Announcement of 2018 U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools Coming Soon
U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools (ED-GRS)
is a federal recognition award for school sustainability. Schools, districts, and postsecondary
institutions that are achieving sustainability gains in facilities and grounds,
health and wellness, and environmental literacy may apply to their state
education authorities. The 2018 honorees, ED's seventh cohort, will be announced this May.
If your institution has not already been recognized, now is a
great time to begin preparing for the 2019 application cycle by using resources
and programs available on Green Strides. Read
some common misconceptions about the award dispelled in an evergreen blog by the director and
review Frequently
Asked Questions on all three award categories. Interested colleges and universities
should contact 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 the ED website and should contact U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools for information. >>>>
We feature a few more of the 2017 U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools in this edition. Next time, we'll spotlight the 2018 cohort! View the honorees and
read about their work on the Green Strides website.
Home to
several programs with different names, the Edgewood School provides over 700
young children and their families a safe and nurturing environment that fosters
health and wellness, creativity and innovation, STEM knowledge and engagement,
and understanding of and respect for the natural world. In nature preschool, students spend as much
time as possible engaged in outdoor learning and play. Indoor classroom time is viewed as an
extension of outdoor exploration, incorporating natural materials and providing
opportunities for students to follow up on their experiences. Each day, the various programs use an outdoor classroom
space, butterfly garden, nature trails with interpretative sign posts, and the
tree “stump corner” to provide nature play and learning experiences, as well as to hold outdoor lessons. Students and families
also frequent the district's environmental learning centers, as well as
community parks and trails to further extend explorations and engagement in
E-STEM learning. Other activities
include nature walks, snowshoeing, fishing, sledding, and animal tracking. The school has a social worker and
health aide on-site each day, and outside consultants are tapped to share
expertise and knowledge with students on matters such as
dental health, personal safety, bullying prevention, physical strength and
endurance, and sleep. Edgewood School is
home to a school garden and participates in a farm to school program. Recess is held before lunch. Teachers offer brain breaks, yoga, and
dancing in the classroom, and oversee a family nature club. >>>>
Kinchafoonee
Primary School (KPS) is located in the southwest part of Georgia, and serves approximately
697 students in kindergarten through second grade, 51 percent of who qualify
for free and reduced-price lunch. The school sits on approximately 29 acres,
with over 60 percent of its land dedicated to environmentally beneficial
purposes, including 8.5 acres of designated wetlands with a newly renovated
nature trail. Using EnergyCAP software
and Cenergistic tools, the school has tracked its resource use and made behavioral changes. In a single year,
the school reduced its greenhouse gas emissions by 35 percent. Kinchafoonee uses Green Seal-certified
cleaning products and copy paper made from sustainably forested trees. All water fixtures are low-flow, and sinks
have self-closure fixtures. Through KPS’
participation in the Pepsi Recycle Rally, students have recycled over 51,000
plastic bottles that otherwise would have gone into landfills. Students also participate in an annual
reading-for-recycling program. There is
a no-idle policy in place for buses, and a park-and-pick up option for parents
in cars. The school has a full-time nurse and a full-time counselor. The school partners with local mental,
dental, and eye health providers to support the well-being of students and
their caregivers, and has implemented a social emotional learning
curriculum. Kinchafoonee offers staff members outdoor workouts onsite four times a week.
KPS has a teacher who is certified in many areas of
environmental education, serves as a leader in implementing new programs and
provides support and resources to other classroom teachers. The school created outdoor learning backpacks
that contain resources to make outdoor lessons and activities more
accessible. Students play an active role
in taking care of KPS gardens preparing the beds, weeding, planting,
watering, and harvesting the produce that is grown. They learn about planting native plants;
feeding birds, bees, and butterflies; and outdoor environments, such as
pollinator gardens, through the onsite wetlands, animal habitats, monarch butterfly
habitat, and the school’s animal education welfare program. >>>>
Green
Gables Elementary School is an active partner with the King County Green
Schools program, demonstrating results in waste reduction, recycling,
energy, and water conservation.
Environmental stewardship is woven into every aspect of the Green Gables
school day, from the classroom, to the lunchroom, to the play field. Green Gables was the first school in its
district to initiate comprehensive recycling and composting, increasing its
recycling rate from 50 to 61 percent.
Energy and water use are benchmarked using EPA ENERGY STAR Portfolio
Manager, with the school first being certified in 2001. The green team reviews that data and
implements practices in the school, including a conservation practice checklist
placed on each classroom door. In order
to ensure consistent low-flow water rates, fourth and fifth graders tested the
water flow of building faucets and reported findings, ultimately repairing four
fixtures. The school
collaborated with the city of Federal Way and the nonprofit organization
Friends of the Hylebos to install two rain gardens. Green Gables was the first school in the
district to construct an organic wheelchair-accessible garden, where, to minimize water usage, the
school installed a drip line watering system. Produce from the Green Gables garden is distributed to school families,
many of whom do not have access to fresh, organic foods. Green Gables celebrates an annual walk to school day. Before- and after-school fitness activities
routinely are available to students and staff members.
