The 2016 U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon
Schools, District Sustainability Award, and Postsecondary Sustainability Award nominations
are rolling in. Stay tuned for an
announcement of honorees from Secretary King on Earth Day, April 22nd. This month, we share some exciting district news
from the Green Schools Alliance (GSA) and a new report from the National
Wildlife Federation on green career preparation. Also note the fast-approaching deadline for an
EPA asthma prevention award and an exciting new fundraising mechanism for outdoor
school projects.
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Twenty-one Large School Districts Come Together to Prioritize
Sustainability
Twenty-one
large districts have come together to collaborate on more sustainable school
options. These districts have formed the GSA District Collaborative to
accelerate hands-on environmental action in school communities across the
nation. The Collaborative is comprised
of 21 U.S. school districts - eight of which are among the 12 largest districts
in the country. These districts concur
that every child has a right to learn, engage, and play in a healthy and
sustainable environment where every person is aware of and accountable for
their impact. Read more in a blog by
Green Schools Alliance Executive Director Dr. Sharon Jaye. >>>>
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NWF Releases Plan to
Prepare Community College Students for Green Careers
Community colleges are
the gateways to jobs that protect wildlife and natural resources; generate, distribute and store clean energy; and promote healthy,
high-performance buildings. This report
includes examples and policy recommendations for giving community colleges the
capacity needed to skill the 21st century U.S. workforce. >>>>
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Outdoor Associations
Offer Fundraising Platform for School Projects
The
Outdoor Foundation and Outdoor Industry Association are offering a fundraising
mechanism to help schools implement their outdoors projects, including plans to
take fourth grade classes to federal lands and waters as part of Every Kid in the Park. The campaign’s online
platform connects funders from the outdoor industry with specific park
experience projects. Schools and non-profits can complete a brief project
registration including photographs, experience descriptions, locations, number
of youth, and goal. >>>>
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The 2015 ED-Green Ribbon
Schools Director’s Award: Nominations Due March 1st
The Director’s Award recognizes state education authorities’
exemplary efforts to administer U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon
Schools (ED-GRS). Annually, the Director’s Award goes to the state
education official who does the most to advance sustainable education in his or her state. If you wish to nominate a state education official, please send your
nomination and justification to ed.green.ribbon.schools@ed.gov by March 1st. Any state education
official who is involved in implementing the ED-GRS award and who has not
already won the Director’s Award is eligible for nomination. Read about
the work of past Director’s Award recipients. >>>>
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U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools, District
Sustainability Awardees, and Postsecondary Sustainability Awardees are
demonstrating innovative practices for others to follow:
Red
Hawk Elementary School, Erie, Colo.
Red Hawk Elementary School is LEED Gold and students
educate visitors about sustainable features that reduce the school’s carbon
footprint, including that 100 percent of heat is derived from geothermal
energy. Red Hawk opened in 2011 with 436
students enrolled. Today that number is
closer to 700 students, yet Red Hawk has decreased its energy use by 21 percent
and water by 56 percent. Red
Hawk’s STEM focus ties into daily sustainability learning alongside the study
of the thoughtful design of the building.
This takes students outdoors to engage in science education, all the
while developing critical thinking skills.
Red Hawk participates in Boulder County’s Eco-Cycle program with
rigorous waste diversion activities, recycling efforts, composting initiatives,
assemblies, and field trips to learn critical conservation skills surrounding
eco-system stability, waste management, and a healthy planet. The school has Bike and Walk to School Month,
during which bikers and walkers are greeted at the school with praise and a
granola bar. Eight local farms partner
with the district to bring local foods to schools and Red Hawk has its own
garden, which is planted and harvested by every grade level. The Red Hawk Movement program was awarded
first place in the National Physical Activity Innovation Competition. Students complete 40 minutes of rigorous
physical activity every day, in addition to their physical education class and
recesses, the majority of which is outdoors.
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Red Hawk's tubular skylights allow natural light in the building's entryway.
Northampton
Community College, Bethlehem, Penn.
The Northampton Community College (NCC) Monroe
campus is the first college campus constructed entirely to meet LEED Silver
certification. Floor-to-ceiling windows
made of high-performance glass maximize natural light. Native vegetation reduces storm water
runoff. The 205,500 square foot campus
is four times larger than the NCC’s original site, but incurs energy costs of
only $87,000 a year thanks to geothermal system, high-efficiency HVAC and
lighting systems, and a solar canopy that provides about 40 percent of the
campus electricity. A digital metering
system provides real-time energy information.
