 At 2016 U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon School District Sustainability Awardee Bethel School District in Washington state, the agricultural program teaches students how to balance sustainability with business practices.
ED has selected Penny Taylor, director of the Office of Healthy Schools at the Florida Department of Education, as the recipient of the 2018 U.S. Department of Education
Green Ribbon Schools Director’s Award. Penny began, in 2012, giving the award a permanent home in her office. Then, in 2014, Penny hosted a Florida Green Strides Tour
leg. She led a committee effort to simplify the Florida application process.
Penny has participated in numerous professional gatherings
related to school health, environment, and sustainability. Penny has partnered
with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, the Florida Department
of Health, the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, non-profit
Sustainable Florida, as well as curriculum and facilities offices in her agency. The Memorandum of Understanding
Penny devised with several of these partners established the Florida Green School
Network, helping to create a pipeline of nominees for ED-GRS recognition and to
support the green schools movement in the state. Penny will be
honored, alongside schools, districts, and postsecondary institutions at a
ceremony in Washington, DC this fall.
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 2018 U.S. Department
of Education Green Ribbon Schools Coming Soon!
Participating state education
authorities are invited to submit their nominations to U.S. Department of Education Green
Ribbon Schools (ED-GRS) by March 31. ED will announce honorees this spring, invite selectees to a celebration in the fall, and conduct a tour to spotlight
clusters of honorees, past and present. Stay tuned for more information
on the 2018 announcement!
Now is a great time to begin
preparing for the 2019 application cycle by using resources and programs
on Green
Strides and contacting your state authority if it does not
already make nominations. Read some common misconceptions about the award
dispelled in a blog by the ED-GRS director and
review Frequently Asked Questions on all
three award categories. Interested colleges and universities should
contact their state higher education authorities,
while schools and districts should contact state education agencies.
Schools, districts, and postsecondary institutions are only eligible if
nominated by state authorities. State education authorities can find
award criteria and other state
implementation guidance on
ED's website and should contact U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools for
more information. >>>>
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As you prepare for spring at school, take
inspiration from the 2017 U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools for
your own school sustainability ideas. View the honorees and
read about their work on Green Strides.
 George L. Catrambone Elementary School's principal conducts a waste audit with students, helping to make everyone more cognizant when sorting trash. In the lunchroom, reusable trays help reduce waste as well.
The
George L. Catrambone Elementary School was built in 2014, using LEED for
Schools as a design reference and native
plants for its landscaping. Catrambone received ENERGY STAR certification in 2016 and currently tracks a Portfolio Manager score of 79. The Power Save Team, a group of
second- and fourth-grade students, teams up with New Jersey Natural Gas and the
Alliance to Save Energy to reduce the school’s energy consumption. As a result, the school achieved an 11 percent utility cost, a 14 percent greenhouse gas reduction, and a 40 percent energy savings in a single year. In the Catrambone courtyard, students
constructed a greenhouse from more than 2,000 recycled soda bottles that they
collected. With the growing season
extended, students grow enough vegetables and herbs from their gardens to feed
students, staff, and the greater community. Rain barrels in the courtyard collect water for the gardens, reducing irrigation needs, and bioswales on campus help to reduce stormwater
runoff. In a continued effort to reduce
waste, single-use water bottles have been eliminated in the building, and a
student fundraiser sold reusable water bottles, which raised enough money to
purchase new bottle filling stations. Catrambone students are making healthier choices thanks to a farm to
school program and healthy fruit and vegetable snack grants. Students have 160 minutes of physical
activity per week, and staff dance their way to a healthier lifestyle through biweekly workouts after school. Catrambone has a green cleaning program, is certified asthma-friendly, and is home to an on-campus health
center. In class, students participate in units about
endangered species, energy conservation, and recycling. Reading, science, and
social studies curricula are tied to content knowledge in sustainability and
the environment. >>>>
 Urban MRHMS has limited outdoor space, but provides a rich curriculum that integrates gardens, aquaponics, urban chickens, beehives, composting, and a rain garden.
