Cate received the United States Green Building Council (USGBC) Platinum LEED Certification, the highest possible rating, for the sustainable design and function of five new faculty homes. In December 2008, when they were built, Cate had 5 of only 154 Platinum-certified residences nationwide.
In order for Cate School to receive the highest LEED ratings, the School incorporated into its teachers' houses solar panels that will produce more electricity than the homes will consume, on-demand hot water heating systems, recycled building materials, wood flooring recommended by the Forest Stewardship Council, non-toxic paints and carpeting, and drought-tolerant landscaping. The homes are also equipped with water and energy conserving appliances.
The new residences have actually changed the lives of the faculty families who live in them. "We've always been conscious about our impact on the environment," says learning specialist Marnie Woehr, who has recently moved into one of the new homes with her husband and two boys, "but these houses are so carefully designed that we feel we need to live up to them."
While the Platinum certifications are a tangible recognition of Cate School's commitment to environmental stewardship, the decision to build the award-winning homes emerged from the ethos that has guided Cate School for nearly a century.
"Ever since Curtis Cate founded this school nearly 100 years ago," commented headmaster Ben Williams, "the community has felt a responsibility to the Mesa we inhabit. Environmentalism is an appropriate and logical part of education, but the marriage of human endeavor and environmental stewardship truly distinguishes Cate School. How fitting that, on the eve of our second century, the facilities constructed upon this Mesa are acknowledged by the U.S. Green Building Council as the new paradigm in sustainability, environmental responsibility, and energy efficiency. Neither Mr. Cate, nor those of us fortunate to continue the work he began, expect anything less."
ADDITIONAL SUSTAINABILITY INITIATIVES at Cate School
- New Gold LEED Certified Early Childhood Learning Center
- New water treatment facility (under construction) will enable the school to reclaim all of its water, reducing impact on the local community and environment
- Dining hall uses organic and/or local produce, fruits, and breads
- Student-led projects (including "The Green Team") conserve energy and water, and recycle synthetic and organic materials
- Creek restoration projects
- Community awareness programs that involve California schools and businesses
ABOUT LEED
In order to earn Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification, a building must submit a detailed application and documentation of compliance with the rating system earning at least 26 out of the possible 69 points. Buildings with more points can earn increasingly elite degrees of certification: Silver with 33–38 points; Gold with 39–51 points, and the much-coveted platinum rating with 52–69 points.
LEED standards cover six major ecological areas:
- Sustainable sites (14 points)
- Water efficiency (5 points)
- Energy and atmosphere (17 points)
- Materials and resources (13 points)
- Indoor environmental quality (15 points)
- Innovation and design process (5 points)
Sustainability Initiatives with New Facilities
1. Cate's five new faculty residences received Platinum LEED certification.
2. The new Early Learning Center awaits Gold LEED certification.
3. The six faculty residences built in 2005 (pre-LEED program) incorporate sustainable design, construction and finish-surface materials, and energy & water conservation features and drought tolerant landscape.
4. The new wastewater treatment plant allows 100% reclamation of water for fields and landscaping irrigation.
Sustainability Initiatives with Existing Facilities
1. New carpet and tile in buildings uses recycled/recyclable materials.
2. Low VOC paints are used.
3. Cate is an incandescent-free campus.
4. Cate uses an altered watering schedule for greater resource efficiency.
5. Building renovations incorporate sustainable construction materials.
6. Whenever possible, Cate choose contractors who have direct experience with sustainable products and practices.
Sustainability Management of School Property
1. Creek-bed restoration and riverbank stabilization is underway for a creek on school property where an existing Arizona crossing is a barrier for fish passage, and an eroding bank decreases water quality.
2. Cate's land acquisition policy encourages the purchase of contiguous properties in order to continue their agricultural use, and to provide more employee housing.