Waste

At SVS native plantings and xeriscape areas comprise the campus landscape. Student vineyards are part of the established garden areas and shade trees minimize the heat island effect in planters and provide cool spaces in playground areas. Two large pole barns were erected to create additional shade for student outdoor areas. Clean mulch, provided by the City of Fairfield from its local tree-trimming efforts, is diverted from the area’s landfills to the school and used in landscape areas to help preserve irrigation water and minimize maintenance.

As the campus grew, each new building incorporated sustainable and energy efficient strategies. Campus improvements included the application of cool roof systems implementing a white urethane-modified acrylic coating with a reflectance value of 81 percent to the new buildings as well as the original building using materials certified by a third party. The existing hardscape was given a reflective coating to offset any heat gain.

Seven classroom buildings were retrofitted with solar tube lighting in 2013, delivering natural lighting to the rooms that ultimately offset the need for electric lighting by 90 percent. A local utility company delivering cleaner renewable energy was also engaged for the campus, providing greener power from a variety of renewable sources. A new energy management system installed throughout the campus reduced energy consumption and the school also took advantage of Proposition 39 grants to fund installation of LED lighting and new heating/lighting controls campus wide.

In 2019, construction of a new Library and Administration Building was completed, incorporating design elements with a focus on energy efficiency and sustainability along with an efficient, eco-friendly hydroponic VAV system for conditioning that reduced electricity use by 30 percent. Passive design features included expansive glass storefronts and clerestory windows with large overhangs at the entry. Retractable glass partition walls open the building’s spaces to daylight, expanding interior uses while providing flexibility for learning. The storefronts blur the separation of building to the outdoors, letting the views tie the building to the outdoors and connect with the landscape. Natural tones in the exterior finishes are inspired by the surrounding landscape and minimize the visual impact. This building received an Award of Excellence in 2021 for Outstanding Project by Learning by Design for its design emphasis on natural lighting, natural colors and views that allow the building users to interact with the surrounding environment.

Pillar III: Provide Effective Environmental Sustainability Education; Interdisciplinary Learning, STEM content, Civic Knowledge and Skills 

The school’s focus on agriscience benefit both the students and community. Its gardens and vineyards provide the students with a farm-to-fork learning experience linked to a healthy curriculum focused on nutrition. Students designed and built agricultural areas on the campus so that they could engage in growing and harvesting of crops for public consumption. The community around the campus is also involved in experiential learning process by participating in community dinners made by the students and marketing the “fruits” of the students’ labor. The Innovation Lab within the newly built Library and Administration Building is designed to support these endeavors with hydroponic towers that were designed and built within the Lab for students to engage in enriching agriscience methodologies.

The campus agricultural plots, gardens, and vineyards necessitate irrigation to keep these areas thriving. The school is in an area that is fed by a system of aqueducts that bring water into the farmlands, supplementing the sparse rainfall typical of the region. The Solano Irrigation District diverts irrigation water away from non-essential agricultural areas during the established rainy season of October through April and SVS is one of the entities that do not receive irrigation water during this time; therefore, conserving water and safeguarding its availability is critical for its agriscience program, and necessitating student experimentation with methods of water reclamation. As a testament to innovation, a group of seventh grade students engineered a water harvesting system by installing rooftop drainpipes along the façade of a classroom building near the gardens and connecting it to two 2,500-gallon water tanks at the end of the building. The system includes an eco-friendly and efficient first flush rain diverter to clean the debris from the collected water before it enters a pressure tank with a pump powered by a solar battery, eliminating the need to use the campus’s potable water or grid power for irrigation.

“…Our school needs to do our part to help the state get out of the drought by saving and collecting what little rainwater we do receive. … this system is going to serve as a demonstration and reminder to all students who come to this school how we can conserve water and still allow our garden to thrive. It also shows how technology can be used to help the environment.”—Seventh Grade GATE Class

In conclusion…

The prestigious 2022 US Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools Green Award recognizes SVS as a national model for sustainable facilities, practice, and education. This year SVS opened its doors to the public, teachers, and administrators from various districts across the state, hosting a tour to highlight its campus sustainability infrastructure and education, and inspiring other schools to likewise act. Just as the campus’s water problem trickled down to a resolution, the importance of sharing innovative energy and environmental solutions trickles down to the next generation of students and educators, creating a higher level of consciousness of our collective care for the planet.

 

Fairfield-Suisun Unified School District
Kris Corey, District Superintendent 
Marina Romero, Facilities Project Manager

Project Team
Architect: 19six Architects
Mechanical Engineer: Optimum Energy Design
Electrical Engineer: Capital Engineering
Structural Engineer: Miyamoto International, Inc.
Civil Engineer: Warren Consulting Engineers
Contractor: W.A. Thomas Co.

DSA: Sacramento Regional Office
Building Final Cost: $ 6,902,158.45
Building Square Footage: 9,926
Year Built: 2019