Highlights From the 2021

Honorees

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U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools

Highlights From the 2021 Honorees

Office of Communications and Outreach

April 22, 2021
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This report was produced by the U.S. Department of Education. The views 

expressed herein do not necessarily represent the positions or policies of the 

Department of Education. For the reader’s convenience, this publication contains 

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or completeness of any outside information included in these materials. No official 

endorsement by the U.S. Department of Education of any product, commodity, 

service, or enterprise mentioned in this publication is intended or should be 

inferred. 

U.S. Department of Education 

Miguel Cardona

Secretary of Education

Office of Communications and Outreach 

Rachel Thomas

Acting Assistant Secretary for Communications

This report is in the public domain. Authorization to reproduce it in whole or in part 

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Green Ribbon Schools: Highlights From the 2021 Honorees, Washington, D.C., 

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Contents

U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools Highlights From the 2021 

Honorees.......................................................................................................................ii

List of Tables................................................................................................................ v

Abbreviations ...............................................................................................................vi

Introduction .................................................................................................................. 1

Director’s Award........................................................................................................... 8

2021 U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools...................................... 10

Alabama.................................................................................................................. 10

California ................................................................................................................. 14

District of Columbia ................................................................................................. 31

Florida ..................................................................................................................... 39

Illinois ...................................................................................................................... 42

Indiana .................................................................................................................... 45

Kentucky ................................................................................................................. 53

Louisiana................................................................................................................. 61

Missouri................................................................................................................... 65

Nebraska................................................................................................................. 68

New Jersey ............................................................................................................. 72

New York................................................................................................................. 79

North Carolina ......................................................................................................... 88

Ohio....................................................................................................................... 101
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Pennsylvania......................................................................................................... 104

Rhode Island ......................................................................................................... 112

Utah....................................................................................................................... 118

Virginia .................................................................................................................. 121

Washington ........................................................................................................... 125

Wisconsin.............................................................................................................. 128

Acknowledgments .................................................................................................... 141
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List of Tables

Table 1. Number of U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools by year 

and type................................................................................................................3

Table 2. Number of nominating authorities for U.S. Department of Education Green 

Ribbon Schools by year........................................................................................3

Table 3. 2021 honorees by type............................................................................6
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Abbreviations 

Abbreviation Full Term 

AC air conditioning 

ADA Americans with Disabilities Act 

AP Advanced Placement 

ASHRAE American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and

Air-Conditioning Engineers

BTU British thermal unit

CCF one hundred cubic feet

CO2 carbon dioxide 

COVID-19 coronavirus disease, 2019

CPR cardiopulmonary resuscitation 

ED-GRS Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools 

EPA United States Environmental Protection Agency

EV electronic vehicle

FFA National FFA Organization

HEPA high efficiency particulate air 

Hgal one hundred gallons

HID high-intensity discharge

HVAC heating, ventilation, and air conditioning 

IB International Baccalaureate 

IPM integrated pest management 

K kindergarten

kW kilowatt

kWDC kilowatts direct current 

kWh kilowatt hours 

LED light-emitting diode

LEED Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design

MERV Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value 
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MW megawatt

MWEE Meaningful Watershed Educational Experience 

NGSS Next Generation Science Standards

PBIS Positive Behavioral Intervention and Supports 

P.E. physical education

PEFC Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification 

PFC power factor correction or power factor controller 

PK3 Pre-K for 3-year-olds

pre-K prekindergarten

PTO parent teacher organization

STEAM science, technology, engineering, the arts, and math

STEM science, technology, engineering, and math

VOCs volatile organic compounds
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Introduction

Origins of the U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon School Program

In 2011, key leaders from the Campaign for Environmental Literacy, the Center for 

Green Schools at the U.S. Green Building Council, the National Wildlife Federation,

and the Earth Day Network advised some 80 national and state-based nonprofit 

organizations to request that the U.S. Department of Education (ED) honor schools 

for their sustainable facilities, health practices, and effective environmental 

education. The award that evolved from this petition, U.S. Department of Education 

Green Ribbon Schools (ED-GRS),

1 has had a significant effect on the green school

movement and allowed ED a platform to address school facilities, health, and the 

environment.

These leaders ultimately assisted ED in developing a consensus definition of a 

green school, featuring what came to be known as the Three Pillars of the award: 

Pillar One: reducing environmental impacts, such as waste, water, energy, 

greenhouse gases, and transportation, encompassing the areas of school 

facilities, grounds, and operations; 

Pillar Two: improving health and wellness by promoting a healthy physical 

environment (including aspects such as air quality, contaminant control, moisture 

control, acoustics, daylighting, pest management, and thermal comfort) and 

student and staff wellness practices (such as healthy school food and outdoor 

physical activity); and 

Pillar Three: offering effective environmental and sustainability education, 

including civic learning, green careers, and STEM connections. 

How the ED-Green Ribbon Schools Recognition Award Operates

Going beyond the award requested by stakeholders, ED-GRS has become the 

federal communications and outreach tool to focus on specific areas that ED had

addressed infrequently until its advent. The award has allowed the agency to use its 

outreach tools to address matters of school facilities, health, and environment by 

highlighting innovative practices and sharing useful, free resources in these areas, 

despite limited authority to run grant programs in these realms.

1 ED’s award is called “U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools” and has “District 

Sustainability Award” and “Postsecondary Sustainability Award” categories. “Green Ribbon Schools”

without the “U.S. Department of Education” is not ED’s award, but instead is a separate program 

overseen by another organization.
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Annually, state education officials voluntarily participate by nominating their top 

schools, districts, and postsecondary institutions based on their achievement in ED’s 

Three Pillars. Although ED provides some suggestions to state educational agencies 

to help them document nominees’ work in the Three Pillars, ultimately, states have 

flexibility in their selection and nomination, so long as they document progress for 

each nominee in all of the Three Pillars. ED then uses the award to communicate 

honorees’ promising practices and the helpful resources they successfully employ to 

the nation’s schools. 

Growth of the Initiative’s Communications and Engagement Functions

Over time, ED has added several components to the initial school award, including 

recognition of school districts and postsecondary institutions, as well as a state 

educational agency official’s award. The program’s outreach also has grown, along 

with its engagement functions, with a resource website, www.greenstrides.org, and a 

Green Strides tour spotlighting clusters of honorees around an annual theme. Green 

Strides, the outreach and engagement arm of the award, includes a website, a 

newsletter, and social media to get the word out to schools about the Three Pillars, 

providing information about free resources, programs, grants, and webinars. 

U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools by the Numbers

With the 2021 cohort, some 489 schools, 92 districts, and 54 postsecondary 

institutions have received an ED-GRS award (see Table 1). In this case, higher

numbers do not necessarily indicate broader influence. ED-GRS was never intended 

to certify thousands of schools. Each year, state educational agencies are invited to 

nominate up to five early learning through 12th grade school or district candidates 

and one postsecondary institution. These examples allow ED to highlight many 

innovative practices throughout the country. Institutions – whether school, district, or 

postsecondary – are eligible to receive this award only once, and award recipients

always must state their designation with the year in which they were honored. Once 

ED has highlighted an institution’s practices, it is useful to move on to highlighting 

other, diverse examples. Schools nominated from districts that already have won the 

award should demonstrate achievements above and beyond those previously 

honored in the district application.
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Table 1. Number of U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon School honorees 

by year and type*

Year Schools Districts* Postsecondary* Total

2012 78 N/A N/A 78

2013 64 14 N/A 78

2014 48 9 N/A 57

2015 58 9 14 81

2016 47 15 11 73

2017 45 9 9 63

2018 45 6 6 57

2019 35 14 4 53

2020 39 11 5 55

2021 30 5 5 40

Total 489 92 54 635

*The District Sustainability Award was added in 2013 and the Postsecondary Award in 2015.

Number of ED-GRS Participating States

Despite the exciting efforts ED has highlighted with this recognition award, there is 

still work to be done to improve school facilities, health, and environmental 

engagement. Typically, approximately 30 states voluntarily nominate candidates 

annually for this award (see Table 2). That means that ED does not have a 

mechanism for highlighting the practices of green schools in the remaining 20 or so 

states where state educational agencies choose not to nominate. 

Table 2. Number of nominating authorities for U.S. Department of Education Green 

Ribbon Schools by year*

Year Number of Participating Nominating Authorities

2012 30

2013 32

2014 30

2015 30

2016 27

2017 29

2018 26

2019 28

2020 27

2021 20

*All states, territories, the District of Columbia, the Department of Defense Education Activity, and 

the Bureau of Indian Education are invited to nominate. 
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Contributing to the Development of a More Coherent Definition of a Green School

A key contribution of the ED-GRS award is believed to be that, to some degree and 

for at least a time, it has brought various agencies and organizations together 

around a common definition of a green school. Rather than one organization using 

the term “green school” to denote an energy-efficient school, another to refer to 

institutions offering environmental and sustainability learning, and a third to indicate 

environmental health or wellness practices, there has been a convergence such that 

a green or sustainable school must encompass all Three Pillars. There continue to 

be initiatives that focus squarely on one segment of this work; however, it usually is 

with the stated understanding that they form part of a broader three pillar effort.

A Spotlight for School Facilities, Health, and Environment Innovations

In 2011, the term “green school” was a relatively unknown concept across much of 

the country. Today, there is a growing understanding of what this work entails, at 

least in small part because of ED’s efforts annually to illustrate this work with the 

concrete practices of its honorees and honorees’ boots-on-the-ground practices. 

ED’s oversight of this award has offered the agency an opportunity to address and 

engage on such issues as school infrastructure and operational costs; environmental 

health and school wellness practices; nutritious, local, and student-grown school 

food; and hands-on, outdoor, project- and place-based, authentic, environmental, 

civic, and sustainability learning, among other related topics. The award also has 

allowed ED to highlight unique local, state, and national partnerships and projects

where sustainability efforts intersect with equity.

A Significant Effect With a Limited Budget and Innovative Collaboration

Despite the limited availability of funds, the award has facilitated collaborations and 

connections that have saved resources. For example, both ED-GRS and Green 

Strides have enabled ED to share the many programs for schools offered by 

counterparts at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; EPA; U.S. 

departments of Agriculture, Interior, and Energy; and collaborators across the forprofit and nonprofit private sectors.

In the same way that ED works more effectively across a broader range of federal 

agencies as a result of the award, some state educational agencies also are 

collaborating in exceptional ways with state health, environment, and energy 

agencies to select their nominees to ED. The private sector, both for-profit and 

nonprofit, also has gotten involved at the federal, state, local, and school levels, 

working with schools and governments. Through this collaboration, ED’s recognition 
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award has become a tool to get various parties working better together for the 

benefit of students across the nation. 

Green Schools Are Successfully Serving Disadvantaged Populations 

Annually 30% to 55% of ED-GRS honorees have served majority-disadvantaged 

student populations, as measured by free and reduced-price lunch. While this is in 

part due to award criteria design, which asks states to ensure that at least one of 

their nominees is disadvantaged, state nominations have exceeded this minimum 

requirement. With ED-GRS designated schools, districts, and postsecondary 

institutions providing better education to traditionally underserved students, green 

school practices may be another tool to advance equal access to a quality education 

for all students.

A Green School Does Not Need to Be Newly Constructed

To ensure that the award highlights diverse examples of sustainability, the 

competition assesses candidates based on resources available to them, rather than 

in comparison to each other. In fact, the award has, over the years, highlighted many 

older school constructions engaged in low-cost, but highly effective, retrofits and 

behavioral change. All of these are steps that any school community can undertake, 

without a new construction, that is designed specifically to be resource efficient and 

environmentally healthy. In this way, the award has helped to educate the public 

about the broad applicability of green school practices in both old and new buildings.

Creating Incentives for Multiple Pipelines for Sustainability Improvements by All 

Schools 

Another important consequence of the award has been the refinement of various 

national and state-specific green school programs that the award has spurred. 

States have realigned preexisting state green school programs, created new ones, 

and now recognize runners-up beyond those they nominate to ED, in order to create 

pathways to the national award, broaden recognition within individual states, and 

provide incentives for more change. 

The 2021 Cohort

This year’s selectees were confirmed from a pool of candidates voluntarily 

nominated and exhaustively reviewed by 20 state education authority 

implementation teams. While selection processes vary from state to state, members 

of several state agencies, as well as outside experts, often comprise selection 

committees. At the federal level, we have selected 27 schools, three child care 
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centers, five districts, and five postsecondary institutions that demonstrate promising 

practices to cut costs, improve health, and ensure that students learn through the 

most hands-on, engaging means possible (see Table 3).

Table 3. 2021 honorees by type 

Total honorees 40

Schools 27

Early learning centers 3

Nonpublic schools 3

Charter schools 5

Magnet schools 1

Districts 5

Institutions of higher education 5

Community and technical colleges 1

Disadvantaged-serving schools 22

The diversity of U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools, District 

Sustainability Awardees, and Postsecondary Sustainability Awardees and the range 

of their work demonstrates that any school, district, or postsecondary institution can 

take steps to improve the sustainability, health, and safety of school facilities; ensure 

nutrition and fitness practices for a lifetime of wellness and productivity; and engage 

students in real-world learning. 

Schools use sustainability in context to teach important civic values and skills that 

encourage students to grow into responsible, compassionate, and contributing 

citizens. Furthermore, working with dynamic environmental, social, and economic 

systems from an early age nurtures precisely the type of thinking, collaboration, and 

problem-solving skills that careers of the future require. This is the case whether 

these students graduate from green career and technical programs, college 

preparatory schools, community colleges, or liberal arts colleges. 

