3/23/07, 5:29 pm EST

Assignment Ten Finalist: Brian Rogers on York School

Note: This is not an official Rolling Stone article. What follows is a submission to the “I’m From Rolling Stone” writing competition.

York School

by Brian Rogers
Age: 42

York School of Monterey, California, sits atop a hill. In real estate parlance, the school has a peek of the bay view. From the western side of the new science building, teachers and students can catch a glimpse of crystalline blue waters, a sail boat or two. Doubtless the view sometimes distracts from the learning of Boyle’s law and other scientific bona fides, but given the green nature of the building, the end result is worth the occasional idle glances.

When York first decided to build a new science facility, there was no discussion of insulation made of recycled blue jeans. By project’s end, however, the building contained over thirty such features, the result of a school-wide commitment to going green. Notably, according to the construction company responsible for the building, “The York science building’s solar system generates a significant portion of its own energy which is both economical for the school and provides opportunities for the students to learn about responsible energy generation. Students are able to study, monitor, and display data relevant to their own building’s energy consumption.”

To be sure, a green Rome might not be built in a day, but facilities such as York’s science building work toward accomplishing that goal. The glass tiles in the bathroom are made from recycled windshields, and the carpets come from two liter bottles. As Kevin Brookhouser, history teacher, puts it, “Our mission is to inspire and prepare students, and what’s more inspiring than learning environmental science in a building that is part of the solution to our environmental concerns?” True enough, or as another teacher says, “Waterless urinals are always a favorite.”