School renewal and the principles of the green education concept: tackling overcrowded classrooms and heating.

Old and outdated school buildings, overcrowded classrooms, extreme temperatures - this is the picture of a school building in Italy. Leaks, high utility bills, insufficient heating and heat loss in winter, extreme heat in summer, windows installed half a century ago. This is not only an educational challenge, but also a threat to the health of students and teachers. Fortunately, thanks to one of the measures included in the so-called European Green Homes Directive, the situation can improve significantly. The directive contains a special provision on measures for the energy modernization of public buildings.

The figures are impressive.

The average age of 42% of schools is 53 years, and one in four''the building was not originally intended for school but was adapted later, especially in regions such as Campania, Emilia-Romagna, Umbria, Calabria, Lazio, Liguria and Puglia. Only a little more than half of the 40,000 school buildings in Italy have adopted energy reduction measures. Paradoxically, 75% of them are classified in energy category E and G, the lowest categories, as the Legambiente report "XXII Annual Report on the quality of buildings and educational services" explains. The planned investments under the IPDP, although significant, do not yet seem capable of changing this trend.

One way to address the problem

may come from the European Union, in the form of a real "obligation" for country members to address the shortcomings. In mid-October, the "trilogue" between''The European Commission, the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union on the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) - the so-called Green Homes Directive - have reached an agreement in principle on the energy retrofitting of public buildings.

The impact on the health of children and adolescents.

It is clear that outdated real estate in Italy directly affects the health of students in our country. According to a survey conducted among teachers and school administrators at all levels by the Scuola di Cittadinanzattiva and published in the "XXI Annual Report on Responsibility in Schools", 42% of school buildings have traces of moisture, 33% suffer from leaks and 22% of interviewees believe that the air quality in classrooms is poor due to mold and improper heating systems.

School insulation has rationality

Modernizing heating and cooling systems and improving ventilation would not only contribute to the health of 7.3 million Italian students, but also bring significant economic''benefits. According to Ero of Legambiente, five key elements can be used in school construction. These include insulating buildings, replacing window units, switching from gas to renewable sources for heating and electricity using solar panels and heat pumps. Switching from energy class G to class A can result in energy consumption reductions of up to 80%, Ero says.

In addition, it is estimated that reducing humidity and mold could bring direct and indirect benefits to Italy in excess of 3 billion euros by 2060. In the case of all European Union countries, the potential benefit would exceed 40 billion euros. In terms of the value of reduced health care costs (by reducing the number of doctor visits and''hospitalizations due to respiratory diseases), the European Union will recoup its investment in restructuring the most inefficient and energy-intensive buildings in just a year and a half.