This is even more true in the face of a global health pandemic, when all schools 

have been forced to face issues of school air quality, nutrition, and outdoor learning 

more directly than ever. Not surprisingly, green schools have been among those 

best equipped to handle the pandemic, at the ready with outdoor classrooms; 

updated, efficient, and healthy ventilation systems; social-emotional learning 

curricula; paperless learning mechanisms; and farm-to-school programs that 

encourage healthy nutrition, whether at home or on campus. 

These green schools have still had to get creative during the pandemic, sending 

“planting packages” home for students to learn horticulture while learning virtually 

and calling students away from their tablets into their backyard or neighborhood to 
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observe the elements of nature they might have, under more normal circumstances, 

observed in the green schoolyard. These green schools have persisted in their 

efforts and grown more determined, if possible, as the global health crisis 

underscored how students and educators require healthy, safe learning 

environments and how the leaders of tomorrow must understand the impact of their 

individual actions on their community and their planet.

It is with tremendous pleasure that we present the 2021 U.S. Department of 

Education Green Ribbon Schools, District Sustainability Awardees, and 

Postsecondary Sustainability Awardees. These honorees are ensuring that their 

students learn to live, work, and play with sustainability and health in mind – not as 

an afterthought, but as an integral part of everything they undertake.

The innovative practices of the 2021 Green Ribbon award winners are described in 

the remainder of this report. We also suggest that you go to the

http://www.greenstrides.org webpage to learn more about these innovative 

practices.
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Director’s Award

The Director’s Award celebrates an individual’s exemplary efforts to administer EDGRS in their state. Specifically, the ED-GRS Director’s Award recognizes a state 

educational agency official who does the most to 

advance green schools by running a robust 

competition process; connecting more schools to 

resources in all three ED-GRS Pillars; amplifying the 

stories of honorees; helping schools learn from one 

another; partnering with a variety of entities to bring 

more resources and expertise into schools; and 

exhibiting a dedication to exceptional school 

facilities, health, and environmental education 

through activities outside of the administration of 

ED-GRS.

ED is delighted to have named Joseph DaSilva, School Construction Coordinator;

Manuel Cordero, Assistant School Construction Coordinator; and Mario Carreno, 

School Construction Finance Specialist, of the Rhode Island Department of 

Education as 2021 Director’s Award recipients.

For over 10 years, their leadership and dedication have been integral to ED-GRS’ 

success. The “Pep Boys” gave ED-GRS a home in Rhode Island early on, and they 

hosted an ambitious “Education Built to Last” facilities-themed Green Strides Tour in 

2013. They have engaged stakeholders from various agencies and sectors to share 

sustainable best practices, select ED-GRS nominees, and celebrate honored 

institutions. They have worked to cultivate applicants in Rhode Island by formalizing 

the linkages between a school facilities grant program that they manage and green 

school efforts, encouraging not only exemplary facilities practices, but also efforts to 

improve environmental literacy and wellness. 

In this pandemic year, it is fitting that the Director’s Award, for the first time, 

recognizes three state officials from one state, instead of the customary individual. 

Together, DaSilva, Cordero, and Carreno have demonstrated how we are “stronger 

together,” particularly in the face of adversity. Their teamwork has paid dividends; by 

their account, Rhode Island’s green schools have been among those in the state 

best equipped to handle the COVID-19 pandemic. In sum, the “Pep Boys of Rhode 

Island” have modeled excellence in ED-GRS’ implementation for other state 

education authorities to follow. ED commends Mr. DaSilva, Mr. Cordero, and Mr. 
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Carreno for their work to promote environmental stewardship, health, and 

sustainability and for inspiring more schools to aim high. 
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2021 U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools

Alabama

Tuscaloosa City Schools; Tuscaloosa, Alabama

Cultivating optimal learning environments, indoors and out

Tuscaloosa City Schools (TCS) serves 10,951 students, 65% of whom qualify for 

free and reduced-price lunch. In 2018, the district’s Strategic Plan was updated to 

focus on curriculum, human resources, and construction. The construction focus is 

on designing and providing facilities that serve as optimal learning environments. 

Beginning in 2017, buildings were renovated or rebuilt with design plans to increase 

the system’s energy efficiency and sustainability. The plan allowed for five schools to 

be completely rebuilt using more environmentally sustainable practices and 

materials. In total, 11 schools have been renovated, putting more energy-efficient 

practices into place. 

Occupancy-controlled technology for HVAC units, installation of high-efficiency 

HVAC units, motion sensors on LED lighting, natural flooring, water bottle filler/water 

fountains to reduce plastic disposable water bottle usage, as well as roof repairs to 

increase efficiency are all part of the strategic plan that has helped TCS reduce its 

environmental footprint, while simultaneously improving health. TCS has also

worked to use outdoor learning whenever possible, taking advantage of such 

elements as forests, embankments for amphitheater-type seating, shade trees, 

gardens, ponds, animal habitats, and bringing in picnic tables and other seating. 

Recycling collaboration between TCS and the City of Tuscaloosa Environmental 

Services is long-standing, and countless tons of trash have been spared from local 

landfills through recycling efforts. Each school has receptacles to collect cardboard, 

and nearly all schools and classrooms, as well as the TCS central office, have some 

recycling program in place. Another way TCS has worked to reduce waste is by 

instituting “share tables” in cafeterias. Students can place unwanted whole fruits and 

prepackaged food items on a community table in the cafeteria, and interested 

students select those items for themselves. This reduces food waste as well as 

provides extra nutrition for students in need. This practice was halted due to COVID19, but plans are in place to reinstate it as soon as it is safe to do so.

Water bottle filling stations have replaced at least one traditional water fountain in 

every school, and, since their installation this year, reduction of disposable water 

bottles has been documented among students and employees.
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TCS is proud to be leading the way in Alabama in alternative fuel use, as the first in 

the state to convert the majority of its bus fleet to propane. TCS has worked with the 

bus manufacturer to host districts from throughout Alabama and surrounding states 

in order to share information about its efforts in converting to propane buses. TCS is 

currently running 98 propane buses and 27 diesel buses, the latter of which are 

primarily reserved for long trips. Several TCS schools take part in Walk/Bike to 

School days to encourage both wellness and energy conservation. Buses and 

carpool lines practice no-idle zones, and buses load at least 25 feet from building 

entrances.

Tuscaloosa CAN! is TCS’s response to the concern of food insecurity. Through 

Tuscaloosa CAN!, TCS school teams create large sculptures made from canned 

food items, putting their STEM learning into action. The event meets 21st century 

curriculum goals by providing student with opportunities for project-based, hands-on, 

collaborative, service-learning activities, targeting real-world problems – in this case, 

regional hunger. After the can sculptures are built, the creations serve to raise public 

awareness as a giant art exhibition. At the end of the exhibit, all food is donated to 

the West Alabama Food Bank. To date, Tuscaloosa CAN! has contributed over 

80,000 pounds of food to Tuscaloosa and surrounding communities.

TCS has always put effort into health and wellness, with partnerships for wellness 

and flu shot clinics for faculty and students, hearing and vision screenings, and fullTuscaloosa City Schools students and families participate in the “Bookin’ It for TCS 

Libraries 5K” to raise funds for school libraries.
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time nurses on-site at each school. TCS participates in the Fresh Fruits and 

Vegetable program, allowing students to receive fresh fruits and vegetables three 

times weekly to eat for a snack throughout the day. TCS also partners with Child 

Abuse Prevention Services to provide Second Step Lessons to students to help 

prevent cases of abuse, drug use, and neglect.

Physical fitness is emphasized and encouraged through daily outdoor P.E. classes 

and recess. Special fitness activities include the Kickoff Classic (a fun run 

celebrating the beginning of the school year), the Mercedes Kids Marathon, the 

Shamrock Shimmer and Shake (a blacklight event consisting of Zumba and Pound), 

Field Day, the American Heart Association Kids Heart Challenge, and Jump Rope 

for Heart. The district partners with the city for the Mayor’s Cup 5K Run in support of 

his pre-K initiative. 

TCS has instituted a three-cart system for cleaning. This reduces water 

consumption, reduces cross contamination, and increases cleaning efficiency. There 

are separate carts and protocols in place for classrooms, bathrooms, and hazardous 

materials. Washable microfiber cloths and mop heads are color-coded for different 

areas of the school for daily use, while the Haz-Cart has disposable flat mop heads 

for safety. Cleaning chemicals are nontoxic and meet Green Seal requirements. 

They have an easy-to-use dispensing system that helps to reduce solid waste. 

TCS schools use IPM practices to control pest outbreaks in the school gardens. 

Students learn to identify pest species in their gardens through Bug ID lessons. 

Students are involved in managing pests by handpicking nonharmful species and 

placing them in buckets of soapy water, while adults control larger pest outbreaks 

with organic chemical control methods, such as neem oil, Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis) 

concentrate, and diatomaceous earth. The garden also encourages beneficial insect 

populations, which prey upon common garden pests, by incorporating flowers and 

herbs into the crop rotation. TCS works to control pest outbreaks inside as well. 

Routine pest checks and treatments are performed by a professional pest control 

company using nontoxic chemicals. If infestations occur, these areas are spot 

treated after school hours. TCS makes cleanliness a priority to deter infestations. 

Nontoxic measures are used throughout the schools to eliminate student exposure.

With the introduction of COVID-19, TCS has increased its health and wellness 

efforts. Air purifiers were placed in every classroom, office, and shared space, and 

enhanced cleaning procedures were put into place for both custodial staff as well as 

faculty and students. Special emphasis has been placed on hand washing and virus

containment, and efforts have been made to encourage and enforce mask wearing 

in all facilities. Virtual meetings with a behavioral counselor have been held for 

employees in response to the increased mental and emotional strain. 
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TCS cultivates community partnerships. One notable example is the partnership with 

Schoolyard Roots. This program aims to teach students about organic gardening, 

composting, rain barrels, and farm-to-table practices. Students grow, harvest, eat, 

and sell produce grown in their neighborhood, reducing the carbon footprint of 

growing and shipping produce from afar. Schoolyard Roots works closely with 

faculty sponsors to ensure curriculum support.

Outdoor learning spaces are used in 94% of TCS sites. Nine TCS schools have an 

active garden and use a designated garden curriculum such as Schoolyard Roots. 

Four schools have designated STEM labs and instructors. Each school has its own 

unique concept of what an outdoor learning space looks like; these spaces include 

ponds, sensory gardens, nature trails, courtyards, outdoor seating areas, and 

amphitheaters. Reading curricula in 77% of schools include stories about the 

environment, nature, climate preservation, or human impact on the environment. 

Students read many expository texts that focus on the components of environmental 

and sustainability foundations. Social Studies Weekly, Aquaculture Lab, and 

Environmental Investigations are resources used to provide environmental 

instruction. Cross-curricular lessons pull the “green” from science with technology, 

reading, math, and the arts. 

TCS offers students a unique opportunity with the Tuscaloosa Career & Technology 

Academy (TCTA). TCTA is a specialized facility that provides college and career 

readiness with a focus on the development of workplace skills for high school 

students. Students earn high school and community college credit and engage in

workplace simulation with community partners. The aquaculture program prepares 

students for careers in Alabama’s booming aquatic industry. Students gain hands-on 

experience with aquatic nutrition, fish reproduction, hydroponic design, and 

management. Students maintain an indoor hydroponics garden that houses 

approximately 900 plants as well as an 8,000-gallon aquaculture system that holds 

400 koi fish, with plans to experiment with fish, such as tilapia and catfish, that can 

be used as food. The veterinary program prepares students for an exciting career as 

a veterinarian or veterinary technician. Students gain hands-on experience with 

animal handling, disease management, and medical practices. 

Alabama Wildlife Federation (AWF) has been instrumental in the installment of 

ponds at two TCS elementary schools. The AWF also has certified five TCS schools 

as Alabama Outdoor Classroom Program schools. TCS teachers have participated 

in many professional development opportunities, including Project Wet, Project Wild, 

Project Learning Tree, Alabama Outdoor Classroom Program, Growing Up Wild, and 

various other workshops provided by AWF. Eighty-three percent of schools have 
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teachers who attend at least one environmental professional development 

opportunity annually. 

Eighty percent of TCS schools partner with Alabama Math and Science Instruction 

(AMSTI). AMSTI science lessons focus on STEM activities, investigations, and 

projects to extend students’ knowledge of environmental and sustainability issues 

and concerns. Earth Day celebrations are held in almost every school throughout the 

district. Eighty-nine percent of schools participate in Career Day and/or career fairs 

where students are provided with opportunities to speak with representatives from 

green careers, such as Tuscaloosa Environmental Services, Alabama Power, 

Alabama Forestry, beekeepers, farmers, biologists, conservation groups, 

environmental engineers, and AWF.

California

Fryberger Elementary School; Westminster, California

Efficiency upgrades and student projects lead the way for environmental change

Fryberger Elementary School (Fryberger) leads students, 89% of whom qualify for 

free and reduced-price lunch, and the surrounding community in environmental 

education and sustainability practices. In 2018, a committee of the school’s 

stakeholders set forth to bring education on sustainability, mental health, and 

wellness initiatives to the school and community. These practices are at the forefront 

in the school’s facility and grounds operations, nutrition and health services, and 

student education.

Sustainability efforts began in 2016 when Fryberger completed a comprehensive 

energy efficiency and renewable generation program. This plan led to the installation 

of new energy-efficient HVAC systems, a campuswide upgrade to LED lighting, and 

the addition of a 45.4 kWDC solar array that produces 90% of the school’s energy 

needs. Fryberger highlights these improvements by educating through a customized 

STEM program. The program allows students to expand their STEM skills and learn 

about how the campus changes help combat climate change.

Water efficiency upgrades at the school constitute another method of conservation. 

