Last week, Lt. Governor Casey Cagle announced his support of the USGBC-Georgia (GA) 'High Performance, Healthy Schools' Program during a press conference at the 7th Annual CEFGA Career Expo held at the Georgia International Convention Center. His announcement kicked off the 'Green YOUR School' Competition for High School, Career Academy and Technical College student teams, sponsored by USGBC-GA and CEFGA.

“In these challenging times, school systems across the state are embracing innovative ideas to reduce costs and focus resources on the classrooms where students learn,” said Lt. Governor Cagle, “I’m proud to launch the Green YOUR School contest to provide Georgia schools with groundbreaking tools to reduce their energy costs. This will allow us to redirect precious financial resources towards direct instruction, will create a healthier learning environment for our children, and will give our students career-relevant, first-hand experience in one of our state’s emerging industries.”

Georgia’s first public LEED-Silver certified high school, Arabia Mountain High School , was among the new developments featured at the Expo. The event featured 6,380 total attendees, including students from 206 schools, who learned about green building and careers in construction with interactive and educational exhibits. CEFGA partners with construction companies, trade associations, the Technical College System of Georgia and the Georgia Department of Education to support training programs and encourage students to pursue careers in construction.

The expo and press conference were attended by Leesa Carter (Executive Director, USGBC-GA), Denise Grabowski (Chair, USGBC-GA Board of Directors), Paula Vaughan (Chair Elect, USGBC-GA Board of Directors), Laura Turner Seydel (Turner Foundation) Scott Shelar (Executive Director, CEFGA), Georgia Labor Commissioner Mark Butler and Susan Proper (Executive Director, AIA Atlanta), among other sustainability and green building leaders.

“USGBC-GA is proud to have the support of the Georgia Lt. Governor’s office in our work to green schools, and we were thrilled that CEFGA chose to feature the LEED-Silver certified Arabia Mountain High School as an example of what is possible in green schools,” said USGBC-GA Executive Director Leesa Carter.

FOX 5 Atlanta's Joanne Feldman was there to interview the Lt. Governor talking about the importance of LEED-certified green schools.

Road Warrior: Construction Industry Expo: MyFoxATLANTA.com