ED Officials Continue Facilities Tour in New England
Last week,
federal, state, and local officials wrapped up the second leg of the Education Built to Last Facilities Best Practices Tour in New England. Like
the kick-off visit in
Alabama, the tour
involved schools that exhibit best practices in school building and grounds design, construction,
operations and management to support health, equity, educational outcomes,
energy efficiency and cost savings. “I am pleased that we in New England have
been able to offer some ideas and examples of how to improve the quality of
schools – and school buildings – all while conserving natural resources and
taxpayer dollars,” said Deborah A. Gist, R.I. Commissioner of Elementary and
Secondary Education. Check out press coverage and blog from the event.
The Tour Rolls on to Empire and Garden States…
The next stop
on the tour will be on Aug 13, with Senior Advisor for Faith-Based and
Neighborhood Partnerships Kenneth Bedell, ED-Green Ribbon Schools Director
Andrea Falken and Director of the EPA Office of Children’s Health Protection,
Jacqueline Mosby, visiting four ED-Green Ribbon Schools from New York and New
Jersey. As with every tour leg, this one
will include a Best Practices Listening Session open to schools, districts and
facilities officials and stakeholders from across the region. All are welcome to see and learn these
schools’ best practices!
The Agenda
9:00 a.m.
- 10:30 a.m. Hubert H. Humphrey PS 57, 140 Palma Drive, Staten Island, NY
11:45
a.m. - 12:30 p.m. Bedwell Elementary School, 141 Seney
Drive, Bernardsville, NJ
1:15
p.m. - 2:00 p.m. Bernards
High School, 25 Olcott Avenue, Bernardsville, NJ
2:00
p.m. - 3:30 p.m. Best Practices Listening Session at
Bernards High School
4:00
p.m. - 5:00 p.m The
Willow School, 1150 Pottersville Road, Gladstone, NJ
After New York and New Jersey, the Department will visit Milwaukee, WI area schools on August 22nd and 23rd.
The School Sites
This school
partners with MillionTreesNYC to care for trees, conduct summer pond clean-ups,
and collect water quality data for the EPA.
Students lead conservation initiatives to save 28 percent on energy
usage since 2008. Approximately 30
percent of the school’s solid waste has been diverted from landfills due to
high-quality composting and recycling programs.
GrowNYC, Grow to Learn, and Green Thumb work with PS 57 students in
their 7,350 square foot outdoor garden to plant and grow produce for the school
cafeteria. In 2011, PS57 obtained a Home
Depot grant that allowed a student-built greenhouse to be built from 1,500
recycled plastic bottles in the garden.
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Bedwell has
achieved savings through lighting upgrades, building temperature controls, as
well as an energy education program.
Custodial, maintenance, and cafeteria workers have been trained in
energy-saving techniques, as well as energy-efficient operations and
maintenance. Data on the school’s energy
use is tracked monthly and communicated to staff and students through reports,
newsletters, and announcements. The
school will soon have solar panels on its roof that generate 20 percent of its
power. To promote healthy eating among
students and staff, the school food service company donated seeds for an edible
garden, and the food is served in the cafeteria. The garden will expand thanks to grants from
Lowe’s Corporation, and an Eagle Scouting project will improve the facilities
and infrastructure during 2013.
Bernards High
achieved a 16 percent energy use reduction in three years through behavioral
changes and low cost retrofits, including adjustments to lighting, controls,
ice storage, vending, and the kitchen hood exhaust. Located in a district with an energy savings
contract and pay for performance agreement, the school reduced its greenhouse
gas emissions by more than 12 percent.
It calculates its annual savings in water and sewer utility at
$28,150. An active Green Team spearheads
gardening, composting, and local restoration projects. The school purchases local produce through
the Jersey Fresh program, and obtained a $300,000 Safe Routes to School Grant
to build a sidewalk connecting the high school with feeder schools.
The National
Geographic’s “Green Guide” ranked Willow as the nation’s second greenest school
for its progressive integration of sustainable design initiatives into the
campus and the curriculum. The school building’s site orientation and layout
plan, along with upper insulated walls and ceilings, high-performance windows,
high-efficiency heating and cooling systems, and innovative daylighting
strategies that include automatic photocell-based daylight dimming controls for
interior light systems, all provide maximum energy performance. The Barn, a
multi-use building, is certified LEED Platinum and consumes 70 percent less
energy compared to an identical building constructed to building code.
Photovoltaic on-site renewable energy generation provides 37 percent of the
building’s electricity requirements.
Date for States’ Participation
in 2014 ED-Green Ribbon Schools Recognition Award:
State
education agencies are encouraged to indicate their intent to nominate schools in
2014 by September 1, 2013 by emailing green.ribbon.schools@ed.gov. States pictured in green have indicated their intent to nominate in 2014. Public
and private K-12 schools and public school districts must be nominated by state
departments of education. Applications
for states’ nominations are devised and disseminated by participating
states. Schools cannot apply directly to the US Department of Education.