NCC’s main campus offers 40 acres of wooded and grassy land as a living
laboratory. A community garden connects
gardeners from the college and community for service learning and healthy
living. Biology students conduct flora
and fauna inventories, and Irish Literature students plant crops to learn about
land ownership in the context of 19th century Irish land laws. Culinary students practice farm-to-table
cooking strategies and compost. The
college’s environmental science associate’s degree prepares students for
careers in wildlife conservation, resource management, law, and human ecology. Students began a movement to reduce, and
eventually eliminate, the use of disposable plastics in food service. Faculty members have used EPA grants to
partner with a local community supported agriculture program and an avian
research center, providing experiential learning for students. NCC’s National Endowment for the Humanities-funded
programming explores how food relationships are re-localizing. >>>>
 The community garden on Northampton Community College's Bethlehem Campus serves as a learning laboratory not only for college students, but also for schoolchildren and community groups interested in sustainable gardening and healthy living. Here, the college beekeeper speaks with students from a local middle school about the role honeybees play in agriculture.
Coles
Elementary School, Manassas, Va.
Coles Elementary’s Environmental Club spearheads
work to decrease energy consumption, reducing GHG emissions by 30 percent over
two years and energy use by 21 percent over just one year. The building was ENERGY STAR certified in
2014 with a score of 81. Coles celebrates
No Paper days and Lights-Off Fridays and maintains school gardens, including a
certified Monarch Waystation, organic vegetable plots, fruit and herb gardens,
and a sensory garden. Students use
real-world math and science to measure the gardens, start seedlings, test the
pH of soil, dissect plants, learn about life cycles, and use 375 gallons of
recycled water collected in rain barrels to hand-water the gardens. Social issues, responsibilities, laws, and
moral obligations are explored as students conduct experiments and collect data
to make decisions about self-sustaining ecosystems and harvest vegetables to
feed needy families. Students create
environmental stewardship public service announcements, label drains for
watersheds, and visit a nearby environmental science center. Teachers’ use professional development and
curricular materials from Project Learning Tree, Trout in the Classroom, and
Project WILD. Three- to five-minute
dances serve as brain breaks throughout day.
Coles procures local foods and hosts Fitness and Literacy Nights to
highlight connect between the two. >>>>
 Coles Elementary students tend to their vegetable garden.
Feb.
01, 2016, 6:30-7:30 pm Dwarf Planets (NASA)
Feb.
03, 2016, 12:00-12:30 pm Ask
the Expert (EPA)
Feb.
04, 2016, 2:00-2:45 pm Finding and
Buying Local Foods
(USDA)
Feb.
10, 2016, 12:00-12:30 pm Ask the Expert (EPA)
Feb.
11, 2016, 1:00-2:00 pm How to Apply for
the ENERGY STAR
(EPA)
Feb.
11, 2016, 5:00-6:00 pm Scratch-Cooking
Production Environment (CAF)
Feb.
16, 2016, 1:00-2:00 pm Portfolio
Manager 101
(EPA)
Feb.
17, 2016, 12:00-12:30 pm Ask the Expert (EPA)
Feb.
17, 2016, 1:00-2:00 pm Portfolio
Manager 201
(EPA)
Feb.
18, 2016, 1:00-2:00 pm Portfolio
Manager 301
(EPA)
Feb.
18, 2016, 2:00-3:00 pm Farm to School
Menu Planning
(USDA)
Feb,
24, 2016, 12:00-12:30 pm Ask the Expert (EPA)
Feb. 25, 2016, 6:30-7:30 pm Extrasolar
Planets (NASA)
NOAA Environmental Literacy Grant Proposals Due Feb. 8
NOAA is offering funding for education projects designed to
strengthen the public’s and/or K-12 students’ environmental literacy to enable
informed decision-making necessary for community resilience to extreme weather
events and environmental hazards.
Eligible applicants are postsecondary institutions; other nonprofits,
including informal education institutions such as museums, zoos, and aquariums;
K-12 public and independent schools and school systems; and state, local and
Indian tribal governments. Proposed
projects should be between two and five years and have total budget requests of
$250,000 to $500,000 for all years of the project. >>>>
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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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Apply to Participate in the Student Climate and Conservation Congress
by Mar. 15
The Green Schools Alliance invites students who
have demonstrated leadership in their communities to participate in the Student
Climate & Conservation Congress. Hosted at the U.S. Fish Wildlife Service’s National
Conservation Training Center, students and educators selected to participate in
the week-long Congress will learn from expand their understanding of
environmental, social, and economic interconnections, and create year-long
commitments to meet 21st century challenges. >>>>
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Calling
Green Schools High School Students to Join the National Green Schools Society
National Green Schools Society, offered by
Project Green Schools, provides a structured chapter-based program for
high-achieving, environmentally focused students to create extraordinary impact
in schools, organizations, and communities while getting the recognition they
deserve on a state and national level. By establishing a NGSS chapter, students
in grades 2 through 12 can advance their passion for preserving the environment
through environmental service projects, leadership, and activism. Learn more
and start a chapter today. >>>>
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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 the movement. >>>>
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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. Registration opens 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
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