Fryberger installed low-flow plumbing fixtures and upgraded irrigation controls. The 

irrigation system’s design helps save water and electricity by using local weather 

information and moisture sensors to ensure that it only runs at the most optimal 

watering times.
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A strategic no-idling policy during student drop-off and pickup periods helps improve 

outdoor air quality. During morning drop-off, parents use the drive-through drop-off 

or park their cars and walk their children to the entrance gate. In the afternoon, 

parents must park their cars and walk to the student pickup gate upon dismissal. 

These measures not only ensure the safety of students but also eliminate excessive 

emissions. The school district purchased two propane-powered school buses in 

2018 and two more in 2020. Students and families who walk to and from school do 

so with the help of a city-employed crossing guard.

Fryberger engages in multiple 

strategies for waste reduction. The 

school has an 80% diversion rate 

from recycling and composting. 

Students clean and sort 

biodegradable food trays and 

environmentally friendly milk and 

juice cartons for recycling after

meals. Students also maintain a 

school compost bin with red worms 

to break down food waste from 

meal service. The school started a 

food share program in 2018 as 

another way to eliminate food 

waste. Students add any excess 

packaged whole fruits and 

vegetables to the food share table 

for students in need.

The school promotes healthy and 

nutritious living for staff and 

students, providing breakfast and 

lunch daily; students in the afterschool program also receive dinner. 

School meals feature organic fruits and vegetables from local farms; at least 25% of 

food purchased is certified as environmentally preferable. Students participate in a 

Play First, Eat Second program inspired by a 2018 study completed at Fryberger 

that determined student behavioral incidents decreased when students had 

mealtime following playtime. Partnerships with the American Heart Association Kids 

Heart Challenge and Kaiser Permanente Healthy Eating Active Living programs

bring awareness and education to students and their families on eating healthily and 

the importance of leading an active lifestyle. Every year, students and their families 

Kindergarten students learn and present 

information about the positive impact on the 

environment attributed to farming using organic 

soil and seeds.
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participate in Heart Month with daily exercise challenges, family dinner recipes to 

make at home, and positive affirmations.

Teachers and staff take advantage of the school’s green space, and students find 

quiet places outdoors to read a book, work collaboratively with student peers, and 

explore in the garden. Students look out of classroom windows and see large grass 

areas, trees, and student-maintained gardens.

Social-emotional learning is a top priority at Fryberger. Many teachers have 

mindfulness training, enabling them to regularly bring mindfulness activities and 

practices into their classrooms. The school has also adopted Mind Up, a socialemotional learning curriculum that is taught to students weekly. Students learn about 

the components of their brain, how to express their emotions, and how to set goals 

and never give up. For the past two years, students also learn a growth mindset trait 

of the month. Monthly growth mindset awards recognize students from each class 

who have demonstrated a specific growth mindset trait. Fryberger’s PBIS features a 

three-tiered system for academics and behavior. Restorative practices are taught in 

the classroom and on an individual basis. Students learn to reflect on their behavior 

so that they can take control of their actions. 

Environmental literacy is the focal area used to bring resources and standards 

together into multidisciplinary learning activities. Students have opportunities to lead 

their learning through projects and experiences. Thematic project-based units center 

around the California NGSS and Environmental Principles and Concepts (EP&Cs). 

Unique to California, EP&Cs highlight the profound relationship between humans 

and the natural world. Teachers do not follow a specific textbook or program, but 

rather work together to organize grade-level plans that introduce ecological topics 

through project-based learning units. Implementing learning through project-based 

learning allows the intertwining of environmental issues across the curriculum. 

Students learn literacy, math, science, and social studies standards through an 

environmental lens using the EP&Cs.

Students engage in several real-world ecological activities. For example, transitional 

kindergarten and kindergarten students participate in organic farming to apply 

engineering design concepts, mathematical thinking, and scientific principles 

necessary to grow plants. Students then begin learning about parts of a plant and 

move into learning about the importance of using organic farming materials. First

grade students study natural resources conservation, while second grade students 

learn how humans can reduce pollution in the ocean. Third grade students study 

how to combat microplastics in the ocean. A partnership with the Surfrider 

Foundation teaches students about the “5 gyres.” Fourth and fifth graders learn 
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about energy conservation. These learning activities give a context for students as 

they develop their skills in all other subject areas.

All field trips focus on the environment and provide fieldwork opportunities that 

complement what students are learning in the classroom. Students have visited the 

beach to clean up, explored wetlands, investigated local farms, observed local 

phenomena on walks, and networked with scientists. Assemblies and experiences 

from the Eco Heroes, Inside the Outdoors, and the local water department are just a 

few examples of partnerships that support Fryberger’s vision of inspiring and 

developing successful, productive citizens who are environmentally responsible in a 

changing world.

A planned Earth Day and Open House celebration ends Fryberger’s school year and 

provides a forum for student culminating activities. All students share their projects 

and campaigns for protecting the environment and urge the community to take 

action.

May Ranch Elementary School; St. Perris, California

AVIDly producing environmentally engaged citizens

May Ranch’s vision is for all students to be empowered and equipped with the 

knowledge and strategies necessary to become confident and successful global 

citizens. This aim undergirds the care of the school garden, a sustainable agriculture 

program that utilizes green technologies; leads to cross-curricular, real-life 

applications and hands-on learning; and provides the community with healthy, 

nutritious produce. To realize the school and garden visions, staff commit to 

reducing environmental impact and costs; improving the health and wellness of 

students, staff, and the community; and integrating environmental and sustainability 

learning into the curriculum.

The school’s energy management plan encompasses upgraded HVAC units, 

photovoltaic solar panel structures, occupancy sensors, and centralized thermostat 

control to reduce environmental impact and costs. These improvements resulted in a 

62% reduction of kWh energy usage tracked from 2016 to 2019. The installation of 

economizers in HVAC units in 2016 and a rigorous maintenance plan consisting of 

quarterly replacement of filters and regular inspection and replacement of belts have 

contributed to lower energy usage and improved indoor air quality. Currently, May 

Ranch generates 80% of the school’s energy from four carport and ground-mount 

photovoltaic solar structures installed as part of a district 7.153 MW solar installation 

project. May Ranch’s cool roofs have a single-ply, white membrane coating to help 

reduce the heat island effect and insulate buildings.
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Outdoor environmental improvements to the May Ranch campus to reduce water 

use include replacing 14,515 square feet of grass with artificial turf, planting waterefficient indigenous plants supported with bark mulch, and improving irrigation. 

These projects resulted in a 24% reduction in indoor/garden potable water use and a 

68% reduction in outdoor reclaimed, non-potable water use from July 2017 to June 

2020. Eighty percent of all plants are California natives. School landscape and 

garden areas feature new bubblers and drip irrigation, replacing old equipment. 

Upgraded nozzles in the field’s rotating sprinklers better fit the needs of the fields 

and prevent overwatering. May Ranch students access clean drinking water through 

a water bottle filling station that has saved 23,844 plastic bottles from the landfill to

date.

The school recycles and composts green waste and food scraps to divert waste from 

the landfill. Eighty percent of green waste turf cuttings are recycled and reused in the 

field. May Ranch engages in vermicomposting and composting of food scraps to 

produce fertilizer for its garden. The school works with district buyers to purchase 

green and recycled materials for administration, instruction, and maintenance 

whenever possible.

May Ranch pickup 

and drop-off 

policies ensure a 

reduced 

environmental 

impact and safe 

arrival at school. 

Parents are 

encouraged to 

park legally in the 

neighborhood and 

walk to campus to 

avoid idling in the 

parking lot. The 

school employs a 

visor “taxi” system 

for all student 

pickups, in which 

student names are written on cardstock and placed on dashboards to allow staff to 

call students quickly to their cars. This system speeds up the pickup process and 

avoids excessive idling. Students walking or rolling to school arrive safely due to 

well-communicated policies and active supervision in all crosswalks in front of the 

school and the parking lot.

After-school clubs provide additional opportunities for movement at 

May Ranch Elementary School.
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The school follows California’s Healthy Schools Act requirements and the Val Verde 

Unified School District’s IPM practices to ensure long-term pest prevention using the 

safest methods possible. As the need arises, glue traps and mechanical traps are 

the preferred methods for pest control. When nonchemical options are ineffective, 

the district uses pesticides to minimize risks to people, property, and the 

environment. The school district has eliminated all glyphosate-containing herbicides 

districtwide and utilizes the natural weed killer Weed Slayer and saltwater for weed 

abatement. Custodians at May Ranch employ green cleaning practices, by using

81% green cleaning products, feather dusting, and daily vacuuming with vacuums 

containing HEPA filters.

May Ranch promotes healthy food and nutrition to support students, 81% of whom 

qualify for free and reduced-price lunch, and the school community. While the school 

garden curriculum provides a foundation for health and nutrition education, the City 

of Perris, Eastern Municipal Water District, Nutrition Education and Obesity 

Prevention Program, and Healthiest City Challenge have provided additional 

education and resources over the years. May Ranch students participate in Chef in 

the Classroom, Dairy Council lessons, healthy eating assemblies, the Harvest 

Festival “Rethink Your Drink” booth, and the City of Perris Health Fair. May Ranch 

has also hosted parent classes on the topics of healthy eating and wellness.

The 2,737-square-foot outdoor school garden contains 19 beds, 10 fruit trees, and 

nine aeroponic towers. Vertical farms have been placed in six classrooms. The 

school garden at May Ranch provides ecological benefits, with 96 square feet 

devoted to pollinator-friendly plants. Students save seeds from the garden, clone 

plants, and create compost from food waste and worm castings. Annually, the 

school garden and garden curriculum provide more than 900 students in all grade 

levels with hands-on learning in the California NGSS, environmental and 

sustainability education, and the joys and benefits of gardening.

In partnership with the school district and the City of Perris, the school earned a U.S. 

Department of Agriculture Farm to School Grant to increase the amount of fresh 

produce procured locally and at school for student consumption. Now in the second 

year of implementation, May Ranch has provided students with more than 500 hours 

of garden and nutrition curriculum. Maintaining and operating the aeroponic towers 

and vertical farm allowed May Ranch students to offer more than 1,000 heads of 

lettuce to the cafeteria during the 2019-2020 school year. The May Ranch cafeteria 

supports farm-to-school programs and purchases lettuce and vegetables from the 

school garden. Students harvest, weigh, and calculate the retail cost of produce 

provided to the cafeteria, and staff invoice the district’s food services department. 
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Cafeteria staff have observed that students consume more lettuce on days when 

“May Ranch lettuce” is served. 

At May Ranch, social skills and social-emotional learning are explicitly taught twice a 

week during morning meetings. The school utilizes PBIS tiered interventions. In the 

classroom, all teachers employ mindfulness, restorative practices, and traumainformed practices to ensure student wellness and build a positive classroom 

community. When more intensive interventions are required, a full-time school 

psychologist and two mental health therapists support students and provide 

counseling daily. The school-based health center is staffed by a licensed vocational 

nurse and a health technician. They maintain necessary health records, assist with 

health services and medical screening of students, disseminate health information, 

address and communicate routine health issues, and provide emergency medical 

care.

May Ranch strives to provide all students with environmental and sustainability 

education woven into the curriculum, extracurricular activities, and the green

schoolyard master plan. As an Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) 

elementary school, the school utilizes elements of writing, inquiry, collaboration, 

organization, and reading to provide a framework for environmental and 

sustainability integration with science, mathematics, and the English language arts

core curriculum. Each trimester, students in grades three to five participate in 

engineering design process projects that challenge students to develop solutions to 

real-world problems. Students’ past projects include designing, building, and writing 

about irrigation ollas for the school garden; hydroponic systems; and plant cloning.

Students in all grade levels participate in field trips, many of which focus on the 

California NGSS earth and life sciences standards. Most field trips take place 

outdoors and integrate environmental and sustainability learning to provide 

experience, knowledge, and context, which lead to cross-curricular opportunities 

through writing, inquiry, collaboration, organization, and reading. Following the field 

trips, students draw on their experiences to write, ask questions, participate in 

discussions, organize notes in graphic organizers, and analyze texts.

From 2017 to 2020, the City of Perris and May Ranch have annually certified 

approximately 30 students as Junior Master Gardeners. Currently, 90 students are 

participating in the Junior Master Gardener program through distance learning. 

Realizing the health, wellness, and learning benefits of the Junior Master Gardener 

curriculum, May Ranch utilized the program’s Learn, Grow, Eat, and Go curriculum 

with all students in grades one to five in the 2019-2020 school year, and these 

lessons integrate physical activity with literacy, gardening, and nutrition during P.E. 

“FLEX time” physical activity station rotations.
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Outdoor learning experiences are purposefully planned in teachers’ lessons to 

provide meaningful hands-on learning experiences in science, math, social studies, 

and environmental literacy. The indoor hydroponic system and outdoor garden offer 

opportunities for STEAM integration and problem-solving. Green practices are part 

of daily garden and life science instruction. Students study, plant, and maintain 

pollinator-friendly native plants, including indigenous, water-efficient plants in the 

garden; compost food scraps; and maintain two vermicomposting towers with 1,000 

worms. Established in 2014, the Garden Club has grown to nearly 75 students who 

support the school’s garden, aeroponic towers, vertical farm, and campus 

beautification efforts. The playground, field, and other shaded areas offer additional 

outdoor spaces for science and math skill application, demonstrations, and project 

testing.

The garden and school grounds allow student groups to lead civic and community 

engagement projects. The Associated Student Body promotes and provides campus 

beautification, such as planting bulbs in ornamental planters, pulling weeds, and 

picking up trash. Junior Master Gardeners volunteer at events such the City of 

Perris’ Health and Wellness Fair and lead the Green City Farm, teaching the 

community gardening tips.

Theodore Roosevelt Elementary School; Indio, California

Resource tracking leads to sustainable action

Theodore Roosevelt Elementary School (Roosevelt) is located in California’s arid 

Coachella Valley and serves students in transitional kindergarten through fifth grade. 

