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NEW YORK (CBS) ― The New York City Department of Education and the School Construction Authority on Tuesday announced the publication of the NYC Green Schools Guide and Rating System, which will be used to guide the sustainable design, construction, and operation of new schools, modernization projects, and school renovations.

The guide and rating system will assure compliance with local law, which established sustainability standards for public design and construction projects. The implementation of the GSG and Rating System makes New York City one of the first and largest school districts in the nation to have sustainability guidelines required by law.

"We're proud to be in the forefront of green school design in an urban environment," NYC Schools Chancellor Joel I. Klein said. "I am confident that these new standards will serve as a model for other urban school districts."

Education officials said sustainable school design and operation will provide many benefits to students, school staff, and the city as a whole. Sustainable schools will conserve energy and water, reduce operating costs, promote a healthy environment, and help teach environmental responsibility, officials said.

Prescriptive Energy Efficiency Measures required by the GSG, including high efficiency building envelope and HVAC systems, will ensure that NYC's "green schools" are designed to save energy costs by at least 20 percent over other regulatory mandates.

Water-conserving plumbing fixtures such as metered faucets, dual flush toilets, low-flush urinals, and low flow showers will result in the reduction of potable water usage in each school by more than 40 percent.

Officials added efficient classroom lighting fixtures will save energy and provide high quality illumination. Stringent acoustical standards will ensure that instructional spaces are isolated from outside sound interference. The selection of building materials and the manner in which materials are removed from the construction site for proper disposal are based on environmental responsibility and benefit.

The GSG and Rating System was designed to meet the specific sustainability needs of New York City schools in a cost-effective manner. It is based on the LEED -- Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design -- Green Building Rating System, which was developed by the U.S. Green Building Council.

The GSG and Rating System includes enhancements beyond LEED, based on best practices for schools adopted from the Collaborative for High Performing Schools rating systems developed by the states of Washington, Massachusetts, and New York, and also on SCA best practices.

Designing and building sustainable schools by following the GSG and Rating System will utilize standards uniquely suited to school buildings in New York City, and allow "building green" to stand beside the SCA's other core mandates of designing and building high quality projects, within aggressive timeframes, as cost effectively as possible.

"With the development and release of these Green School Guidelines, we are demonstrating the City's commitment to sustainable construction in the public sector," School Construction Authority President Sharon Greenberger said.

The NYC Green Schools Guide will soon be available on the SCA's website at schools.nyc.gov/Offices/SCA. Copies of the independent review of the GSG, undertaken by OEC on behalf of the Mayor, can be downloaded from the Office of Environmental Coordination website at nyc.gov/oec.

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