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U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools Director Andrea Suarez Falken speaks about getting more resources into all schools at the Florida Learn Green Conference on Nov. 16 in West Palm Beach by sharing a few examples of Florida honorees.
As
U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools Director, this month I had the
opportunity to participate in the Florida Learn Green Conference, where I witnessed
the continued work of districts to scale up the sustainability efforts
at schools, and of states to support it with robust certification programs. I learned that just recently, Florida state education,
health, and environment agencies signed a Memorandum of Understanding, along
with non-profit Sustainable Florida to make award implementation and green
schools progress in the state even more, well, sustainable! The Connecticut Green LEAF
Schools, Wisconsin Green and Healthy Schools, and California Green Ribbon
Schools are other
examples of states where various public and private partners have realigned a
preexisting statewide certification program or developed a new one to encourage
more schools to make Green Strides toward our Pillars, and stand up even more examples of innovation
and resources that all schools may use.
Give Thanks
for Green Schools Partners This Season….
Over the last five years, we’ve seen a swell in
the “Green Schools Movement,” with national non-profit entities, federal
agencies, state agencies, and state green schools programs coming together to
improve facilities, health, and sustainability learning in schools, districts,
and postsecondary institutions. What’s
clear is that green schools don’t happen in isolation, but instead are due to
great collaboration. We want to hear
about your wonderful partners – at schools, districts, state agencies, and
nationally. Share your thanks by naming
the partner, project, or resource you’re thankful for, tagging us on Twitter or Facebook, and including the hashtag
#Thankful4GreenSchools and a photo, if you have one. Here, at U.S. Department of Education Green
Ribbon Schools, we want to give thanks to our ceremony sponsors, our state
education agency selection leaders, and Green Strides Webinar presenters, without
whom this initiative would not be possible.
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….And Remember to #OptOutside After That Turkey
With major
outdoor gear retailer REI announcing it would close all stores and not process
online orders until after Black Friday in order to encourage customers and
employees to get outside, social media has been turning Black Friday…. Green! How will your green school community
#OptOutside on Nov. 27th?
Share photos and stories of your outdoors activity with us on Facebook and Twitter! >>>>
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U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools,
District Sustainability Awardees, and Postsecondary Sustainability Awardees are
demonstrating innovative practices for all to follow:
Wiesbaden
Middle School, Wiesbaden, Hainerberg, Germany
The Wiesbaden
Middle School (WMS) community is committed to reducing carbon footprint,
developing healthy habits, and building leadership skills for a better
tomorrow. The school works closely with the U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers-Europe (USACE), the Defense Science and Technology Center-Europe
(DSTC-E), and the Defense Commissary Agency (DeCA). Together, military
and civilian partners support the middle school community by helping students
understand practical sustainability applications of STEM, setting education and
career goals, and promoting digital learning. USACE-Environmental Branch works
with seventh grade teachers and the principal on a two-year project to expand
environmental initiatives at the school, developing a horticulture garden, a
pollinator garden, and a fruit and vegetable garden on school grounds. An
interdisciplinary team of teachers and technical experts -- including chemists,
biologists, and engineers -- guide learning in the student-created
gardens. In this outdoor classroom, students engage with hands-on
environmental and sustainability concepts, explore career opportunities, and
document their experiences. To reward students who recycle, the school
began the I Got Caught Recycling program. Commissary personnel serve as
educators during the school’s study trips, teaching students about nutrition
and good shopping habits. The Commissary supports the school’s Fueling
the Future fun-run with the Commanding General each year. WMS has funded
a bike club, an outdoor recreation club, a cooking club and a cross-country
club. WMS is working toward Green Boot certification and has a
sustainability office. It became a LEED registered facility in 2011 and
is building a new LEED school for July 2018 completion. >>>>
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A sixth grader tests soil at the USACE-Europe District Office during his “Career Day” as an engineer, after winning an essay contest in 2014. Three Wiesbaden Middle School students had their essays selected out of more than 400 submitted on their dream-career in a STEM field.
