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In early June, more than 300 people gathered
in Washington, D.C., for a national ceremony
honoring the 64 U.S. Department of Education
Green Ribbon Schools (ED-GRS) and the 14 recipients of the first-ever District
Sustainability Award. The honored schools and districts, pictured here, represent 29 states and
the District of Columbia, and have demonstrated exemplary efforts to reduce
environmental impact and costs, promote better health, and ensure effective
environmental education, including STEM, green careers and civics.
Don’t forget, state education agencies should indicate their
intent to participate in next year’s competition, nominating up to four schools
and a district, by emailing green.ribbon.schools@ed.gov before August 1, 2013.
ED Launches ‘Education Built to Last’ Facilities Best Practice Tour
At the Ceremony, Under Secretary Kanter and Secretary Duncan also launched the ‘Education Built to Last’ Facilities Best Practices Tour. “Because where students learn matters as much as the who and how, the Department will be visiting ED-Green Ribbon Schools and District Sustainability Awardees to highlight what schools and districts can do now to ensure that their learning facilities promote achievement, health, equity, and cost savings,” they said.
The tour will spotlight best practices in school building and grounds design, construction, operations and management; health; and sustainability education in our nation’s school facilities. It will collect input for what ED might do to encourage innovation and improvement in these areas at the state, district and school levels. The tour will pay particular attention to how school facilities can improve the health and performance of our nation’s earliest and high poverty learners, and get students on track for the careers of the future.>>>
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Highlights from the 2013 Honorees
Here are a few more shining examples from this
year’s honorees:
Fayetteville High School, Sylacauga, AL
Linking to community resources and professional development
Partnerships with FarmLinks, Inc., a local family-owned business and Auburn University’s horticulture department have provided on-site professional development for teachers in a range of environmental content areas, and have shown teachers how to link environmental content to language arts, design, and technology. In addition, these strategic partnerships have led to the creation of the Fayetteville School Foundation, through which over $250,000 in monetary and in-kind services have been donated to develop planting areas, establish a native tree grove, build a children’s sensory garden, provide vegetable plots and local dairy products, and launch recycling programs.>>
 Barnard Environmental Studies Magnet School, New
Haven, CT
Core curriculum
integration: water, energy, migration and a local estuary
Barnard Environmental Studies Magnet School serves students from
pre-kindergarten through 8th grade, including nearly 82 percent
minorities, with 62 percent eligible for free or reduced-cost lunch. When you enter Barnard’s lobby, far from
signs of economic challenge, you see a powerful environmental studies theme
that runs throughout the school: student artwork, brightening and inspiring,
decorates the corridors and illustrates the school’s four overarching
environmental themes: the studies of fresh water, energy, migration, and the
Long Island Sound estuary. >>
 Guion Creek Middle School, Indianapolis, IN
Geothermal savings and dramatically
improved water efficiency
Guion Creek Middle School is located in Pike’s Township, a residential
suburban community of Indianapolis, IN.
The school is one of three middle schools in Pike’s Township with over
73 percent of the students receiving free or reduced lunch. Guion Creek’s newly
installed geothermal heat pump provides 45 percent of the school’s energy
consumption, substantially lowering its natural gas use. With the additional benefit of lower
maintenance costs and time requirements, school facilities personnel have more
time to focus on other needs in the building.
The school has reduced water usage by 41 percent, its greenhouse gas
emissions by 19 percent and its energy consumption by 50 percent. >>>
Glacier Park Elementary School, Maple Valley, WA
Young environmental steward-bards star in “Come Back Salmon!”
Glacier Park provides students with outdoor
learning opportunities that help them grow into good stewards of their
environment. Students work in Glacier
Park’s vegetable garden, pick up litter, participate in planning and
maintenance of the rain garden and conduct scientific observations. They study forestry, learn about renewable
resources, and learn about government legislation to preserve natural resources
such as nearby Shadow Lake Bog. They
observe and map storm water on school grounds, and examine the function of a
rain garden. Glacier Park integrates environmental
education with other subjects using activities such as the dramatic production
“Come Back Salmon!” >>>
Events
and Opportunities
June is
Great
Outdoors Month, when President Obama encourages us to
celebrate America’s public lands and take part in outdoor activities. State and local parks are
hosting thousands of Great Outdoors Month events nationwide. As part of the festivities, Great
Outdoors America Week, from June 24th - 27th,
with this year’s theme of “Conservation and the Outdoor Economy” will bring
together private and public sectors, stakeholders, citizens, and youth to raise
environmental awareness, promote ecotourism, and advocate for a more
“outdoor-centric” way-of-life. Washington
D.C. events during the week include policy briefings, volunteer opportunities and a
‘Kids, Youth and the Great Outdoors Festival
and Walk’ on the National Mall.>>>
Applications for ED’s inaugural Principal
Ambassador Fellowship program are now available online.
