Green Building is a broad term encompassing ideas such as energy conservation and selection of low-impact materials. Although new technologies are constantly being developed to compliment current practices in creating greener structures; the common objective in designing green buildings is to reduce the overall impact of the construction on human health and the natural environment by:
• efficiently using energy, water and other resources
• protecting occupants’ health and improving employee productivity
• reducing waste, pollution and environmental degradation
The enthusiastic students were full of questions about how we save trees and why we are a green building. They also had many queries about what we do to reduce pollution.
They were taken on a tour of the entire office and it was explained how Pearson Longman uses eco-friendly technology for efficient use of office resources, while promoting healthy practices like prevention of smoking. They were also informed that employees are encouraged to use the company’s cab pool rather their individual cars. They were also shown a movie on the technologically-advanced mechanical and electrical systems used in constructing and designing this environment-friendly office space. The students realized how Pearson Longman celebrates Earth Day every day by using an environment-friendly office space.
What they learned about:
• light sensors which change based on the weather
• light-bulbs that use far less energy than others
• computer settings, which automatically put computers into the "sleep" mode when users are not around
• multi-function machines, which can fax, email, copy, scan and print, while using 80% less energy
• the use of e-mailing as opposed to paper memos which entails computer storage rather than filing endless reams of paper
• all the active and passive features of a classic Green Building such as double-insulated glass, vertical fins and insulated roofs
The inherent design principle of the Knowledge Boulevard strives to balance environmental responsibility, energy efficiency and resource efficiency, with the comfort of the occupant and community sensitivity.
At the end of the day, the students and the teachers walked away with the awareness of how their own knowledge partner, Pearson Longman goes the extra mile not only by giving them quality educational products, but also in practising a sustainable and environment-friendly working philosophy.