Maplewood Richmond Heights Middle School (MRHMS) approaches school as an expedition, taking learning outside of the
classroom for over 15 percent of the school year. A sustainability class
is offered every semester and also serves as a multi-grade student leadership
group to solve sustainability issues in the school. Students have tackled
such issues as water runoff, energy conservation, composting, improving the
school’s aquaponics system, and alternative transportation. Through the
use of units that revolve around books like Seed
Folks or Good Food Revolution,
teachers provide MRHMS students with opportunities to explore green initiatives
while honoring state standards for learning. Physical education includes
aquatics and a water safety unit in an outdoor pool, archery, skiing, and
gardening as a lifetime fitness skill. Students get outdoors during
academic classes as well, through a tree climbing program for physics and
biology units, and a physics unit that includes a visit to an ice skating rink
to study Newton’s Laws in a near frictionless environment. To reduce waste, the school uses reusable flatware and
compostable trays for takeaway, and students employ one-to-one Chromebooks,
leading to a 38 percent diversion rate. To conserve water, the school
installed high efficiency hot water heaters, low-flow and automatic fixtures,
and a water bottle filling station. As a farm to school leader, MRHMS’
cafe maintains partnerships with local farmers and universities, and every
student is provided a free breakfast. >>>>
 Louisiana State University is home to the LSU lakes, the renowned campus forest, and the Endow-an-Oak program. LSU Dining offers green, local food choices, as well as a seasonal farmers market. The university’s recreation center has many health and exercise related programs, including an outdoor adventure program for students.
In 2008, Louisiana State University (LSU) hired a full-time
campus sustainability manager. Today, that staff member has evolved into a
multi-member team dedicated to implementing a wide range of efforts. To
ensure the broadest possible buy-in and solicit diverse ideas and perspectives,
LSU’s Campus Sustainability Office has led the effort to assemble its Campus
Committee on Sustainability, a group whose purpose is to set short and long
term sustainability-related goals. The committee’s responsibilities
encompass energy efficiency, green building, landfill diversion and recycling,
transportation, food, procurement, forests and grounds, and communication, with
subcommittees established for each area. LSU has been the recipient of
state and national awards and honors for its sustainability efforts, including environmental
leadership awards from the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality;
Bicycle Friendly University; Tree Campus USA; and Green Sports Alliance.
LSU has also been selected for several grants in the past few years, including
three $10,000 awards from Keep Louisiana Beautiful for sustainability-related
improvements and projects on campus. The LSU student body voted to
establish a fund to be used for projects related to sustainability that will be
proposed by students, faculty, and staff. Academic programs range from
research on Louisiana’s diminishing coastline to forestry, renewable resources,
climate change, and beyond. LSU’s School of the Coast and Environment, College
of Agriculture, School of Plant and Soil Systems, and School of Renewable
Natural Resources all offer students top-quality education and research
opportunities in sustainability and environmental protection. Coastal
research at LSU is specially highlighted. More than 200 faculty members are
currently involved in coastal-related research, and LSU has more than 450
coastal-related grants, totaling $73 million. >>>>
The Carton 2 Garden Contest is open to public and private K–12
schools. Winners are selected based on
their implementation of an innovative garden creation featuring creative and
sustainable uses for repurposed milk and juice cartons. >>>>
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The Fund has 4 major areas
of focus: species research, habitat protection, conservation education, and
animal rescue and rehabilitation. Each year the Fund has specific
conservation priorities it supports. Your programs must align with
these priorities. >>>>
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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 ET.)
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Mar. 20, 1–2 p.m. Portfolio Manager
301
(EPA)
Mar. 20, 3–4:15 p.m.
