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U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon
Schools (ED-GRS) and its Green Strides outreach initiative share promising
practices and resources in the areas of safe, healthy, and sustainable school
environments; nutrition and outdoor physical activity; and environmental and
sustainability education. To bring additional attention to honorees’
practices, ED-GRS conducts an annual Green Strides tour, allowing schools,
school districts, and postsecondary institutions to share their work with
community leaders and policymakers and celebrate their achievements.
View the tour schedule here, contact ED.Green.Ribbon.Schools@ed.gov with any questions, and please join us.
All visits are open to the public. (Read “Why I Can’t Wait to
Get Back to the Green Strides Tour.”) We invite
you to share tour photos and impressions with us on Twitter (EDGreenRibbon) and Facebook (EDGreenRibbonSchools) using hashtag
#GreenStridesTour. >>>>
 Students engage in watershed education at 2017 U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon School Postsecondary Sustainability Awardee University of Georgia.
Five years ago, I was tasked with developing
what came to be called U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools
(ED-GRS). The ED-GRS recognition award is now known for honoring
sustainable schools annually. “What is a ‘green’ or ‘sustainable’ school?,”
you ask. Well, we established a federal
definition
when we created the award. State education authorities voluntarily
nominate up to five schools and school districts and up to one postsecondary
institution each year to the U.S. Department of Education (ED) for consideration.
We announce the ED-GRS honorees on or near Earth Day and then invite them all
to a special ceremony in Washington D.C. the following summer. That is
what most people know. What I’d like to discuss are the common
misconceptions about ED-GRS. >>>>
As you head back to school, take inspiration from the 2017 U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools for ideas for the coming year. View the honorees and read about their work on Green Strides. Also catch a blog about the 2017 ceremony.
 Students at Kromrey Middle School work to remove invasive species.
Located within the Middleton-Cross Plains Area School District, the new
Kromrey Middle School building, constructed in 2013, continues the sustainability
initiatives for which it has received district recognition. The school was awarded ENERGY STAR
certification in 2016, with a score of 91, and U.S. Middle School Design
Project of the Year 2016. Even before
construction of the new facility, the school achieved ENERGY STAR recognition
in its old facility each year from 2008–13.
The new building has geothermal heating and cooling, solar hot water,
and LED or fluorescent lighting, plus daylighting to reduce the need for
artificial lighting. More than a quarter
of the landscaping is native, and building materials were sourced locally when
feasible. There are many places inside
and outside the school for students to gather in natural lighting and with
views of nature, including an outdoor amphitheater and a living wall on the
edge of a nature conservancy. Wellness
activities are offered for Kromrey staff both at the school and at other
district buildings. Mindfulness
techniques are embraced and used in classrooms and staff trainings. English classes go outside to compose poetry and
other observational writing. In the
summer of 2016, Kromrey staff partnered with Friends of Pheasant Branch
Conservancy to develop outdoor inquiry units for fifth and sixth grades. All sixth-grade students spend two days at
Upham Woods Environmental Learning Center each year. Classes, ranging from choices and careers to technology
and engineering to social studies, address environmental sustainability. >>>>
 Fourth-grade Portland Waldorf School students add mushroom spawn plugs to a log.
The
Portland Waldorf School (PWS) is an alternative private school that serves early
childhood through high school students.
PWS’s environmental education program assures that sustainability
projects are woven into both the curriculum and extracurricular activities for
all ages. The PWS community invests its funds and staff in an innovative
environmental education program, called the LivingLAB, that actively engages
students with a wide variety of sustainability-related projects. These projects
are implemented by students in conjunction with their academic studies, which
are integrated into the long-term site design.
Students oversee projects harvesting the natural water flow on campus;
remediating runoff water from parking lots; promoting biking and public transit;
recycling; gardening; composting; and encouraging best practices for reducing
waste and energy use, including changing all lightbulbs to LED. Daily food compost chores, tending to gardens
with various themes—including dye plants, food forests, wetland plants, native
plants, medicinals, pollinator-attractants, and edible landscaping—and regular
use of a wood-fired oven for a variety of subject lessons engage students
directly with activities that model regenerative practices and develop healthy
habits. Nutritious cooking activities
are integrated into classes for all ages.