Middleton—Cross Plains Area Schools, Wisc.
The 10
Middleton-Cross Plains Area School District (MCPASD) schools have received
ENERGY STAR certification and have saved over $2,700,000. The district
contracted Johnson Controls for an energy audit and worked with Cenergistic on
behavioral change. MCPASD installed vending misers, efficient lighting,
new windows, kitchen appliances, and occupancy sensors. Several schools
feature geothermal heating and cooling, solar thermal hot water, demonstration
solar panels, prairie plots, rain gardens, forests, no-mow zones, and schoolyard
habitats. Old buses have been replaced with energy-efficient models,
software for optimal routing, and no idling policies. The district
participates in Safe Routes to School and Walk and Bike to School Day.
The integrated physical education and health and wellness curriculum is
designed to provide skills and resources for achieving and sustaining healthy
living. District elementary schools participate in field trips led by
trained naturalists to the local Pheasant Branch Conservancy (PBC) to have lessons
aligned with FOSS science units. Biology students collect data and do
service at the PBC. Vegetables from school gardens are used in the annual
fall organic dinner and in a Community Supported Agriculture program.
Civil engineering, AP Environmental Science, and architecture students study
LEED principles. U.S. government students write a law changing fossil
fuel use to alternative energy. In Investigating Environmental Health,
students work to solve a local environmental health problem. Field
Biology students worked with local Department of Natural Resources on a buck
mortality study.
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Students and staff plant trees on Arbor Day at West Middleton Elementary School in Verona, WI .
Western
Kentucky University, Bowling Green, KY
Western Kentucky
University (WKU) created an Office of Sustainability and hired a Sustainability
Coordinator in 2008. The office, housed in a 1930s residence, is a
sustainable demonstration home and the first net-zero office on campus.
Since 2009 WKU has reduced energy use by 25 percent. Operational efforts,
combined with a successful energy savings performance contract with Johnson
Controls, Inc., have yielded $9,700,000 in facility improvements. Savings
from these improvements eliminated utility budget increases for seven
consecutive years, and are reinvested in new conservation efforts. WKU
has been an Arbor Foundation Tree Campus USA since 2010 and became a certified
arboretum in 2014. The university committed to build to LEED standards,
and now has three Silver LEED-certified buildings, two more buildings pending
certification, and at least seven LEED professionals on staff. WKU has
been included in the Princeton Review’s Guide to Green Colleges every year
since 2009, and earned AASHE’s Silver STARS ranking in 2014. The campus
was named an American League of Bicyclists Bicycle Friendly University, a
National Safety Council Safe Community, and a National Weather Service
Certified Storm Ready Campus. WKU offers over a dozen degrees focused on
the environment or sustainability, from bachelor of science in geography and
environmental studies, to a master’s degree that integrates social justice,
community studies, and environmental sustainability.
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MBA students at Western Kentucky University take a field trip to study stream ecology and water quality in a Sustainability Metrics for Business Leaders class.
Dec.
2, 2015, 1:00-2:00 pm Tips
and Strategies for Yearlong Recess (HSC)
Dec.
2, 2015, 2:00-3:00 pm Portfolio
Manager 201 en español (EPA)
Dec.
3, 2015, 6:00-7:00 pm Elementary
STEM: Exploring Snow and Ice (NASA)
Dec.
9, 2015, 1:00-2:30 pm IAQ Guidelines for School Building Upgrades (EPA)
Dec.
10, 2015, 1:00-2:00 pm Quantifying Your
Waste Reduction Efforts (AASHE)
Dec.
10, 2015, 6:00-7:00 pm Off
the Earth for the Earth: One Year Crew
(NASA)
Dec.
15, 2015, 1:00-2:00 pm Portfolio
Manager 101 (EPA)
Dec.