Ninety-seven percent of students are socioeconomically disadvantaged. Through 

strategic planning and partnerships, Roosevelt provides students with real-world 

experiences to inspire their future environmental stewardship. Attention to nutritional, 

physical, and mental health guides students in creating lifelong habits to thrive. 

Roosevelt’s goal is for all students to be environmentally conscious, civic-minded, 

healthy, and ready for college and careers. In 2020, Roosevelt was chosen as one 

of five schools internationally to participate in the United States Green Building 

Council’s Building Learners program. The one-year program integrates learning and 

sustainability action at the school. Students complete standards-aligned, hands-on 

lessons and participate in on-demand training modules. A local green building 

professional mentor supports all aspects of the program to ensure its success. 

Through the program, the school obtains sustainability information about its 

ecological footprint. Students learn how to collect and input data using the Arc online 

sustainability benchmarking platform from Green Business Certification Inc.,

including Arc Essentials and Arc Performance Certificates. The program also 

provides school personnel with data to identify monthly usage and areas where the 
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school can become more energy efficient. Students are currently working with the 

City of Indio’s building inspector and the City of Palm Springs’ Office of Sustainability 

to learn about green building efforts around the school. Students take what they 

have learned from professionals and school usage data to evaluate resource 

efficiency opportunities. As a culminating event, students will make presentations to 

the City of Indio and the Desert Sands Unified School Board on sustainability 

recommendations. 

Roosevelt has reduced its 

non-transportation energy 

use by 47% since 2015 and 

greenhouse gas emissions 

by 50% since 2014. The 

school’s district partnered 

with ENGIE Services to 

modernize older schools and 

pilot a renewable energy 

project through funding 

provided under California’s 

Proposition 39. Roosevelt 

was one of the schools that 

received modernization 

through this funding. The 

modernization at Roosevelt 

included seismic repair and 

upgrades. Sealing cracks in 

the infrastructure reduced air leaks throughout the school and decreased energy 

use, especially during the desert’s hottest months.

Student representatives, faculty, and staff are trained to collect the school’s recycling 

and provide feedback to improve the recycling program. Student council members 

work on creating effective ways to ensure that classrooms, office areas, teacher 

workrooms, and the school cafeteria participate in the recycling program. Students 

collaborated with teachers to identify the best collection method and developed a 

system for proper recycling and pickup of classroom recyclables each week. 

Students present these recycling protocols at staff meetings and continue to 

integrate feedback from the staff in an ongoing effort to develop more effective 

approaches for maintaining an effective, sustainable recycling program. Roosevelt 

documented a diversion rate of 65% from recycling and composting.

Safe and sustainable alternative transportation is a priority for Roosevelt. Students 

earn rewards and prizes in the Ram Mile Club, a schoolwide running program to 

Theodore Roosevelt Elementary School students work 

the garden, the school’s hub for sustainable learning.
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encourage walking and biking to school. The school’s Safe Routes to School 

Program supports families using human-powered modes of transportation as an 

alternative to automobile transportation. The school evaluates factors affecting 

morning and afternoon commutes through the program and enacts measures to 

encourage alternative transportation. Students and Boys and Girls Club staff 

conducted a safety survey of the intersections approaching the school in response to 

parent safety concerns around pedestrian and vehicle interaction. They found most 

drivers were distracted and failed to make complete stops at intersections. Students 

presented their findings to the Indio Police Department, and the Department 

committed to patrolling the area more frequently during dismissal times. Roosevelt 

stakeholders are also helping the City of Indio develop a Safe Routes to School 

Master Plan to provide a safe, sustainable, integrated, and efficient transportation 

system. After evaluating transportation routes, the Desert Sands Unified School 

District developed a more effective and efficient plan that reduced the number of 

buses needed to serve Roosevelt from two to one. The district also provides flex-fuel 

vehicles for traveling on school business.

The school received recognition from the Alliance for a Healthier Generation over 

the past five years for its participation in the Healthy Schools Program. The school 

earned bronze (2014), silver (2015, 2017-2019), and gold (2016) awards. School 

stakeholders worked together to obtain the awards, which motivated the students 

and school community at Roosevelt to make healthier nutritional choices and be 

more physically active. Throughout the process, the school made changes to serve 

more nutritious meals, provide health education at all grade levels, and increase 

physical education and activity. The school focused on its specific needs, which 

informed and inspired the Roosevelt Elementary School Wellness Policy. The policy 

prohibits unhealthy foods on campus, including food served in classrooms for 

celebrations. The policy also changed discipline procedures to protect physical 

activity time. Students do not miss recess or physical education classes to make up 

assignments, take tests, or finish classwork. School staff members make concerted 

efforts to educate students on the wellness policy’s benefits to health, nutrition, 

agriculture, gardening, school cleanliness, and recycling.

Students at Roosevelt participate in PBIS. All students participate in Positive Action 

Program lessons, contributing to increased academic achievement levels by 

focusing on positive behavior and creating an optimal learning environment. 

Roosevelt has a social-emotional learning room for students to use if they have 

class or recess behavior issues. It provides a safe place for students to reflect, 

refocus, and feel better through social-emotional learning activities before returning 

to class. A full-time counselor leads lessons that support these behavior programs. A 

school psychologist, speech pathologist, and community organizations, such as the 
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Smile Factory, Betty Ford Center, Barbara Sinatra Children’s Center, and the Boys &

Girls Club of the Coachella Valley, offer students services to meet their needs.

Roosevelt’s STEM program focuses on renewable energy sources and ecological 

design to reduce carbon’s impact on the environment. Upper grade students 

experience firsthand how energy is captured by creating wind turbines and passive 

solar house models. All Roosevelt students explore their effect on the outdoor 

environment, including where they live and go to school, to create a sustainable 

environment where their community can thrive. For example, kindergarten students 

learn how to improve delivery routes to reduce fuel consumption, and second grade 

students design ecologically responsible parks.

With help from families, community volunteers, and local community grants, the 

school grew a small garden space into a 1,200-square-foot fenced garden with 

irrigation and numerous planter boxes. All grade levels contribute to the 

maintenance and care of the garden. The school uses the vegetables from the 

garden for classroom taste tests, salads during staff luncheons, and the school’s 

salad bar. Roosevelt also shares crops harvested in the garden with students and 

the school community to take home.

Every year, students participate in field trips to support their environmental studies. 

Field trips and programs through the local farmers market teach students about local 

farming and agriculture. The local public transportation agency provides educational 

experiences for students to learn about compressed natural gas, alternative fuels, 

zero emission bus technology, and fueling systems used for local public 

transportation in Indio. The school provides students with connections in the 

community, including field trips to Palm Springs Windmill Farms and solar and 

natural gas facilities, to learn about local renewable energy sources and how 

resources in the community impact environmental sustainability. The local water 

utility plans to host a water testing field trip at their treatment center once students 

return to school. In the meantime, during distance learning, students are using athome kits to test the water in their community.

Los Altos High School; Los Altos, California

Electric vehicle charging champ

Los Altos High School (LAHS) has been a public school leader in environmental 

initiatives dating back to the establishment of the Mountain View-Los Altos Union 

High School District’s Sustainability Task Force in 2009. The task force sought to 

develop policies and plans to decrease the district’s environmental footprint and to 

enhance environmental education. The group developed goals focused on 
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purchasing policies, energy conservation, recycling, transportation, and a facilities 

plan to support the solar panels now on the LAHS campus. This effort built upon and 

strengthened activities at the site level and created momentum for other subsequent 

efforts around the school. 

All stakeholders are invited to lead green school efforts at LAHS. Passionate and 

well-organized students run the school’s green team and work in collaboration with 

parents, teachers, and administrators on the PTSA Go Green Sustainability 

Committee (GGSC).

In 2017, LAHS built a 

LEED Gold-certified 

classroom building to 

accommodate for 

enrollment growth and 

replace portable 

classrooms. The area is 

xeriscaped and includes 

bioswales that limit 

surface runoff to storm 

drains and return 

rainwater to the aquifer. 

The building features an 

HVAC automatic shutoff 

whenever windows and 

doors are opened. Solar 

panels on the roof provide 

all of the building’s energy 

needs. Each year, 180 AP 

environmental science 

students tour the LEED 

building to learn about the measures the school has taken. In the classroom, 

students study the U.S. Green Building Council’s guidelines for LEED certification. 

For the last 11 years, LAHS STEAM Week brings over 1,000 students together to 

learn from industry experts in STEAM fields, with one day dedicated to student 

choice. Since the opening of the LEED building, tours are conducted for all students 

during the STEAM Week choice day.

LAHS has been certified as a Santa Clara County Green Business since 2010. This 

certification reflects the school’s ongoing progress in reducing energy use, following 

sustainable and green purchasing policies, reducing water use, reducing 

transportation greenhouse gas emissions, preventing water and air pollution, 

Los Altos High School students plant trees with community 

nonprofit Green Town. Partnerships with local nonprofits 

and the city have enriched sustainability learning and helped 

the school achieve environmental impact reduction goals.
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implementing green health and safety practices, and excelling in the management 

and disposal of hazardous and electronic waste.

Clean energy is a priority for LAHS. The school receives 100% clean electricity 

obtained from wind, solar, and hydroelectric sources from Silicon Valley Clean 

Energy. Solar canopy panels provide approximately 55% of the electric needs of the 

campus, and rooftop solar panels supply energy to the school’s LEED Gold 

classroom building. LAHS uses on-site battery storage units to balance load and cut 

peak energy demands during the day. In the first year of operation, the battery 

storage system saved $83,000 in reduced utility bills.

LAHS engages in multiple strategies for reducing waste and documents a 60% 

diversion rate from recycling and composting. The LAHS Green Team brings the 

school’s rolling composter directly to the quad area to collect food scraps from 

students at lunchtime. LAHS has removed plastic straws and Styrofoam section 

plates in the cafeteria, applies green practices to fundraisers, and reuses such 

materials as caps and gowns, prom dresses, and banners for school functions 

whenever possible. Additionally, the GGSC provides reusable dinnerware to school 

groups for large events.

Reducing environmental impacts from transportation is a priority for LAHS. The 

school installed 29 level 2 EV charging stations and a level 3 fast charger. Teachers 

and staff use the chargers at no cost. The stations are available for public charging 

after school hours and during school breaks at normal rates. After the successful 

installation and implementation at LAHS, 10 neighboring schools in Los Altos 

requested information and installed similar systems.

LAHS reports 26% of their commuting group rolls (i.e., bike, scooter, skateboard) to 

school every day. The LAHS Green Team, administration, and student government 

created a policy that helps to limit the number of students who drive to school by 

limiting parking permits. The school provides eight dedicated carpooling parking 

stalls, as well as several storage options for bicycles and skateboards around 

campus. Members of the LAHS Green Team met with the city’s Complete Streets 

Commission to lobby for changes to bike and pedestrian routes to school, which led 

to the first stage of improvement occurring in the summer of 2020 and plans for 

additional changes that would prioritize bike and pedestrian routes over cars and 

parking. Since 2014, these policy changes and programs have led to an 58% 

increase in students biking to school and a 20% reduction in the number of students 

receiving parking permits.

The student services coordinator works with student government and other 

leadership groups, as well as staff committees and student clubs, to implement 
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programs to increase student and staff wellness. Each quarter, students enjoy such 

activities as yoga in the quad, service animals on campus during finals week, 

messaging through social media and on-campus avenues, and support for 

mindfulness activities during class time. An innovative physical education curriculum 

emphasizes personal health and fitness that includes options for yoga and jazz 

dance. The school’s weight room and pool are open to teachers before and after 

school when there are no athletic events. The Green Team emphasizes wellness 

activities on Earth Day and promotes the cafeteria’s Meatless Monday every week.

Several required and elective courses at LAHS focus on environmental issues 

through the lens of their specific discipline. All science courses at LAHS have units 

that focus on relevant environmental issues and offer hands-on learning 

opportunities. The chemistry courses at LAHS have an annual BioDiesel project, in 

which students learn about resource conservation and renewable fuels. In 2017, 

biotechnology and AP environmental science students went to Stevens Creek 

Reservoir/Park in San Jose to study water quality. AP environmental science 

students analyze and determine plant species on campus, use solar panels to 

measure solar energy efficiency, and measure outdoor and indoor air quality using 

air quality monitors. Other science classes have taken field trips to tide pools in San 

Mateo County. The AP biology class has visited Año Nuevo State Park to learn 

about elephant seals and Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve, 

where students analyze and examine microorganisms and learn about efforts to 

combat eutrophication and silting. Physics students study topics in energy 

conservation and systems efficiency. In AP human geography, a major theme 

focuses on current land use patterns as they relate to sustainability. There is a 

strong emphasis on business transactions that impact the environment within the

economics course required of all seniors.

The LAHS Green Team, the school’s environmental sustainability club, was founded 

in 2003 with a mission to promote environmental responsibility and sustainability to 

all LAHS students and the local community through projects and events. The Green 

Team works diligently to educate students on how they can make more sustainable 

choices in school and at home. The educational topics presented to the student 

body include composting, proper sorting and recycling, using refillable water bottles, 

and clean transportation. The Green Team has a unique partnership with Green 

Town Los Altos, a citizens’ sustainability group. Recent achievements include a 

school anti-idling campaign and a community e-waste collection event for residents 

of Los Altos and Mountain View. The LAHS Green Team has organized and hosted 

an annual Students for Green High Schools Conference since 2013, bringing 

together over 100 students from 28 schools to share environmental actions on their 

campuses, learn from highlighted speakers, and work in small groups to plan future 

actions. Other student-led clubs, such as Biomimicry Club, Sustainable Living Club, 
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Bee Club, and Ocean Preservation Club, draw attention to environmental issues 

during weekly meetings.