This past year, students constructed gravity-powered water pumps to
irrigate gardens and a bike shelter. They also built a rainwater catchment
system that flows into the early learning play, so that even the youngest students
can interact in a hands-on way with this resource-efficient technology. Water bottle filling stations, bioswales, and
xeriscaping are employed to reduce environmental impact. Students pack waste-free lunches, bring
reusable dishware from home, compost, and recycle. The school encourages handmade crafting,
using natural materials and products, which are available through the school
store. Biomimicry, permaculture, and
biodynamics provide important frameworks for students to understand such topics
as appropriate technology, science, and nutrition with greater complexity. >>>>
 Fairfax County Public Schools has more ENERGYSTAR certified schools than any district in the nation.
Fairfax County Public Schools’ (FCPS’) comprehensive
environmental education and sustainability program has been expanded into a
systemic collaboration dubbed Get2Green.
Get2Green’s mission is to promote student learning and action using the
environment as a foundation. Get2Green
has created competitive programs running division-wide awareness campaigns,
provided annual student internships with authentic sustainability experiences,
and engaged 150 schools in student-driven stewardship activities, such as
recycling, building wildlife habitats, conserving energy, and growing
food. Dashboards and an interactive
website provide data on energy, recycling, and Eco-School USA progress in a way
that encourages student and teacher engagement and competition among
schools. The Fairfax Department of
Facilities and Transportation Services invests one third of every project dollar
into sustainability infrastructure.
Through Get2Green and FCPS’ partnership with the energy conservation
company Cenergistic, FCPS has realized $10 million in energy savings in two
years. FCPS has low-flow water fixtures
and drought-resistant native plants, as well as automated sensors in bathrooms,
rain barrels, and cisterns to conserve and collect water. The district sponsors bus-pass programs for
use on public transit as well as on the county school bus system. The FCPS Safe Routes to School program has
helped promote walking and biking to school through pedestrian and bike safety
lessons for over 15,000 students. There
are vegetable gardens at 78 FCPS schools.
Schools incorporate their gardens into the curriculum by weighing what
they grow, doing cost/benefit analyses, studying the growth cycle of plants,
and conducting research to create informational signs. FCPS has over 100 elementary science lessons
that ask teachers to take students outside for investigations, and a guide to
these lessons is available to teachers.
At the secondary level, FCPS life science students in seventh grade
participate in a meaningful watershed educational experience by visiting a
local stream and conducting a variety of qualitative and quantitative tests,
which they use to evaluate the field site’s health. The district introduced outdoor backpacks in
fall 2016 to facilitate outdoor education for students in all grade
levels >>>>
Green Apple Day of
Service is an opportunity to join schools across the world in celebrating the
central role that schools play in preparing the next generation of sustainability
leaders. A school’s day of service event improves the health and safety of the
learning environment while strengthening student civic leadership,
environmental literacy, and project management skills. Since it began in 2012,
the Green Apple Day of Service has inspired over 790,000 volunteers in 73
countries to act in support of sustainability at their schools. With one in
eight people around the globe attending a school every day, there is more work
to be done! Schools and the community leaders who support them can choose their
own dates for their projects, and they have access to mini-grants and
personalized guidance to help them bring their projects to fruition. Sign up to
participate at greenapple.org. >>>>
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Captain
Planet Foundation’s small grants fund environmental stewardship and
service learning projects that engage children in critical thinking, research,
inquiry investigations, and real-world environmental problem solving.
Grants provide educators with the funding needed to purchase equipment,
materials, or supplies. >>>>
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Keep
America Beautiful offers two fall events to educate and engage school
communities: 1) Recycle-Bowl
(Oct. 16–Nov. 15) school registration opens Aug. 1, and 2) register to organize
an America
Recycles Day (Nov. 15) event. >>>>
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The
Green Strides Webinar Series promotes sessions that provide free tools to
reduce schools' environmental impact and costs; improve health and wellness;
and teach effective environmental education. Consult the webinar
calendar, and submit suggestions of free webinars related to school,
district, and postsecondary sustainability to ed.green.ribbon.schools@ed.gov
for listing. (Note: All times listed are EDT.)