15, 2015, 6:00-7:00 pm The
History of Winter: Ice Core Samples
(NASA)
Dec.
16, 2015, 1:00-2:00 pm Portfolio
Manager 201 (EPA)
Dec.
17, 2015, 1:00-2:00 pm Portfolio
Manager 301 (EPA)
Dec.
17, 2015, 4:00-5:00 pm Scratch-Cooking
Production Environment (The Lunch Box)
Dec.
17, 2015, 6:00-7:00 pm Off
the Earth for the Earth: Mass vs. Weight
(NASA)
Dec. 21, 2015, 4:00-5:00 pm Rockets
2 Racecars Train Like an Astronaut (NASA)
NIH Offers Free Program Resources to Help Kids Make
Healthy Choices
Media-Smart Youth: Eat, Think, and Be Active! is a free program that helps young people better
understand the complex media world and how it can influence their health. Developed by the National Institutes of Health, the Media-Smart Youth materials encourage kids to eat healthy, be active,
and think critically about marketing messages.
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Next
Generation of Conservationists Youth Employment Grant Due December 15
The Developing the Next Generation of
Conservationists program brings together public and private partners to support
those organizations that are developing innovative conservation job
opportunities for youth on public lands. These job opportunities, in turn,
expose young people, particularly urban, tribal and minority youth, to the
natural world and career opportunities available in conservation. >>>>
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Every Day Event Grants Due by Dec. 15
Our
nation’s public lands are places where we picnic, play ball, fish, fly kites,
pull weeds, and plant seeds. With generous support from Toyota Motor Sales USA,
Inc., NEEF offers Every Day Event Grants to public land organizations, or
Friends Groups, to engage their community on a public land site. NEEF awards up to $2,000 each to hold a
minimum of three events that are educational, recreational and/or
volunteer-based. >>>>
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Register
for Department of Energy’s BioenergizeME Challenge by Feb. 4
In the 2016 BioenergizeME Infographic Challenge,
high school-aged teams use technology to research, interpret, apply, and design
an infographic that responds to one of four cross-curricular bioenergy topics. Register by February 4 to test your knowledge
and creativity along with student teams across the country. Submissions are due March 4, 2016. Selected
infographics will be featured on the challenge website, and one team will be
selected to present at the Bioenergy Technologies Office's conference in
Washington, D.C. >>>>
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Enter the World of 7 Billion Student Video Contest by Feb. 25
Create
a short video about human population growth that highlights one of the
following global challenges: Deforestation, Public Health, or Water Scarcity. All videos must include how population growth
impacts the issue and at least one idea for a sustainable solution. >>>>
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The Children and Nature Conference is May 25-27 in Saint Paul,
Minn.
The Children and Nature Network 2016 Summit and
Conference will take place May 25-27 in Saint Paul, Minnesota. The conference provides opportunities to
engage with leaders from a wide-range of sectors and peers to learn about
cutting edge initiatives, share lessons learned, activate collaboration, spark
new connections, and chart a path for expanding and growing the movement. Early registration ends Nov. 30. >>>>
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The National Farm to Cafeteria Conference is June 2-4 in
Madison, Wisc.
Save the date for the 8th National Farm to
Cafeteria Conference, a biennial event hosted by the National Farm to School
Network that convenes more than 1,500 diverse stakeholders who are working to
source local food for institutional cafeterias and foster a culture of food and
agricultural literacy across America. The
farm to cafeteria movement is at the forefront of the fight to end obesity and
strengthen local food systems. The 2016 conference theme “Moving Forward
Together” lifts up new and innovative partnerships to continue to build
momentum and ensure long-term sustainability in the movement. Registration will
open Feb. 15. >>>>
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Connect with Green Strides
Green Strides: Resources for School Facilities, Health, and Environment
U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools
Facebook: @EDGreenRibbonSchools
Twitter: @EDGreenRibbon
If you received a forwarded newsletter, sign up to receive us directly next month.
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