Disruptive
Storytelling: How to Go Beyond Hero,
Victim, Villain (NAAEE)
Mar. 20, 6:30–7:30 p.m. Technology Drives Exploration – BEST Satellite and Engineering Design (NASA)
Mar. 21, 3–4 p.m. Reducing Electricity Use in Campus Residence Halls (AASHE)
Mar. 22, 6–7 p.m. Technology
Drives Exploration: Robotics on a Budget (NASA)
Mar. 26, 4:30–5:30 p.m. Technology
Drives Exploration: Integrating NASA
Based Digital Content in Your Classroom (NASA)
Mar. 28, 12–12:30 p.m. Portfolio
Manager – Ask the Expert (EPA)
Mar. 28, 6–7 p.m. Technology Drives
Exploration: Careers (NASA)
Mar. 29, 5–6 p.m. Technology
Drives Exploration: STEM Interactive
Technology
(NASA)
Apr. 2, 6:30–7:30 p.m. Earth
Right Now: Understanding the A-Train (NASA)
Apr. 3, 1:30–2:30 p.m. Portfolio
Manager 101
(EPA)
Apr. 3, 6:30–7:30 p.m. Earth Right
Now: Sally Ride EarthKAM (NASA)
Apr. 4, 6:30–7:30 p.m. Earth
Right Now: Meteorology Educator Guide (NASA)
Apr. 5, 2–3 p.m. Trending Topics
in Farm to School – Farm to ECE: Family
Engagement in Farm to ECE (NFSN)
Apr. 9, 3–4 p.m. Recursos de NASA
para el salon de clase 1 (NASA)
Apr. 9, 5–6 p.m. Earth Right
Now: Problem Based Learning, Erosions
and Landslides
(NASA)
Apr. 10, 1–2 p.m. Portfolio
Manager 201
(EPA)
Apr. 10, 4–5 p.m. More Plants
Please!
(Chef Ann Foundation)
Apr. 10, 6:30–7:30 p.m. Earth Right
Now: Water Filtration & Engineering
Design
(NASA)
Apr. 11, 12–12:30 p.m. Portfolio
Manager – Ask the Expert (EPA)
Apr. 11, 2–3 p.m. Street
Harassment on the Walk to School: Making
Our Streets a Safe Space for All (Safe Routes to School National
Partnership)
Apr. 12, 6–7 p.m. Earth
Right Now: Weather and Climate (NASA)
National Environmental Education Week is
held each spring around Earth Day and inspires environmental
learning and stewardship. This year's theme is “Environmental Education: Every Way and Every Day.” Throughout
the week, NEEF invites individuals and organizations to explore their own
connections to the environment, showcase how they are leveraging these
insights to make a difference on behalf of the environment, and share their
stories to help others to join the charge.>>>>
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The
2018 Green Schools Conference and Expo will focus on ways to inspire students to create and innovate
by focusing on the future, encouraging each other to approach our global challenges
as stewards of the earth, its resources, and its people. Experienced educators
will address how green schools impact students and how sustainability efforts
at school play an important part in equity and inclusion. Workshops and
education sessions by passionate professionals will cover the latest trends and
case studies in energy efficiency, facilities management, public health and
sustainability education. The deadline for early bird registration is March 16. >>>>
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The Annual CELF Summer Institute in Education for
Sustainability (July 9–12, 2018, Manhattanville College, New York) is an
intensive four-day workshop that enables teachers to integrate the concepts of
sustainability into their existing curricula. The institute equips K–12
teachers with practices and teaching methods to address the core concepts of
education for sustainability – the intersection of social, economic, and
ecological systems – and how the balance of those three systems is vital to a
sustainable future, and relevant to all subject areas. >>>>
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The 47th North American Association for Environmental
Education (NAAEE) annual conference will be held in Spokane, Washington from
Oct. 9–13, 2018. The theme for this year’s conference is "EE: A Force for
the Future." For more than four decades,
NAAEE has convened one of the leading annual conferences for environmental
education professionals, designed to promote innovation, networking, learning,
and dissemination of best practices. The annual research symposium, held in
advance of the conference, attracts new and established researchers to examine
in-progress EE research and promote dialogue between researchers and practitioners. Submit a proposal to present at this year’s
conference by April 2. >>>>
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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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