State education agencies' participation is voluntary. You may locate contact
information for state education agency selection committee contacts, who
nominate schools to the U.S. Department of Education here. If a contact is not listed on the
ED-GRS site, you may locate the main number to a state department of education here. School and district nominations from state
education agencies are due to
ED-GRS by February 1, 2014. Agencies can
obtain more information by emailing green.ribbon.schools@ed.gov.
Kudos for ED-Green
Ribbon Schools from the Nation’s Top Doctor
Last week the
EPA published a blog post from former Surgeon General Regina
Benjamin on the power of prevention in our communities and the National Prevention
Strategy. Within the blog, Dr. Benjamin highlighted the work of ED-Green Ribbon
Schools and their role in prevention.
Expanding Connectivity
for All Schools
Last week, the Federal Communications Commission
(FCC) initiated a thorough review and modernization of the E-Rate
program built around three goals: increased broadband
capacity, cost-effective purchasing, and streamlined program
administration. Over the past 15 years, support provided by the E-Rate
has helped revolutionize schools’ and libraries’ access to modern
communications networks, but the needs of both schools and libraries are
changing. There is consensus that the E-Rate needs to be updated and
revitalized with a clear focus on ensuring that all schools and libraries have
affordable access to quality broadband. Secretary Duncan’s statement on the FCC action is available online. Also, leaders from across the country have
expressed support for the FCC’s
action.
Events
and Opportunities
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.
Aug. 7, 2013, 1-2 p.m. Mold
and Moisture Control in Schools (EPA)
Aug. 14, 2013, 2-3 p.m. Training Tools for Healthy Schools (CDC)
Aug. 20, 2013, 3-4 p.m. Current
Issues in Chemical Management for Schools (EPA)
Aug.
21, 2013, 2-3 p.m. Comprehensive School Physical Activity
Programs (CDC)
Aug. 22, 2013, 2-3 p.m. Recycle-Bowl Competition and Educational Resources
(KAB)
Aug. 27,
2013, 2-3 p.m. A Teacher's
Role in Successful Green Cleaning (HSC)
Aug. 28,
2013, 3-4 p.m.
Outdoor
Activities in Nature for Health (NEEF)
Sept. 4,
2013, 4-5 p.m. Food Day in
Schools: How to Get Involved (CSPI)
Sept. 11, 2013, 2 p.m. Green Purchasing for Schools (GSI)
Also find more
resources on the Green Strides Resources
Page!
 Food Day on
October 24 is a nationwide celebration and a movement for healthy, affordable,
and sustainable food. Food Day inspires
events, big and small, with individuals and organizations coming together on
and around October 24 to learn, debate, and mobilize to improve American food
system. By teaching children new life skills related to food, Food Day’s
national partnerships will help youth acquire the knowledge and skills they
need, and build a more food literate society. New resources and information for eating real year-round are available through the campaign.>>>
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Climate Change, Water
and Energy News from Friends of ED at EPA, DOE and NOAA
Explore Climate Change Impacts by Region on EPA's Climate Change
Website
EPA's Climate Change
website provides resources for those interested in learning more about expected
climate change impacts and adaptation by region or sector. The website provides
a number of resources to assist public officials and others with climate change
adaptation planning.>>>
EPA's WaterSense-Labeled Products Save Americans Nearly Nine
Billion
Consumers who invested in
WaterSense-labeled products have saved a total of $8.9 billion in water and
energy bills and 487 billion gallons of water since the program's inception in
2006. That's the amount of water needed to supply all the homes in
Colorado and Arizona for one full year. In 2012 alone, WaterSense-labeled
products helped to save more than 202 billion gallons of water.>>>
Energy Releases: "Energy Sector Vulnerabilities to Climate
Change”
This report
examines current and potential future impacts of these climate trends on the
U.S. energy sector. The report identifies activities underway that address
climate challenges and discusses potential opportunities to enhance energy
technologies that are more climate-resilient. It discusses information,
stakeholder engagement, and policies and strategies to further enable the deployment
of these opportunities.>>>
NOAA Announces Monthly Drought Outlook Product
NOAA's Climate
Prediction Center has begun issuing a monthly drought outlook. Issued the
last day of each month, this product shows where drought is likely to set in,
persist or worsen, improve, or end over the next month. This new product will
better capture the rapid onset of drought and drought improvement - information
needed by many stakeholders, especially farmers and ranchers who may need
timely and accurate information to make short-term decisions during growing
season. It is also great data for
students to analyze!>>>
NOAA Offers Climate Connection E-Newsletter
NOAA Climate Connection
is a free monthly e-newsletter designed to increase climate literacy and communication
capacity for NOAA and its partners. Subscription requests can be sent to NOAAClimateConnection@noaa.gov. See last month’s newsletter
here.>>>
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