Transitioning Public School Renovations to Healthier Materials

Parsons Healthy Materials Lab (HML) conducted a feasibility study to evaluate the time, cost, and benefits of transitioning public schools to healthier materials. The study is designed to serve as a pilot for other Long Island school districts and to support broader systemic change across the region. Report for download coming soon.

The research reveals two key findings. First, most stakeholders involved in the making and maintaining of school environments are very interested in how to make these places better for the environment and better for the students. While learning outcomes and test scores are often the metrics that determine the success of a school, the educators, administrators, and designers we spoke to consistently emphasized that the health, safety, and welfare of students lay the foundation on which these metrics can thrive.  

A second key finding that emerged repeatedly during the research is that tight budgets and public bidding requirements can significantly limit control over the materials and finishes ultimately installed during school renovations. After a material is installed, it generally stays in place until it is absolutely necessary to replace.  Unless it is an urgent matter, maintenance teams have limited time, capacity, and budget for ongoing repairs and minor renovations.  

The study concludes with HML-vetted, healthier, and climate-conscious recommendations to replace problematic industry-typical products and materials found in Long Island Schools.   This work is informed by current best practices in pedagogy, recognizing that material selection decisions are closely intertwined with educational goals and learning environments.  

This work was supported in part by a grant from the William E. and Maude S. Pritchard Charitable Trust.

We extend our sincere gratitude to the educators, administrators, designers, architects and manufacturers who generously shared their time, expertise, and perspectives in support of this research. Conversations with school district leadership, experts in pedagogy and learning environments, architects engaged in public school retrofits and capital projects across New York State, and manufacturers of healthier school furnishings meaningfully informed this work. We are deeply appreciative of their openness and insights, which provided valuable context and helped inform a more complete understanding of the conditions, opportunities and constraints shaping public school design and renovations. 

Report for download coming soon.