Green Gables’ environmental education is project-based, integrating experiential
learning with core standards. Highlights
include raising and releasing salmon, using the school garden as a living
laboratory, and weaving next generation science standards into thematic units
of study. Each year fifth-grade students
go to IslandWood, an outdoor education center, to learn about watersheds, water
conservation, and pollution prevention under the mentorship of University of
Washington graduate students. Other
field experiences include trips to Mount St. Helens, the Friends of the Issaquah Hatchery program, Sound Experience, Foss Waterways, and the West Hylebos Wetlands Park. >>>>
Fuel Up to
Play 60 (FUTP 60), the in-school nutrition and physical activity
program launched by the National Dairy
Council and the National
Football League,
is offering grants to schools that want to jump-start healthy changes. FUTP
60 offers grants to individual schools in
amounts up to $4,000 a year. The deadline to
apply is June 13. Qualifying schools must
enroll in FUTP 60, have a registered adviser for the program, and participate
in the National School Lunch Program. Grant applicants will select one FUTP 60 “play” in both nutrition and physical
activity that will be implemented using the grant funds. Some FUTP 60 plays relate directly to the environment and to sustainability
goals such as hunger. >>>>
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EcoTech Grants are offered to engage children in
inquiry-based, STEM-related projects that leverage technology and/or use
nature-based design to address environmental problems in local communities. EcoTech
Grants were created to combat the notion that students needed to choose
between “the screen” or “the green” and to encourage educators and students to
explore the role technology can play in designing and implementing solutions to
some of our most pressing environmental challenges. They are available as cash grants up to
$2,500, and support the purchase of materials and other project implementation
expenses. >>>>
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Project Learning Tree offers grants of up to $1,000 to schools and youth organizations for environmental service-learning projects that link classroom learning to the real world. Students implement an action project they help design to green their school or to improve an aspect of their neighborhood’s environment. The projects partner students with their whole school, local businesses and/or community organizations, and provide opportunities for student leadership. >>>>
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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 other free
webinars related to school, district, and postsecondary sustainability to ed.green.ribbon.schools@ed.gov for listing on the site. (Note: All times listed
are ET.)
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Apr. 17, 1–2 p.m. Portfolio
Manager 301
(EPA)
Apr. 17, 6:30–7:30 p.m. GLOBE Atmosphere, Clouds &
Contrails
(NASA)
Apr. 23, 3–4 p.m. Recursos de NASA
para el salon de clase 2 (NASA)
Apr. 25, 12–12:30 p.m. Portfolio
Manager – Ask the Expert (EPA)
Apr. 25, 3–4 p.m. Facilitating a
World Climate Negotiation Simulation (AASHE)
Apr. 26, 2–3 p.m. Preparing for
EPA’s ENERGY STAR Metric Updates (EPA)
Apr. 30, 5–6 p.m. What is Up with
Earth’s Water Resources? (NASA)
May 2, 6:30–7:30 p.m. Dwarf Planets – Earth Space
Science
(NASA)
May 3, 6:30–7:30 p.m. Making Waves
with NASA – Optics Resources (NASA)
May 7, 6:30–7:30 p.m. Art & the Cosmic Connection
across the Curriculum
(NASA)
May 9, 5–6 p.m. Survival of
Organisms: Similarities and Differences (NASA)
May
10, 6–7 p.m. Solar System and
Beyond: Search for Life (NASA)
May
14, 5–6 p.m. Elementary
STEM: more to Explore (NASA)
May
15, 6:30–7:30 p.m. Scale of Discovery & Cross
Curriculum Integration (NASA)
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Zoos, aquariums, botanic gardens, wildlife refuges, conservation groups, national parks, museums, and schools throughout the country are holding tours, open houses, special presentations, exhibits, milkweed plantings/butterfly garden installations, habitat clean-ups/other restoration events, and children’s activities on May 18, that weekend, and throughout May. Participate in a local event or take action individually. >>>>
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June is Great Outdoors Month:
a celebration of our parks and waters and the many ways to enjoy them. It's
also a time to reflect on what we can do to preserve America's natural spaces
for the enjoyment of future generations. Looking for ways to get kids
outdoors and active? Check out these nationwide events: National Trails Day is
June 2, Get Outdoors Day is June 9, and the Great
American Campout is June 23. >>>>
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A Green Apple Day of Service gives parents, teachers, students, companies, and local organizations 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, and register your project online. >>>>.
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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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