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Sept. 7, 2–3 p.m. Trending Topics in Farm to School: Farm to School in
Native Communities (National Farm to School Network)
Sept.7, 6–7
p.m. There’s Space in Your Classroom for Cross-Curricular:
STEAM-rolling Through Space (NASA)
Sept.12, 1–2 p.m. Portfolio Manager 101
(EPA)
Sept.13, 1–2 p.m. Just Add WaterSense to Your Energy Efficiency Efforts (EPA)
Sept. 13, 2:30–3:30 p.m. Hold an Energy Efficiency Treasure Hunt for Green Apple Day of Service (EPA)
Sept.14, 1–2 p.m. Energy Star and Green Building Rating Systems (EPA)
Sept.18, 6:30–7:30 p.m. There’s Space in Your Classroom for Cross-Curricular: MarsBound (NASA)
Sept.19, 1–2 p.m. Trends in Tracking Waste Data in Portfolio Manager (EPA)
Sept.19, 6:30–7:30 p.m. Cosmology 101 (NASA)
Sept. 20, 12–1:30 p.m. Reducing Lead in Drinking Water (EPA)
Sept. 20, 5–6 p.m. A Cross Curricular Lesson: Who Will Feed the World? (NASA)
Sept. 20, 6–7 p.m. National Marine Sanctuaries Webinar Series: Manta
Rays: Studying an Ocean Icon (NOAA)
Sept. 21, 1–2 p.m. Portfolio Manager 201
(EPA)
Sept. 21, 6–7 p.m. Hurricanes in Your Classroom: Ask a Hurricane Hunter
Pilot (NASA)
Sept. 27, 6:30–7:30 p.m. The Adventures of Amelia the Pigeon K–2 (NASA)
Sept. 27, 7:30–8:30 p.m. Green Teacher Webinar Series: Best Practices in School
Gardens (Green Schools National Network)
Sept. 28, 1–2 p.m. Portfolio Manager 301
(EPA)
Sept. 28, 4–5 p.m. Go Far, Walk Together: Community Engagement as
Transformative Practice (NAAEE)
Sept. 28, 6:30–7:30 p.m. The Adventures of Amelia the Pigeon 3–5 (NASA)
The AASHE Conference and Expo brings together some
2,000 campus administrators, sustainability staff, students, faculty,
businesses, media, and others to explore more than 400 educational sessions,
workshops, tours, and keynote addresses that advance sustainability in higher
education. This year's theme, “Stronger
in Solidarity,” will focus on how the campus sustainability community can break
down walls, build bridges, and continue to make progress toward a healthy and
equitable future for all. >>>>
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For more than four decades, the North American
Association for Environmental Education has convened one of the leading annual
conferences for environmental education professionals, including classroom
teachers and teacher educators, nature center staff, climate science
researchers, and everyone in between. Averaging 1,000 participants each year,
the event is designed to promote innovation, networking, learning, and the
dissemination of best practices. This year’s
conference on the theme “Imagine a World” is in San Juan, Puerto Rico. >>>>
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The
Association for Learning Environment’s mission is to connect those with a
passion for creating the best possible learning spaces to empower students to
succeed in a rapidly changing world. These spaces encourage innovation,
critical thinking, collaborative teamwork, and other skills. This year’s
conference includes educational sessions, keynotes, and a showcase of
state-of-the-art tools that move learning into the future. >>>>
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EDspaces is the gathering place for architects,
facility planners, designers, administrators, and dealers to learn about trends
in school facilities, and experience the latest products and services to
enhance student learning. >>>>
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Greenbuild
is the world's largest conference and expo dedicated to green building. It
features three days of inspiring speakers, invaluable networking opportunities,
industry showcases, LEED workshops, and tours of the host city's green
buildings. >>>>
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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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