To the Editor,

Every day, children around Iowa go to schools that waste energy, water, and even may have unsafe air or chemicals in parts of them. We need to make modernizing and greening our schools a top priority, from the local school board all the way up to Congress and the President.

According to the U.S. Green Building Council, modern, green schools can save $100,000 per year on operating costs. High-performance green schools use 33 percent less energy and 32 percent less water than other schools. Making our schools modern and green also will create much needed jobs — not just in the construction and metal fabrication trades, but also in the supply chain and manufacturing of energy and water efficient products we would use.