PHFE + PHES + NYPH: Passive House as Climate Education

Description

As New York State advances climate education across K–12 schools, there is an opportunity to connect classroom learning with real-world building science and high-performance design. This session will examine Passive House for Everyone! as a case study for integrating Passive House principles into educational settings and demonstrating how concepts such as energy efficiency, indoor environmental quality, resilience, and carbon reduction can support climate literacy. 

In Cho, drawing on her work with New York City Public Schools, will explore how partnerships among educators, architects, and Passive House professionals can bring building performance concepts into schools and create pathways between education and the high-performance building industry. Join the discussion as we develop strategies that can be adapted for New York State’s curricula, as well as by school districts and practitioners nationwide. With examples from Passive House for Everyone!, Passive House professionals and organizations alike can connect students and communities to sustainable design and construction practices.

Register here: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/bwlG_uH4SzCoFvkNJ1zuiw#/registration

Featured Presenter

In Cho is Sustainability Coordinator and Faculty at Pratt School of Architecture, Registered Architect in NY, NJ,

and CT, and a Certified Passive House Designer. She co-founded ChoShields Studio and the nonprofit

Passive House for Everyone!, advancing sustainable building performance and climate education. Cho advises

on energy codes, trains AEC professionals, and expands equitable access to the knowledge and skills people

need to create healthier, more sustainable buildings and communities.

https://www.passivehouseforeveryone.org/

Learning Objectives

1. Explain how Passive House and building science can provide a hands-on framework for teaching climate, energy, health, indoor environmental quality, and resilience in K–12 schools.

2. Identify strategies for integrating Passive House and building science concepts into climate education, CTE, and workforce development pathways.

3. Examine lessons from Passive House for Everyone! and its partnerships with New York City Public Schools that can inform implementation elsewhere.

4. Identify opportunities for educators, Passive House professionals, policymakers, and organizations to support and expand climate education through the built environment.

5. Apply the model's elements to develop similar educational initiatives in schools and communities across New York State and beyond.

Passive House For Everyone (PHFE) is on a mission to bring Passive House knowledge to youth in schools and communities by educating through creative arts explorations and hands-on training, so that they are well prepared to engage in the global energy efficiency and clean energy world. Learning through play in children’s imaginations strengthens the connection of meaning. Hands-on training allows students to apply their PH knowledge. These lead to actions that advocate for a climate-positive and socially equitable future for everyone!