We had a nice place in Florida on a small cul-de-sac with great neighbors all around. Behind us was 11 acres of trees, trails, a small stream, and lots of turtles, rabbits, raccoons, and maybe a fox or two.

Then the county advised the homeowners it was going to build an elementary school on the property. It was going to be “green” and that got a lot of press for miles around. After all, green is the way to go. (Forget the fact there was already a nice elementary school 1.6 miles away, the county had to use the money or lose it.)

Initially, there was going to be a buffer of trees between the homeowners and the school. No problem, we can live with that. Months later, we heard the machinery start up. By the end of the day, there was 11 acres of sand – not a green sprig anywhere. No buffer. Nothing. And, not an animal to be seen. The turtles, “protected” by FL law, were all buried or squashed under the heavy tracks of the equipment. You see, a developer can simply pay a fine rather than capture and relocate the turtles. Cheaper that way. Nothing personal. No animosity towards the wildlife – it’s just business.

We put our place up for sale the next day. Not the best timing, but we really didn’t want to see the school from every window on the west side of our house.

The school finally opened and there was lots of fanfare about the “green” school. Maybe the school was green. Maybe it really was energy efficient and had a small carbon footprint. Wonderful stuff, I’m sure.

We’ve always wondered how the politicians and press could be so proud of the “green” school when every living thing in 11 acres had been killed a few months earlier. Before we get all excited about being “green,” maybe we need to look a little deeper at what it means. Probably wouldn’t have to go much deeper than 18 inches at the new “green” elementary school in Holiday, FL.