The LAHS Green Team and GGSC lead a collaborative effort with district 

administration to implement a ban on the sale of single use plastic bottles on all 

Mountain View-Los Altos Union High School District campuses. In the fall of 2020, 

all incoming LAHS freshmen were given metal reusable water bottles to encourage 

the change. Members of the LAHS Green Team co-authored a District Climate 

Action Resolution with Citizens Climate Lobby, which was adopted by the District 

Board of Trustees in June 2020. The resolution includes the creation of a districtlevel Climate Action Committee to ensure ongoing sustainability actions. The district 

has extended efforts in this area by sharing the resolution as a model for others 

across the state.

The Nueva School; Hillsborough and San Mateo, California

A tale of two campuses

Since its founding in 1967, The Nueva School (“Nueva”), an independent preK-12 

school serving gifted learners, has emphasized environmental education and 

awareness. The school has a current enrollment of 955 students; the Hillsborough 

campus serves lower and middle school divisions, and the San Mateo campus 

serves the upper school division. The Hillsborough campus offers nearly 34 wooded 

acres for environmental exploration, gardening, nature immersion, and studies of 

ecological systems. In contrast, the San Mateo campus reflects a sustainable urban 

design and features easy access to public transit.

As the school grew, Nueva added new campus facilities of exemplary environmental 

performance, including the LEED Gold-certified Hillside Learning Center in 2007, the 

first LEED Gold K-12 building in the country, and the winner of the 2008 American 

Institute of Architects Award for School Design and Sustainability. The Hillsborough 

campus recently completed additions, including a LEED Gold Environmental Center 

and an expanded café. In 2013, Nueva built the upper school campus in San Mateo, 

which is entirely LEED Gold certified.

Both school campuses feature a view of nature from their classrooms. The 

Hillsborough campus has a substantial urban forest, and the San Mateo campus has 

an extensive green meadow, xeriscaping, and trees. Both campuses have several 

outdoor classroom spaces. As part of the school’s COVID-19 school reopening 

plans, outdoor spaces have been mapped and emphasized as learning spaces that 

afford COVID-19 safety and opportunities to be outdoors surrounded by nature. At 

the Hillsborough campus, outdoor tented spaces and newly designated forested 
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areas are available. At the San Mateo campus, most classrooms have a retractable 

wall leading outside. Teachers are encouraged to leave the wall open to allow 

access to the outdoors and to maximize airflow.

The school’s 

operations team 

continuously 

works to reduce 

its environmental 

footprint by 

increasing 

efficiency, 

avoiding toxic 

materials, and 

using low-carbon 

technologies. 

Programmatic 

sustainability 

practices include 

eliminating 

single-use 

plastics and 

creating a threestream waste disposal system. The school features high-efficiency faucets and 

toilets, drip irrigation and xeriscaping, green roofs, and solar photovoltaic systems 

that supply an estimated 22% of Nueva’s total electricity needs. Both campuses 

have EV charging stations — six at Hillsborough and eight at San Mateo.

A healthy campus environment is further supported by avoiding synthetic pesticides, 

using nontoxic cleaning supplies, ensuring sufficient ventilation and daylighting, and 

purchasing nontoxic chemicals for chemistry, biology, and other classes. Healthy, 

nutritious school lunches and daytime snacks are provided on both campuses, using 

locally sourced, organically grown, and nourishing ingredients.

Students study waste reduction strategies in many contexts, specifically in preK, 

kindergarten, and sixth and eighth grades. Kindergarteners do a full study on plastic 

trash, collecting a week’s worth of plastic trash on campus, sorting and counting 

items, and developing a presentation and communication strategy for the entire 

Hillsborough campus. In 2020, upper division students made their campus free of 

paper cups by switching to reusable mugs, carried out a waste audit, and piloted 

several zero-landfill events.

The Nueva School’s Hillside Learning Complex was the first LEED 

Gold K-12 building in the country and the winner of the 2008 

American Institute of Architects Award for School Design and 

Sustainability.
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Nueva performs air quality monitoring using four Air Quality Egg sensors. Students 

use the air monitoring data as the primary data source for a multiweek project that 

investigates how to interrogate datasets and find statistically significant relationships 

in environmental data. Students approach this project with substantial choice — one 

student might study the variation in a pollutant from one part of campus to another, 

while another might study a different pollutant, or its variation over time, or how it 

compares indoors versus outdoors. Air quality monitoring is part of regular campus 

environmental, occupational health, and safety monitoring shared with all 

constituents. The data gathered supports measures to improve air quality (e.g., no 

idling, carpooling, active modes of transportation).

Part of Nueva’s mission is to share best practices and foster innovation. As such, the 

school hosts the Innovative Learning Conference (ILC) every other year, most 

recently in October 2019. The ILC drew more than 1,000 attendees, and 2019 saw 

the successful addition of an environmental track with presentations and workshops 

on healthy, sustainable school lunches; environmental curriculum design; and 

activism on climate change. Every year in January, upper school students further 

expand their knowledge and pursue their passions during a four-day intersession 

offering more than 200 “learning and doing” opportunities. These academic year 

opportunities are complemented by a summer internship program that matches 

approximately 60 students with workplace learning opportunities in a broad range of 

fields, including local environmental nonprofit organizations, the City of San Mateo’s 

sustainability group, and a venture capital firm focused on the climate crisis.

The school provides students with a wide variety of experiences to develop proenvironmental dispositions. Nueva’s uniquely designed educational travel program

— from local trips in San Mateo County to ecological field work in Costa Rica —

provides students with extensive opportunities to study environmental systems and 

their connections to culture, language, history, and local economies. In the 

classroom, the interdisciplinary preK-12 curriculum emphasizes the many ways that 

humanity depends on nature. Students hike and maintain trails in P.E. class, study 

the economics of environmental issues, explore environmental justice and equity 

issues in political science and government, and apply ecological philosophies in 

ecological humanities. Students act on their learning by representing environmental 

arguments at the annual Model United Nations gathering in New York and 

supporting environmental actions through voluntary and school sponsored 

community engagement activities. For example, students in the Environmental Club 

researched the topic of fossil fuel divestment, convened stakeholder group 

meetings, and presented findings to the school board to engage their support.

Approximately 36 students in the middle and upper grades advocate for 

environmental issues through several clubs, including the Environmental Society 
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and the Environmental Club. The Student Council’s campus steward, an elected 

student position charged with advocating for and advancing campus sustainability, 

works with the Nueva administration and faculty to green the school through projectbased efforts, such as eliminating paper cups, encouraging fossil fuel divestment, 

designing living walls, and providing sustainable food options.

In 2019, Nueva launched a new Environmental Citizenship (EC) Program, recruiting 

a director and assistant director. The new staff developed an EC definition, 

formulated the programmatic premises and principles for its work, and created a 

preK-12 Macro Curriculum Blueprint. The program has developed a three-year 

strategic plan to advance environmental citizenship and created a campus 

sustainability document detailing specific opportunities in the areas of energy, water, 

waste, food, procurement, and campus culture. The program’s new home is the 

Environmental Center at the Hillsborough campus, completed in January 2021. The 

EC staff have also created courses, including Climate Change Science & Solutions, 

Environmental Earth Science, and Changing Global Health Dynamics.

In the fall of 2020, the lower school piloted a new Environmental Citizenship 

Ambassador program, including a new part-time role for a teacher who is skilled and 

passionate about creating and integrating environmental learning across the 

curriculum. The EC staff partner with faculty and administrators on curricular 

additions, refinements, and innovations, while also building regional networks of 

sustainability educators and coordinators to scale efforts. A first weeklong curriculum 

design workshop held in summer 2020 convened 17 teachers from all divisions and 

a variety of disciplines. The EC program also supports curriculum-adjacent activities, 

particularly the meaningful and consistent integration of ecological learning and 

performance criteria in Nueva’s trip program, student mentoring in clubs, and 

individual projects. 

District of Columbia

D.C Bilingual Public Charter School; Washington, D.C.

Multicultural, multilingual, and sustainable

Founded in 2004, D.C. Bilingual Public Charter School (DCB) provides an innovative 

dual immersion Spanish and English learning program for all students, regardless of 

their home language. Through rigorous academic curricula; comprehensive arts, 

technology, and athletics programs; and celebration of diverse cultures, DCB

students learn the skills and values they need to become influential participants in 

their community. DCB serves 478 students from PK3 to fifth grade. Eighty-four 
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percent of students identify as minority, 50% of families are eligible for free and 

reduced-price lunch meals, and 40% are English language learners. 

DCB is unique in establishing a Department of Food and Wellness with the intent to 

coordinate personal and environmental awareness across every department in the 

school. Wellness is key to the core elements of the school strategic plan, in 

particular to building resiliency and life skills for the community. This department 

uses the ASCD Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child model to collaborate 

with the entire school community in supporting holistic wellness. The department 

oversees the school nutrition program, manages culinary and gardening education,

and maintains the 7,000-square-foot school garden. 

Additionally, it partners with the Operations Department to ensure sound 

environmental health practices in building maintenance and operations. The DCB 

community has adopted new environmental practices, especially since moving to a 

renovated building in 2016. The building was older and in need of repairs when the 

school moved in, and DCB raised funds to renovate the building and update 

technologies to reduce impacts on the environment. 

Some of the improvements to the campus include a total renovation of the HVAC 

system to increase efficiency, updated lighting and electrical work, and an additional 

permeable surface in the parking lot with receded rain gardens. The new HVAC 

system is a rooftop unit with MERV filters that continuously and efficiently circulates 

fresh air into the building. Each space has its own heating and cooling control panel,

and motion sensors also help to reduce energy use. New water fountains were 

installed throughout the building with no-touch bottle filling functions. Sinks in all 

bathrooms operate with motion sensors. The water filters are checked and changed 

twice a year. The renovation of the building was significant enough to earn a LEED 

Gold rating. 

DCB’s location is ideal for multiple modes of transportation alternatives, including the 

Fort Totten Metro station (0.5 miles away), which also has a Capital Bikeshare 

station and four bus stops and is located near the Metropolitan Branch bike trail. The 

parking lot has been updated to include designated low-emission parking spaces, a 

bike rack, and ramp. 

DCB contracts with outside companies for indoor and outdoor maintenance of the 

campus, and the scope of work includes several activities for environmental health. 

The contractors regularly inspect the HVAC system to ensure proper filtering and 

indoor air quality metrics, as well as inspecting and monitoring areas for mold, 

moisture, and pests. To minimize indoor air pollution, DCB uses environmentally 

sustainable cleaning supplies. The grounds of the school are regularly maintained by 
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an outside landscaping contractor, and pesticides and other chemical treatments are 

forbidden. In the garden, the school uses IPM practices; it does not apply any 

insecticides, fungicides, herbicides, or any nonorganic, nonbiodegradable sprays to 

the space. It also grows specific plants to attract beneficial insects and birds to 

consume pests such as aphids and mosquitoes. 

DCB is fortunate to have 

abundant outdoor spaces 

adjacent to the campus, 

which include a front yard 

green space, a large school 

garden, a playground, and a 

public field. Students, staff, 

and families regularly use the 

spaces for recess, outdoor 

family events, parent-teacher 

conferences, outdoor 

learning, and service learning. 

The Department of Food and 

Wellness recently partnered 

with local organization Casey 

Trees to plant several dozen 

trees on the school campus 

and an adjacent field as part 

of a second grade service learning project to provide shade and habitat for the 

community. 

In the 2019-2020 school year, the cafeteria transitioned to composting all food waste 

during the preparation and consumption of meals on campus with the Compost 

Crew company. The school food program, which engages the entire school 

community, has evolved over time to address waste through plate waste audits, 

cafeteria and kitchen composting, and the incorporation of recyclable and 

compostable disposable items. The creation of a kitchen has also reduced reliance 

on disposable items with the introduction of an energy-efficient dishwasher. Large 

scale composting is made possible through a contract with a local company that 

picks up approximately 210 gallons of food waste per week. 

Guidance was developed for policies and programming related to environmental 

health, wellness, health, and nutrition education; staff and family education and 

engagement is implemented under the D.C. Healthy Schools Act. This legislation 

provides metrics for each of these areas for every school in the city, and DCB

regularly benchmarks, reports on, and sets goals in each area. 

Second grade students at D.C. Bilingual Public 

Charter School plant trees with partners at Casey 

Trees.
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DCB is a learning community that ensures high academic achievement for all 

students in both Spanish and English, fosters leadership skills, and values all 

cultures. Taking this a step further, DCB offers programming that aims to provide 

everyone in the school community – students, staff, families, and neighbors – with 

the tools to succeed and thrive as global leaders. To this end, DCB has, over time, 

built a comprehensive culture that engages all ages in environmental and 

sustainability education. 

DCB is not just for families and staff; the school shares its building and grounds with 

the broader community through space access for outside organizations and wellness 

programming to engage neighbors in culinary and gardening initiatives. Even during 

the pandemic, when students were learning 100% virtually, DCB served as a key 

nutrition hub for meals and food distribution, serving over 400 families, and 

maintained the grounds of the campus for safe outdoor activities for neighbors. 

The school garden is a key piece of the success of environmental and sustainability 

education for everyone at DCB. The 7,000-square-foot garden won the Office of the 

State Superintendent of Education School Garden Award in 2017. The space is 

large enough to host a diverse habitat, including a butterfly garden, koi pond, triplebin compost, vermicompost, herbal sensory garden, 15 raised beds for crops, and 

16 fruit and flowering trees. Each year DCB rotates crops that are harvested for 

culinary and gardening workshops, to be prepared in recipes in the school kitchen 

and sent home with families at a student-led weekly market. 

