Washington Sustainable Schools Protocol

In 2003 O’Brien & Company facilitated a six-month consensus process to develop a benchmarking tool specific to the design and construction of K-12 schools in Washington, the Washington Sustainable Schools Protocol (WSSP).  Stakeholders included School District Representatives, A&E firms specializing in school design and construction and OSPI staff, and other interested parties.  The process started with a detailed analysis of the Collaborative for High Performance Schools (CHPS) system, as well as a comparison to LEED. O’Brien & Company was responsible for analyzing opportunities in Washington and writing criteria guidelines, including site, materials, indoor air quality, water and innovation credits.  

In phase two of the pilot in 2004, O’Brien & Company managed five school district pilot projects that evaluated specific protocol sustainable building strategies in their schools.  Finally, in phase three, we oversaw the finalization of the Sustainable Schools protocol, which is one of two alternatives for complying with the state’s green building requirements.

In 2008 O'Brien & Company was hired to review data submitted by 18 schools which received funding to track their costs and savings associated with building to the Washington Sustainable Schools Protocol. We performed an analysis of both cost data and narrative reports and presented the information in a easy-to-read report for the Washington State Legislature.

Download the complete Washington Sustainable Schools Protocol rating system.