Principal Ambassadors are outstanding principals with a record of leadership,
strong communication skills, and policy insight who contribute their school
leadership expertise to the national dialogue and in turn facilitate
discussions with educators across the country. The fellowship a paid position
enabling principals to participate on a part-time basis from their
home locations. The application deadline is July 16, 2013.>>>
Grades of
Green Youth Corps Are you interested in taking care of the
environment? Do you like to organize fun events and activities? Would you like
to learn how to be a better leader? If so, you may be a good candidate for the Grades of Green Youth Corps! Any student in 1st through
12th grade is eligible.>>
Spotlight on Energy Resources
 Solutions Center is the home for U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Technical
Assistance Program, which provides state, local, and tribal
officials with resources to advance successful, high impact, and long lasting
clean energy policies, programs, and projects, including Webcasts and Energy 101
videos. Its Better Buildings Alliance identifies specific barriers to
achieving energy efficiency and work with the DOE researchers and technical
experts to develop and deploy innovative solutions.
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Energy
Education
American’s
Home Energy Education Challenge is a fun way for students in grades 3-8 to
learn about energy conservation. The challenge runs during the 2013-2014 school
year and registration closes November 15, 2013. Teams of students will win over
$60,000 competing in the Home Energy Challenge and Energy Poster Competition. Climate
Literacy & Energy Awareness Network is a collection of educational
resources meant to help students’ understand the core ideas in climate and
energy science. The National
Energy Education Development Project has a large library of energy curriculum on
a wide range of energy topics and is differentiated between primary,
elementary, intermediate and secondary levels. Connect!
Transform the Future allows players to design and create their own
energy-efficient city of the future. DOE Energy Education and
Workforce Development provides a wealth of information about energy
K-12 curriculum, workforce development, and STEM activities. For example, take
a look at the Renewable Energy Competency Model, Green Job Fact Sheets, and Energy
Literacy: Essential Principles and Fundamental Concepts for Energy Education.
Other
New Environmental Education Opportunities
Designing a
Resilient Community is the Center for
Ecoliteracy's new
downloadable activity that enables high school students assess their
community's ability to respond to crises and then develop ideas for enhancing
its resilience.>>>
ClimateChangeLIVE is a new U.S. Forest
Service distance learning initiative to educate, engage, and inspire students
to be part of the climate change solution with resources from 18 partners tied
to national education standards, with an interactive website, webinars and webcasts
planned for the coming school year.>>>
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Spotlight
on Health Resources
Food Day: Get Food Education in Every School is a national initiative
to raise awareness about the critical importance of food education in schools
across America on Oct. 24, 2013. Created by Food Day and the Jamie Oliver Food
Foundation, the initiative offers resources to help schools integrate food
education into curriculum.>>>
EPA’s Environmental
Health Research Grant seeks applicants for $1 million
grants that will span 4 years. Public
and private non-profit organizations are eligible to apply to the program,
designed to fund research that will inform K-12 schools’ building design,
construction and operation practices to foster safe and healthy environments
and maximize student achievement.
Applications are due Oct. 8, 2013.>>>
Environmental
Law Institute: Overview of State Environmental Health Laws provides a snapshot
of how state policies have addressed several school indoor environmental
quality issues – mold, radon, carbon monoxide, vehicle idling, green cleaning,
IAQ & renovations, and school IAQ management plans. The resource
includes citations to and summaries of state laws and regulations, so that
those interested in school environmental health can easily find out how their
own and other state policymakers have tackled these important issues.>>> |
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ED’s Green Strides Webinar Series continues with
the tools to reduce schools’ environmental impact and costs; improve
health and wellness; and teach effective environmental literacy, including
STEM, green careers, and civic engagement. Find more sessions for educators,
facilities managers, and advocates weekly. >>>
June 26, 2013,
4-5 p.m. BioDiversity Discovery: Creating Next Generation
Standards (NPS)
July 23, 2013,
3-4 p.m. Integrated Pest Management: Protecting Kids from Pests
and Pesticides (EPA)
July 24, 2013,
4-5 p.m. Recycle-Bowl Competition and Educational Resources (KAB)
July 30, 2013,
2-3 p.m. Green Cleaning Award for Schools & Universities (HSC)
Connect
with Green Strides on the Web
Green Strides: Environment, Health and Facilities at ED
ED-Green Ribbon Schools
Facebook
Twitter: @EDGreenRibbon
Sign up for Green Strides updates here.
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