Students benefit from daily science education in all grades, with hands-on 

opportunities in the school garden, peripheral rain gardens, and forest. Students 

cultivate local habitats and develop a deep understanding of human impact on the 

ecosystem. They also care for a variety of on-campus animals, including a koi pond 

in the garden, turtles, fish, an indoor observatory beehive, and chickens. Students 

plant, tend, harvest, and prepare fresh produce through Culinary and Gardening 

Education classes at every grade level. They also participate in hands-on, 

exploratory field trips that provide connections between life skills and the 

environment, including local farms, parks, and nature centers that highlight MWEE. 

After-school programming, called “The Hive,” is another opportunity for students to 

participate in hands-on activities related to the environment and sustainability. 

Programming prioritizes outdoor education and incorporates nature-based activities. 

This includes regular field trips to DCB’s local forest, Rock Creek Park; partnerships 

with outdoor education organizations, such as Urban Adventure Squad; and special 

guests from the community to teach about caring for the local environment. In the 

COVID-19 environment, The Hive in-person activities are solely outdoors and mostly 
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take place as educational hikes through Rock Creek Park with English/Spanish 

storytelling sessions. 

DCB participates in a citywide network of schools working to showcase educational 

and community engagement ideas. In an average school year, over 100 family 

members volunteer to sustain the garden, and the school has trained 20 neighbors 

to use DCB’s Department of Parks and Recreation community compost. As the 

school considers new projects, it remains conscientious of potential partnerships and 

ways to leverage the strengths of the community into efforts with a greater impact. 

For that reason, DCB partners with a variety of organizations, including Food Corps, 

City Blossoms, DC Greens, the U.S. Forestry Service, Casey Trees, Urban 

Adventures, the Audubon Naturalist Society, Whole Kids Foundation, and The 

Nature Conservancy.

Francis Scott Key Elementary School; Washington, D.C.

Green gem of the Palisades

Francis Scott Key Elementary School serves over 350 students in pre-K through fifth

grade. The school first opened its doors in 1932 in an area of Washington, D.C., that 

combines city living with abundant natural resources. Students are within walking 

distance of the Potomac River, the historic Chesapeake & Ohio Canal, and several 

national parks. They develop a close relationship with their natural environment. 

As one of the first schools to participate in D.C. Farm to School Week in 2011, 

students started a school garden market for the community that continues today. 

Partnering with the D.C. Office of the State Superintendent of Education, Key’s 

parent teacher organization, and neighborhood associations, Key expanded the 

garden to 14 raised beds that support a wide range of vegetables, fruit, and visiting 

wildlife. In 2013, Key was one of six D.C. public elementary schools chosen to 

participate in a pilot program for recycling food waste from the cafeteria and garden 

that became instrumental in shaping the compost pickup program used today. 

Key has a well-established Staff & Parent Green Committee tasked with 

“spearheading all initiatives with healthy eating, recycling in the classrooms, energy 

efficiency in the building and organization of composting/recycling in the cafeteria 

during lunch. The committee works to organize a student group to help with these 

initiatives, as well as provide ongoing education to staff around healthy eating and 

recycling.” Key’s Student Green Team members are a visible, dynamic, and active 

part of school life, composed of approximately 40 third to fifth grade students who

meet during lunch and after school to manage the garden and recycling programs.
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In the fall of 2020, energy-efficient upgrades were made to Key’s HVAC systems to 

increase fresh air filtration throughout the school building via an existing dedicated 

outside air system and the installation of high-efficiency filters. The D.C. Department 

of General Services (DGS) performs yearly maintenance, such as confirming 

registers and diffusers are not blocked, cleaning of air handling equipment, and 

visual inspection of air distribution mechanisms in walls and ceilings to maintain 

efficiency over time. Daily inspections are performed by the Key custodial foreman. 

A wireless platform and a demand control ventilation system help to ensure proper 

operation of equipment, appropriate ventilation rates, and energy efficiency.

Active in the fight to reduce energy consumption, Key was a participant in the first 

D.C. Sprint to Savings competition that helped decrease energy consumption at 23 

schools by an average of 17% over five weeks, saving the city approximately 

$20,000 in 2014. Classroom light switch plates have “Switch Off When Not in Use” 

labels, and the Student Green Team Energy Patrol monitors the hallways during 

lunch, making sure unused rooms have lights turned off. 

Key is deeply committed to the “4 Rs” of reduce, repurpose, recycle, and r(compost). 

The Green Team takes the lead in recycling paper, plastic, and organics from 

classrooms, offices, and food service areas. Each classroom has a labeled scrap 

paper station for 

reusable paper 

scraps that must 

be exhausted 

before new 

paper can be 

used. During 

schoolwide backto-school and 

end-of-year 

picnics, the PTO 

provides 

compostable 

utensils and 5-

gallon water jugs 

to eliminate 

single-use plastic 

water bottles. Key was one of six D.C. public elementary schools chosen to 

participate in a pilot program in 2013 for recycling food waste that shaped the 

compost pickup program used today. 

Fifth grade students release newly hatched American shad fry as part 

of a D.C. fish restoration project.
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Students are encouraged to bring refillable water bottles to school and use them 

throughout the day in order to help conserve water and eliminate plastic bottle 

waste. Water filters are installed in all faucets and drinking fountains. Water quality is 

maintained through valve inspections, the flushing and sanitization of the plumbing 

system, and annual lead testing by DGS. 

Rainwater is harvested via three 560-gallon rain barrels. A bioretention dry stream 

bed, rain garden areas, planter boxes, bioswales, and permeable pavements were 

put in place to reduce stormwater runoff. In 2020, the student Green Team built a 

collection method to measure the amount of water removed from the air during the 

cooling process that drains out from the HVAC condensate line. They found that,

over three hours, a 5-gallon jug could be filled and used to water the garden, giving 

the school an additional source of water that would otherwise be wasted. 

Bike racks are accessible at three entrance points to the school and are typically full. 

Reduced staff parking availability because of school ground renovations and 

residential parking constraints has led to increased interest in carpooling and biking 

to school. 

With a pollinator garden and woodland forest, the school grounds are a learning 

laboratory to explore pollinators, plant cycles, composting, soil sampling, erosion, 

and habitats. Students use math skills to measure seed spacing and plant growth, 

make scientific observations when comparing root structures to other plant parts, 

and connect literacy to the school garden through read aloud and poetry activities. In 

2016, the PTO raised funds for an environmental specialist to ensure the longevity of 

the environmental literacy program. 

The outdoor classroom shaded by native trees provides fixed and flexible seating 

and worktables to encourage individual and group work. There is also a lockable 

shed for garden tools and supplies, signage, an outdoor whiteboard, a hose rack, 

various planters, and a handwashing station with a sink that uses water harvested 

from rain barrels or municipal water. Fourteen raised beds filled with organic soil 

receive six to eight hours of sunlight per day and have direct access to the science 

room. A demonstration and digging bed are located next to worktables. An ADAcompliant trail connects the raised beds to the greenhouse that is used during cooler 

months. 

The Student Green Team and environmental specialist helped bring the school 

community together around a proposal for a school greenhouse, with financial 

support from the Palisades Community Association. The building was completed by 

students, staff, parents, and community members in a location visible to the street 

for all to enjoy.
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Key partnered with Slow Food USA’s Plant a Seed Program to plant endangered 

seeds. Students did research and learned how to collect, dry, weigh, and package 

vegetable seeds to plant for the next season. Applying similar techniques in the 

pollinator garden, students harvest dried milkweed pods to maintain the monarch 

butterfly habitat and are now hoping to create their own Key School seed varieties. 

These experiences demonstrate Key’s ability to integrate various curriculum areas,

such as science, social studies, English and language arts, and math, with 

environmental learning and service to the greater community. 

The custodial team is trained in green cleaning procedures as well as deep cleaning 

protocols using EPA-approved cleaning supplies in accordance with Centers for 

Disease Control and Prevention guidance. Dust control mats are placed at all school 

entrances to minimize dust from the outside. The Environmental Health and Safety 

Division of DGS surveys D.C. schools every four years for radon. Building 

renovations in 2002 included lead and asbestos abatement. Indoor air quality 

sensors monitor levels of particulates, CO2, VOCs, ozone, formaldehyde, 

temperature, and humidity, and Key uses the Senseware wireless platform to collect 

data and ensure effective operation.

To help keep allergens at a minimum throughout the school, students created ecocleaning kits for all classrooms. They tested various recipes for environmentally safe 

homemade cleaning solutions and researched different types of essential oils to 

determine their disinfecting value and to prevent the possibility of allergic reactions. 

Each teacher was given a tub containing refillable spray bottles, white vinegar, 

baking soda, sponges, lemon oil, and a booklet containing approved recipes. 

Science experiments are conducted using natural materials, and all art supplies are 

nontoxic. Chemical pesticide products are not used within the school building for 

pest control. Instead, the school has adopted an IPM system that focuses on such 

preventative measures as sealing cracks and openings, fixing leaks, vacuuming 

carpets daily, mopping floors, and emptying all trash and recycling receptacles into 

secured outdoor dumpsters.

The annual Strawberries & Salad Greens Day is organized by Green Team students 

who display strawberry plants grown on campus, nutritional information, and recipes 

in the cafeteria. When strawberry and greens smoothies are made, food staff 

contractors collaborate with students during taste tests by supplementing school 

grown produce with available fruit and vegetables from the kitchen. Key also 

participates in the annual Growing Healthy Schools Month with class visits by 

Olympic athletes, nutritionists, and chefs. Soda is not served at any school functions 

and vending machines are not available.
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School ground renovations in 2012 added a nature inspired treehouse structure with 

boulders for climbing that provides opportunities for interactive play. A custom-made 

trolley themed structure representing the history of the neighborhood trolley trail 

provides a music-making apparatus for imaginary play and sensory stimulation. The 

gym features a climbing wall.

Key offers upper grades the opportunity to conduct in-depth studies grounded in 

research and inquiry in a MWEE. Key partners with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation 

Shad Restoration Project to help raise shad fry from eggs in the classroom. Students 

monitor water quality, experience the hatching process, and study the shad life 

cycle. Upon completion, students release the shad fry into the Anacostia River with 

the hope of restoring the shad population. In addition, fourth and fifth grade 

overnight camping trips to Prince William Forest Park Nature Bridge in Triangle, 

Virginia, and Hard Bargain Farm Environmental Center in Accokeek, Maryland,

enable students to be absorbed in longer term projects, such as comparing the 

ecosystem from the farm to the schoolyard at Key.

The ability of Key students to use science to solve real-world problems is evident as

they stand on the podium at the D.C. Elementary School STEM Fair every year, 

including placing first in environmental science and second overall for a Key School 

cafeteria waste study in 2017.

Florida

Christ the King Catholic School; Jacksonville, Florida

Sowing seeds of faith

Christ the King Catholic School (CTK) is an urban parish school nestled in the heart 

of Jacksonville, Florida. Built in 1955, it encompasses over 40 acres, including a 

creek and marsh area. The school serves 280 students from grades pre-K to eighth 

grade. Over 57% of students attend the school on a tax credit scholarship from the 

state, 35% identify as minority, and CTK is classified as a Title I school.

CTK has been pursuing the pillars of ED-GRS for over 12 years in conjunction with 

efforts to become a STEM school. Through hard work, collaboration, professional 

development, and self-assessment, CTK has developed and sustained a 

STEM/STREAM (science, technology, religion, engineering, arts, and math) program 

that led to the school’s STEM accreditation. CTK became the first Catholic school in 

Florida to achieve this honor. 
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Over the years, CTK has enlarged spaces for STEM collaboration, built outdoor 

areas for gardening and observation, and developed a comprehensive agricultural 

program. The school partners with Notre Dame University, local biomedical 

manufacturing production facilities, the University of Florida extension service, 

Project Learning Tree, the University of North Florida, and Tree Hill Nature Center. 

Today, CTK offers mentoring and tours to staff from other schools, who visit to learn 

how to incorporate hands-on learning into their curriculum.

Through annual Green Apple Day of Service (GADOS) projects and with financial 

support from the community, CTK has developed a five-acre outdoor classroom with 

a viewing deck and nature trails, a 700-square-foot raised bed garden, a water 

recovery system, solar panels, butterfly gardens, a chicken coop, and a blueberry 

house. Each GADOS project day involves as many as 100 volunteers. In 2014 and 

2019, CTK won the Center for Green Schools at the U.S. Green Building Council’s 

Green Apple Day of Service Project of the Year. 

Middle school students tackle different challenges each year to improve the school 

and surrounding community as part of the STREAM curriculum. One recent project 

involved making improvements to the landscaping around AC systems to help 

improve AC efficiency. Students considered the proximity to the chicken coop as 

well as a solution for the water runoff from the AC units. Students removed 

overgrowth that was hindering the efficiency of the AC system and replaced the area 

around it with granite to reduce the possibility of overgrowth. After consulting with a 

landscape architect, they added high water use plants to help with the condensation 

drainage from the AC that was causing erosion around the water recovery system. 

They also used saltwater to minimize the growth of plants around the AC units.

Students collect organic matter for composting, manage vermicomposting, and 

utilize recovered rainwater for agricultural purposes. The school board supported 

energy savings by switching HID lights to LED lights in the gymnasium as well as 

replacing all AC thermostats with programmable ones. The school is gradually 

replacing all of the1960 windows and 1987 AC units with newer, more efficient 

models.

CTK installed two solar panels connected to the school’s electrical grid. Students 

monitor energy output on their iPads and do research on the effects of weather and 

panel placement on energy production. Eighth graders built a water recovery system 

with the help of University of North Florida students majoring in construction to save 

rainwater for irrigation use on the school’s gardens. Timed well watering for the 

gardens and landscaping also help to conserve water.
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The Family School Association (FSA) supports a student-led initiative to replace old 

water fountains with new water bottle refilling stations. Middle school students 

completed research during an oceans and waterways project, prepared a budget, 

did an analysis of the impact of limiting disposable bottles on campus, and made 

recommendations to the FSA and the principal. Their fundraising efforts resulted in 

the replacement of all seven water fountains and led to a significant decrease in the 

use of disposable plastic on the campus, with plastic water bottles no longer 

available for sale. 

