Duncan Praises Honorees; Announces 2nd Annual Green Strides Best Practices Tour

In the News

Schaefer, Duncan & Boots Praise Sustainable Schools at Commerce Hosted Ceremony For the third consecutive year, U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools and District Sustainability Awardees received accolades at a ceremony in Washington, D.C. for their sustainable, healthy facilities, wellness practices, and sustainability learning. In addition to the ceremony, honorees participated in a celebration offered by the Center for Green Schools and Senator Tom Harkin’s office, where they met their Congressional representatives, and in a range of tours offered by numerous federal partners.  To learn more about this year’s U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools and District Sustainability Awardees, visit our website. >>>

…And Announces Second Annual Green Strides Best Practices Tour

Federal, state and local officials will be traveling to a select number of U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools and District Sustainability Awardees as part of the second annual Green Strides Best Practices Tour, hosted by state education agencies.  This year's tour, with the theme "Healthy Schools, High-Achieving Students" will visit West Virginia, Kentucky, Florida, Colorado, Minnesota, and Maryland.  The tour is open to the public and press.  It is a great opportunity to learn from and share with ED-GRS honorees.  The dates of the tour are:

August 18th -22nd: West Virginia and Kentucky

Sept. 4th-5th: South Florida

Sept. 16th -17th: Denver and Ft. Collins, Colorado

Sept. 23rd-24th: Minneapolis, Minnesota

Oct. 8th: Maryland

View the complete schedule here.

2014-2015 Brings A Postsecondary Sustainability Award! U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools now has a Postsecondary Sustainability Award. In addition to a total of five school and district nominees, each state may nominate one postsecondary institution for exemplary achievement in all three Pillars. Interested colleges and universities should contact their state higher education authorities for information on how to apply in their states. Like the PK-12 awards, this category is entirely voluntary. Hearing from interested colleges and universities may be helpful to state authorities considering 2014-2015 participation. State higher education authorities should contact U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools for more information. Have doubts about ED-GRS? Some Frequently Asked Questions on all three award categories are available here.

Events

Green Apple Day of Service is Sept. 27th The Green Apple Day of Service, on Saturday, Sept. 27th, gives communities the opportunity to transform all schools into healthy, safe and productive learning environments through local service projects. Check out project ideas, pick up helpful event resources, read about last year's impact, find an event in your area, and register your 2014 Green Apple Day of Service project today.  >>>

The 5th Annual Green Schools National Conference is March 4-7th in Virginia Beach The annual Green Schools National Conference, the only national conference bringing together experts and stakeholders to influence sustainability in K-12 schools and districts, is designed to allow attendees to learn about creative strategies for success and to take home real-life tools that can transform schools.  The deadline for presentations and super early bird registration is July 31st, with early bird registration continuing into October. >>>

Resources and Grants

ED’s Green Strides Webinar Series continues with the tools to all schools can use to reduce costs; improve health; and teach effective environmental education. Find sessions for educators, facilities managers, and advocates weekly. 

Aug. 5, 2014 11 – 12 p.m. Earth System Science Part 1: Understanding Clouds (NASA)

Aug. 5, 2014, 3 – 5 p.m.  National Energy Literacy Virtual Town Hall (DOE)

Aug. 5, 2014, 7 – 8 p.m.  Engineering in the Classroom: Engineering Design (NASA)

Aug. 6, 2014, 7 – 8 p.m.  Engineering in the Classroom: Single Class Projects (NASA)

Aug. 12, 2014, 1 – 2 p.m.  Benchmarking Water in Portfolio Manager (EPA/DOE)

Aug. 26, 2014, 1 – 2 p.m.   Portfolio Manager 101 (EPA/DOE)

Aug. 27, 2014, 1 – 2 p.m.   Portfolio Manager 102 (EPA/DOE)

Aug. 28, 2014, 1 – 2:30 p.m.  How to Apply for the ENERGY STAR (EPA/DOE)

Sept. 17, 2014, 2 – 3 p.m.  Partnering with Weatherization/Healthy Homes (EPA)

Education Facilities Clearinghouse Offers Free Technical Assistance to Schools The Education Facilities Clearinghouse collects and disseminates resources on effective practices for the planning, design, financing, procurement, construction, improvement, operation, and maintenance of safe, healthy, and high-performing schools. Free technical assistance for schools and districts is available. Contact askefc@gwu.edu or 1-800-EFC-0938 for more information. >>>

Center for Disease Control Links Health and Academic Achievement

The Center for Disease Control’s new resource, Health and Academic Achievement, is a synthesis of evidence showing that the health of students is linked to their academic achievement. These resources can help public health and education professionals to engage stakeholders in supporting learning and health through school-based practices in physical activity, nutrition, and management of chronic disease conditions.  >>> 

ConnectED Offers Free Technological Resources There are many free technological teaching and learning resources that students and schools, especially low-income schools, can access thanks to the corporate commitments that were made to support President Obama’s ConnectED Initiative. Teachers, principals and district staff should act quickly to take advantage of offerings like free software and digital books. >>>

U.S. Department of Agriculture Offers a Fruit and Vegetable Grant

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has released a pilot grant to support schools' efforts to procure locally and regionally grown fruits and vegetables.  Interested states should submit applications by Sept. 30th. Under the pilot grant, up to eight states across five regions will be granted flexibility in using a portion of their USDA Foods entitlement dollars to purchase locally-grown unprocessed fruits and vegetables for the National School Lunch Program. >>>

Research

Policies that Promote Health in School Districts

Local school wellness policies provide an opportunity to create a healthy school environment where students are ready to learn.  The Center for Disease Control and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation-supported the Bridging the Gap research program that developed a series of seven briefs that provide an assessment of policies across school districts nationwide, related to seven wellness policy components. State agencies, school districts, and schools can use these briefs to identify areas of opportunity to strengthen wellness policies.  >>>

National Prevention Council Publishes Its Annual Status Report

It’s been three years since the National Prevention, Health Promotion, and Public Health Council released the first National Prevention Strategy to refocus our Nation on prevention and wellness and increase the number of Americans who are healthy at every stage of life. The achievements listed throughout this year’s Annual Status Report— including a nod to U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools —demonstrate the Nation’s progress and highlight the collective impact of the federal government and its partners to improve the health and quality of life for individuals, families, and communities. >>>

Contests

The Zero Robotics High School Tournament Deadline is Sept. 5th
The Zero Robotics High School Tournament offers U. S. high school students the opportunity to design experiments that will be tested in space. The competition starts online where teams compete to solve an annual challenge guided by mentors. Students can create, edit, share, save, simulate and submit code from a Web browser. After several phases of virtual competition, finalists will be selected to compete in a live championship aboard the International Space Station. >>>

The Hexacopter Engineering Challenge Deadline is Sept. 12th The Hexacopter Engineering Challenge tasks teams of students with measuring the height of Earth around us, from tree canopies to bodies of water. This challenge is open to undergraduate college students from accredited U.S. colleges and universities and will take place at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, on April 17, 2015. >>>