A grant enabled CTK to 

employ a full-time 

guidance counselor. P.E. 

classes are offered three 

days a week, up from the 

two weekly classes in the 

past, as a result of a 

change to a longer school 

day. This is in addition to 

a daily recess after lunch 

for elementary school 

students. Jump Rope for 

Heart and fun runs 

promote health while 

fundraising.

CTK offers a salad bar 

that serves as an integral 

part of its agricultural 

program and developed 

its own nutrition 

curriculum. Second grade 

students take field trips to a local cooking studio, learn how to follow recipes, and 

come to appreciate healthy food options. Field trips to the extension service canning 

facility are planned to support making canned foods from school garden harvests. 

Several grants have enabled CTK to update aging garden beds from wood to stone,

and a new 4-H Club reinforces agricultural learning during the school day.

Using the creek, wetlands, and acreage to its advantage, CTK fosters opportunities 

for students to test water quality and to learn about natural springs and creeks and 

how St. Johns River feeds into the Atlantic Ocean. A nearby creek is uniquely spring 

fed and tidal because of its proximity to the mouth of the St. Johns River, and this 

provides numerous connections for students to make in their science lessons. Under 

Christ the King Catholic School fifth grade students are part 

of the University of Florida Extension Service’s Junior 

Master Gardener program. They meet weekly with two 

master gardeners to plant, harvest, and maintain the school 

gardens.
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the leadership of the St. Johns Riverkeepers, students go weekly to test water 

salinity, turbidity, and contaminant matter in Strawberry Creek. Students visit the 

Marine Science Research Institute at Jacksonville University and learn about the 

ways that several organizations work to protect the ocean and waterways. 

The kindergarten program features a yearlong study of butterflies. Students 

propagate butterfly food and tag the butterflies as part of a national butterfly 

migration study. The school was designated a Monarch Butterfly Station in 2016. 

Kindergarten students learn about the life cycle of the Monarch butterfly, the 

importance of pollinators, and the effects of environmental contaminants on them. 

They participate in an engineering project in which they create “hand pollinators” for 

the milkweed plants.

Students learn to advocate for themselves and those less able to do so by 

interacting with the nearby L’Arche Community of severely disabled adults on the 

parish campus. Students provide fresh foods from school gardens for the residents. 

They also plan and execute a nutritionally balanced dinner party for the residents 

and staff that meets dietary restrictions. The seventh grade Seeds of Faith Program 

helps to oversee and market school agricultural products benefiting the L’Arche 

program and the school salad bar.

Illinois

Wheaton Christian Grammar School; Winfield, Illinois

Teaching care of all creation

Wheaton Christian Grammar School (WCGS) features a geothermal energy system 

that allows 73% of energy needs to be met on-site, funded with help from the Illinois 

Clean Energy Community Foundation. The building also features energy-efficient 

glazing and insulation, LED lights in the parking lot, and motion sensors in all interior 

classroom, office, and bathroom lights. Not satisfied with an efficient building, WCGS 

continues to track resource use on multiple platforms.

Low-flow toilets and an on-site well that is used to irrigate the community garden and 

soccer fields conserve water. WCGS has organized a Walk4Water event each of the 

past five years, sponsored by SMART2bfit, to bring awareness to the need for clean 

water throughout the world, raising $8,317 for this initiative. With these funds, 

SMART2bfit has built three wells in Tanzania and four wells in India. 

Forty-one percent of the 34-acre property was set aside for natural wetlands, 

stormwater management, habitat development, and instructional use. WCGS has 
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installed two water bottle filling stations, a student-decorated rain barrel that collects 

water for the 300-square-foot community garden, and a 300-square-foot pollinator 

garden. The STEAM program maintains an indoor tower garden for instructional 

purposes. 

Student involvement is a critical part of waste management. During 2019-2020, the 

school’s Creation Care Club (C3) collected 250 pounds of bottle caps and raised 

money by selling sustainable products, such as reusable straws, bamboo spoons, 

and bamboo forks. These funds and caps were used to obtain a blue Bottle Cap 

Bench for WCGS. During the 2019-2020 school year, the Robotics Team and C3 

worked on limiting landfill contribution by holding zero-waste days. On these days, 

WCGS saw a 60% decrease in garbage, a 50% increase in compost, and 41% 

increase in recycling. The Robotics Team created new signage for all the recycling 

and garbage bins in the school, over 100 bins. They also had a “Limit Landfill Litter” 

themed month in November 2019 and made daily announcements at lunch about 

different ways to reduce waste. The Robotics Team presented their research and 

“Limit Landfill Litter” project at their regional qualifier and state competition.

Repurposing wood pallets, WCGS built four compost bins near the community 

garden and added a space to share untouched, wanted, or needed food at 

lunchtime. A worm bin in the STEAM Lab helps lunch scraps to decompose. The 

School & Community Assistance for Recycling and Composting Education nonprofit 

organization has conducted two workshops with WCGS faculty and staff. 

No-idle signage adorns student pickup locations on campus, and information about 

this practice is shared with the WCGS community through the school newsletter. 

Fifty-four percent of families carpool with more than two students per car. HVAC 

filters are changed quarterly, along with other steps on a comprehensive building 

maintenance checklist. Green Seal certified cleaning products are used to minimize 

toxic chemicals. Cleaning and disinfectant concentrates are stored at a no-touch 

chemical dispensing center for ready-to-use spray making bottles; dispensing is 

recalibrated to minimize waste, and the solutions are water-based for safe handling. 

An IPM program is in place. Animals that can trigger asthma are not permitted in the 

building.

Annual, free flu shots offered by DuPage County are administered to the faculty and 

staff by two school nurses. The nurses also support teachers by providing 

information for lessons on personal space, respect of person, diet, exercise, 

emotions, mood, attitude, hygiene, health, wellness, human growth and 

development, substance abuse, relationships, and viruses and bacteria. WCGS 

nurses also started a health week, creating lessons for teachers to use in their 

classrooms. A school social worker facilitates social and emotional training for staff,
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teaches social and emotional lessons across grade levels, and meets regularly with 

new students and students needing services, including counseling. A Student Health 

Services Team meets biweekly for student advocacy and care. 

Junior high students participate in C3, which meets twice a week. Students maintain, 

plant, and care for the tower, bee, and community gardens. The club also helps 

plant bulbs near the main entrance of the school, reseeds the prairie, picks up 

garbage near waterways, helps teach younger students about creation care, and 

supports the recycling and composting program at WCGS. The Parents Auxillary

supports C3 by providing seeds, plantings, and other materials that are needed to 

care for the three gardens.

Students in grades three to eight participate on the Project Council, where they 

collaborate, design, and maintain sustainable projects that benefit the well-being and 

learning environment at WCGS. The Council has planned and designed an 

aquaponics 

garden.

The STEAM 

Coordinator 

works with 

teachers at every 

grade level by 

promoting 

environmental 

literacy and 

sustainability. 

STEAM 

instruction 

includes 

recycling, 

composting, 

urban and rural 

gardening, and 

growing the 

aeroponic tower 

and community 

gardens. In sixth and eighth grade, students learn about renewable energy sources, 

hydroelectric power, solar panels, and wind turbines. C3 goes on an annual field trip 

to the school’s geothermal supply room to learn about this energy source. Other field 

trips include Cosley Zoo, The Morton Arboretum, Kuipers Apple Orchard, Brookfield

Zoo, Klein Creek Farm, Blackberry Farm, Shedd Aquarium, a three-day outdoor 

The Wheaton Christian Grammar School Robotics Team and Creation 

Care Club organized Zero Waste Days, making buttons and hanging 

signs to promote their theme “Limit Landfill Litter.”
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education program at Camp Timber-lee, Lincoln Marsh, Pottawatomie Park, the City 

of West Chicago Regional Wastewater Treatment Plant, Whole Foods, Fermi

National Accelerator Laboratory, Northside Park, and a two-day outdoor education 

program at Covenant Harbor Camp.

Indiana

Discovery Charter School; Porter, Indiana

Place-based dunes learning

Discovery Charter School (DCS), a Title I school in Porter, Indiana, which comprises 

about 60 staff and 475 students in grades K through eight, was founded in 2010 as 

the result of effort by a group of families who wanted a school that incorporated 

place-based education for their elementary school-age children. Place-based 

education is an educational approach that emphasizes engagement with all aspects 

of the local community, including the ecological, economic, and cultural environment, 

to make learning relevant to students’ lives and experience and to guide students to 

develop a sense of community and their place in it. 

The school community and 

stakeholders have worked 

since the founding of DCS to 

incorporate sustainable 

practices as well as placebased education. The school’s 

founders were fortunate to find 

a location to establish the 

school in an existing office 

building adjacent to a parcel of 

the Indiana Dunes National 

Park. DCS students have easy 

access into the eastern 

deciduous forest by means of 

a trail that links to the National 

Park Service’s more extensive 

Glenwood Dunes Trail system. 

The 14,000-year-old dunes, 

the forest, wetlands, and old 

home sites provide a natural 

laboratory for students to make 

observations; to explore plants, 

Discovery Charter School offered a unique 

opportunity during the first quarter of the 2020-21 

school year for students to come to the school 

grounds one grade level at a time for a one-hour, 

outdoor-only, on-site experience, with masks and 

social distancing in place. 
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animal signs, and water quality indicators; and to learn to care for the land. Students 

develop a sense of place in these natural areas that become familiar to them as they 

visit throughout the seasons and over the years.

DCS is committed to improving the natural habitat on the school grounds and to 

using outdoor spaces to advance learning and contribute to students’ mental, 

emotional, and physical health. Students at recess enjoy a nature play area adjacent 

to a more traditional play area. As often as weather permits, students dine in an 

outdoor lunch space with picnic tables, sunshades, and native plantings. An outdoor 

classroom adjacent to the building allows for outdoor seating and includes a rolling 

table and chalkboard. 

Many of the initiatives for improvements on the grounds were student-led or 

benefited from student involvement. Outdoor spaces on the campus provide 

opportunities for students to be outside to eat, relax, exercise, explore, learn, and do 

authentic work. They contribute to the learning environment, to wellness, and to 

developing the knowledge, skills, and understanding for students to become 

stewards of their environment and community. 

These grounds include a butterfly garden that has been certified as a Monarch 

Waystation, beehives and pollinator plantings, bat houses, a rain garden, and a reseeded grassy playing field that was once barren gravel. The grounds are 

recognized as a Schoolyard Habitat by the National Wildlife Federation, and the 

native plantings have been recognized with the Shirley Heinze Land Trust’s Bringing 

Nature Home Award. 

DCS’s curriculum framework is aligned to Indiana’s state standards, with the 

expectation that teachers will create opportunities throughout the curriculum to 

connect learning to place. DCS has also adopted standards for each grade level 

based on the Great Lakes Literacy Principles (Center for Great Lakes Literacy), in 

recognition of their place in the Great Lakes watershed. As educators teach the 

standards – across all subject areas – they find ways to incorporate the local 

environment, take learning outdoors, implement related STEM challenges, make 

learning authentic, create projects that are interdisciplinary, and incorporate service 

to the school or surrounding community. 

Teachers plan at least weekly field experiences in which students reinforce their 

classroom learning outdoors on a hike or other outdoor activity on the school 

grounds or during an off-site learning experience. Students are expected to come 

prepared for outdoor activities every day. Instruction emphasizes local experiences 

that reinforce seasonal changes, environmental education, and community 

exploration. To provide students with in-depth, immersive learning experiences, all 
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students in fourth grade and above participate in overnight excursions tailored to 

their age and grade level. 

Middle school students have examined energy use, biodiversity, consumption and 

waste, healthy living, and schoolyard habitats through the National Wildlife 

Federation’s Eco-Schools USA program, most recently earning a Silver Award for 

the school. Several middle school classes have used the Earth Force framework to 

identify problems in their community and to devise and implement solutions. This 

interdisciplinary work has led to the installation of beehives and pollinator plantings 

on school grounds, to improvements to the school’s nature play area, and to 

improvements to a nature trail. Students benefit from taking an active role in 

choosing and planning a project, from learning from outside experts, and from 

seeing how their work contributes to the school community. Middle school students 

also participate in citizen science projects, such as water quality monitoring, and in 

stewardship projects, such as the removal of invasive plants from surrounding 

natural areas. 

DCS’s place-based mission is supported by professional development for teachers, 

by employing a school naturalist on staff, by maintaining a place-based resource 

library, and by partnerships with many local education and environmental 

organizations. The school has offered on-site professional development for all DCS 

teachers from experts from the Indiana Dunes National Park, the Dunes Learning 

Center, Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant, The STEM Connection, Chemical Educational 

Foundation, and others to empower teachers to incorporate STEM, Great Lakes 

Literacy Principles, the 5E instructional model, and environmental and outdoor 

learning. 

The school naturalist maintains the place-based resource library with field guides, 

scavenger hunts, picture books, and identification guides for different types of 

outdoor lessons, as well as tools for outdoor exploration and for authentic work on 

the grounds. The naturalist also prepares mini-lessons, finds or creates resources 

for teachers, leads outdoor activities, organizes schoolwide events, serves as a point 

of contact for community partners, and monitors and maintains garden spaces. Local 

organizations that specialize in conservation, environmental education, local history, 

art, and community service are valued partners in providing place-based lessons 

and in exposing students to potential careers in a variety of fields. 

To articulate the guiding principles of care for the environment and the healthy 

body/healthy mind connection, DCS early on adopted both a culture-of-care policy 

and a sustainability policy, distributed in the student handbook. The school 

community – staff, students, families – strives to model sustainable and healthy 

living throughout the school day and beyond. Healthy eating is promoted for both 
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students and staff. The school nurse promotes healthy snacks with minimal 

packaging through a “Nut Safe Snack List” provided each year. 

DCS’s water comes from an on-site well that is tested monthly for iron and lead. 

Furnace air filters are changed regularly to maintain air quality. Pest control is 

handled by a local company that is “Green Pro” certified. Cleaning products used at 

the school are reviewed and approved by the school nurse to make sure they meet 

standards of health and environmental safety. 

In recognition of the amount of time students spend outdoors, the school nurse also 

provides an annual outdoor safety and tick awareness presentation. The school 

social worker helps maintain a positive school climate where all students know they 

belong and are a valued part of the community at DCS. Staff wellness is 

incorporated into DCS’s schoolwide wellness policy, which is reviewed annually. The 

school principal encourages staff wellness through resources provided in a weekly 

newsletter, and grade-level team leaders provide regular check-ins with staff on their 

personal wellness goals. 

In the interest of minimizing waste, electronic communication is favored over paper; 

reusable water bottles, food trays, and utensils are part of daily life; and recycling 

and composting are a priority. A middle school Recycling Club empties classroom 

recycling bins, a staff Place-based/Sustainability Committee keeps sustainability in 

the forefront and proposes improvements in school practices, and a parent-led 

Sustainability Committee helps implement such things as managing a system to 

collect and recycle hard-to-recycle items and organizing waste-free lunch contests. 

The remodeled former office building incorporates motion sensor lights and water 

bottle refilling stations.

A no-idle policy and signage are in place to protect air quality. Parents are 

encouraged to carpool through a sign-up on a parent Facebook page. The Parent 

Advisory Committee has organized occasional “walk to school” events, in which 

students who live too far away to walk to school meet at the nearby Indiana Dunes 

Visitor Center and walk to school on a trail from that location to raise awareness of 

the health benefits of walking and the energy impact of vehicles.

During the last quarter of the 2019-20 school year and the beginning of the 2020-21 

school year, the COVID-19 pandemic has necessitated changes to the way DCS 

operates, as teachers have navigated through virtual and hybrid learning models. 

Throughout the changes, however, some unique adaptations have helped to 

preserve DCS’s place-based mission. These have included video “hikes” on the 

trails near the school, weekly outdoor on-site experiences during the fall semester of 

virtual learning, virtual environmental lessons through the Dunes Learning Center, 
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and dedicating Wednesdays to place-based assignments for students to do at home, 

many of which take them away from their electronic devices to engage with their 

environment and communities.

Paramount Brookside School; Indianapolis, Indiana

A center for urban agriculture and revitalization

Established in 2010, Paramount Brookside is a Title I K-8 public charter school, 

founded with the underlying philosophy of offering students an unparalleled 

academic approach and being a transformative force in its Indianapolis 

neighborhood. Paramount Brookside’s Indianapolis neighborhood is within a Federal 

Promise Zone, due to a 31% community poverty rate. Currently, the school serves 

837 students, of which 80% are from 

families with household incomes at 

or below the poverty level, 15% 

receive special education services, 

and 8.2% are English language 

learners. Paramount’s student 

population is 47% African American, 

27% Caucasian, 16% Hispanic, and 

10% multiracial. 

The school’s education framework 

and staff have proven to be a 

successful combination. State 

testing consistently ranks Paramount 

among the top public schools in 

Indiana. Paramount Brookside is a 

2018 U.S. Department of Education 

Blue Ribbon School. The Indiana 

Department of Education designated Brookside as an “A” school for six consecutive 

years, and the Indianapolis Urban League awarded Brookside the School 

Excellence Award in 2018 and 2019. Additionally, the Education Equality Index 

recognizes Paramount for closing the achievement gap regardless of family income. 

Since its beginning, Paramount Brookside has aimed to be a catalyst for 

neighborhood revitalization and a model of urban sustainability. Paramount 

Brookside received the Thriving Schools Challenge Masters Certificate for its green 

school efforts, the highest school sustainability designation from the City of 

Indianapolis’ Office of Sustainability. Paramount’s involvement is evident in the 

staff’s active participation in the neighborhood association, communitywide summits, 

The Paramount Brookside Farm Bee Team

tends to their beehives.

The Paramount Brookside Farm Bee Team 

tends to their beehives.
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and cleanups. Annually, Paramount Brookside presents the East Downtown 

Indianapolis Neighborhood’s annual Eastside Games. The weeklong, Olympic-style 

games include such events as volleyball, bocce ball, horseshoes, dodgeball, table 

tennis, corn hole, cooking, frisbee golf, hockey, and track and field for all who live, 

work, or worship on Indianapolis’ Eastside. 

Paramount Brookside planned the campus to minimize environmental impact and to 

serve as an ecological principles learning tool. In 2010, Paramount renovated a 

masonic lodge to become Paramount Brookside School, incorporating energysaving components throughout the building. All hallway, classroom, and office lights 

are occupancy activated and hand dryers are motion controlled. Bathroom faucets 

automatically shut off to conserve water. The heating and AC system thermostats 

are WIFI-enabled, allowing for whole school indoor climate regulation and 

adherence to air quality standards. In 2018, the school received funding from the 

state of Indiana and Indianapolis Power and Light to retrofit more than 600 lighting 

fixtures to LED in the 74,166-square-foot building, resulting in 69% energy savings.

Held on the Paramount school farm grounds, the TURN Festival (Transforming 

Urban Neighborhoods) is a yearly celebration of urban sustainability that focuses on 

farms, food, health, and the environment. A natural outgrowth of the school’s work in 

agroecology, the free event attracts more than 4,500 visitors for exhibits, workshops, 

children’s activities, and demonstrations. Participants attend presentations on 

beekeeping, family gardening, healthy and kids’ cooking, health and lead 

screenings, and more than 50 interactive displays. Proceeds from the festival’s food 

booth and farm-to-table dinner are shared with the neighborhood association and 

Slow Food Indy to fund community outreach efforts. 

Over six years, the school transformed a desolate and overgrown portion of the 

campus into a welcoming pocket park for the Brookside neighborhood. After the 

site’s reformation, a collaboration with Keep Indianapolis Beautiful, Reconnecting to 

Our Waterways, and Herron School of Art culminated in the installation of seven 

permanent artworks. The park embodies a unique incorporation of the space’s 

physical assets with thoughtful connectivity to the neighborhood and the belief that 

art is an active component of “place making.” Among the Paramount Peace Park’s 

forestry, visitors can view the sculptures at the street level or from two elevated 

observation decks accessible to everyone via an ADA-compliant ramp. 

Representatives of the Mayor’s Office of Disability Affairs and a U.S. Paralympic 

Gold Medalist helped dedicate the park on the 2017 National Barrier Awareness 

Day. 

Paramount Brookside’s 5.5-acre site includes a working farm, offering students a 

multitude of learning opportunities. It serves as an outdoor classroom for students 
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throughout the school year and during Paramount’s summer STEAM (Success 

Through Education Agriculture and Mentoring) program. The available land enabled 

the school to develop an extensive environmental education program. A staff of 

three environmental educators support classes, extracurricular groups, and 

community initiatives, and maintain farm operations for the 3.5-acre farm. 

The Brookside Farm has 90 vegetable and 10 herb beds, a seven-variety orchard, a 

pollinator and native prairie garden, a hoop greenhouse, and a Big Green learning 

garden. Farm assets include a 2,200-gallon water cistern system, an outdoor 

classroom, composting bins, a shipping container barn, a chicken coop housing 

eight chickens, a goat barn, a run for four dairy goats, a two-hive apiary, and a 

cheese production kitchen. The licensed dairy operation is the basis for Paramount’s 

artisan cheese enterprise. Rain or shine, students arrive before class to milk and 

care for the resident goat herd. Next, the milk is filtered, pasteurized, and processed 

into cheese in the on-site cheese kitchen. From start to finish, Paramount middle 

school students and staff handcraft the cheese. Two varieties of Paramount cheese 

are available for purchase at numerous Indianapolis retail outlets. 

Paramount’s STEAM program provides an in-depth work development and summer 

employment opportunity for 32 middle school students. Each student worker is 

assigned to a team that, over eight weeks, rotates between farm staff and function. 

The rotation schedule includes livestock/cheesemaking, garden/farm market, and 

infrastructure projects/maintenance. Each concentration aligns with Indiana STEM 

academic and employability skills standards. Student workers are paid $8 an hour to 

help maintain the farm and operate a summer farm share and farm market. 

The school’s more than 400 families allow for a meaningful impact on nutrition, 

quality, and access to healthier eating options for both students and their families. 

Annually, the farm’s gardens yield 2,022 pounds of vegetables, resulting in 10,289 

servings. Neighborhood food pantries receive any surplus harvest. Modeled after the 

Boston Food Project, STEAM continually connects theory with practical, hands-on 

activities. 

Additionally, extracurricular farm activities include Goat and Bee teams and 

Recycling and Gardening clubs during the school year. The Recycling Club is 

responsible for a schoolwide recycling program that averts 86,000 pounds of mixed 

paper and cardboard waste from the landfill per school year. Inside the school 

building, an Eco-Discovery Center offers additional on-site learning opportunities. 

The Center’s resources include a butterfly hatchery, observation beehive, and a 

rooftop butterfly garden planted with Indiana native pollinators. Other campus green 

resources include five grid-tied wind turbines that provide an energy offset of 11%, 

two battery-based solar light arrays, and a 60-seat electric bus. 
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Paramount Brookside exemplifies the community school model by blending a 

consistent and dedicated focus on the community to grow the academic 

environment. Cross-curricular, project-based learning activities include partnerships 

with Purdue University, the Indianapolis Children’s Museum, Indiana University, the 

Marion County Soil and Water Conservation District, the Earth Discovery Center, the 

Marion County Farm Bureau, and other community education entities. The use of 

community fairs, neighborhood cleanups, and farm activities promotes students’ 

civic engagement and combines experiential activities with academics. 

Student wellness, nutrition, and family support services are critical school priorities 

to ensure that students thrive. All Paramount students receive a free, nutritious 

breakfast and lunch, with an additional 200 students also getting an after-school 

meal. A partnership with Gleaners, the local Feeding America affiliate, supplies 180 

students with weekend meals during the summer. During the COVID-19 campus 

shutdown in spring 2020, Paramount staff delivered 62,754 meals to students’ 

households. 

Due to several identified risk factors, Paramount students are potentially at higher 

risk of lead exposure. Therefore, in partnership with the Marion County Public Health 

Department, Paramount conducts student and drinking fountain lead screenings. 

Student testing resulted in a 30% positivity rate. By identifying the students exposed 

to lead, the school can implement ongoing intervention strategies.

Air quality improvements include an upgrade of the air filtration filters from a MERV 

of 8 to MERV13, installing sensors to monitor indoor and outdoor air quality levels, 

and launching Idle Free Zones for student drop-off and pickup. 

Paramount further demonstrates a commitment to student wellness by staffing two 

full-time nurses to respond to 5,500 student visits a year, two full-time counselors, 

and a partnership with Community Health Network to deliver behavioral and sports 

health care. A collaboration with Easter Seals Crossroads provides student speech, 

occupational, and physical therapy services. The school’s Family Allies and 

Community Team staffs an on-site Parent Resource Center that regularly meets with 

families and organizes monthly parent meetings. With the onset of online learning 

due to COVID-19, a Paramount counselor produced a series of videos that focus on 

mental health supports for students. The school promotes exercise and fitness by 

having daily recess, weekly physical education classes, and an annual schoolwide 

field day. The emphasis for physical and health education classes is on developing 

an awareness and appreciation of lifelong healthful activities. Partnering with the 

city’s professional sports teams, Paramount hosted the Indiana Pacers’ Get Fit, the 

Indianapolis Colts’ Play 60, and the Indy Eleven’s Goals for Indy fitness programs. 
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Kentucky

The Academies of Bryan Station High School; Lexington, Kentucky

From plastic bottle caps to benches

The Academies of Bryan Station High School (The Academies) is situated on the 

north side of the city where rolling horse farms meet urban communities. While 

focusing on ways to improve water quality in Lexington, The Academies of Bryan 

Station High School and surrounding community partnered to create a rain garden 

and outdoor classroom. The project, which was first conceptualized in 2015, 

involved the University of Kentucky Sustainable Agriculture Program, the College of 

Education at the University of Kentucky, Lexington-Fayette Urban County 

Government, the Lexington-Fayette County Health Department, Greentree Plastics, 

and Bluegrass Greensource. The final product, funded by a grant acquired through 

the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government, resulted in a practical outdoor 

space that is utilized by The Academies and neighboring Bryan Station Middle 

School.

The University of Kentucky’s College of Education staff worked with students to 

research ways to improve water quality around the city. Students learned about the 

EPA consent decree, constructed maps of the local watershed, participated in 

multiple lessons, and tested water quality at Lexmark and the Kentucky Horse Park. 

These tests included chemical tests, such as nitrogen, dissolved oxygen, pH, and 

phosphorus, as well as physical tests, such as turbidity and counting populations of 

macro-invertebrates in the water.

In 2018, The Academies partnered with the University of Kentucky’s College of 

Education in a water quality study that focused on comparing water quality in 

Lexington to the water quality in Kolkata, India. Students completed a pretest and a 

posttest regarding their knowledge of concepts related to water. In addition, they 

completed a series of assignments that led them to complete a research proposal. 

Afterward, they conducted water quality tests around the city and compared that 

data to the data in India. This data was used in their final project that summarized 

their findings.

Bluegrass Greensource has been one of The Academies’ partners since the 

establishment of the rain garden. Each year, through participation in this outreach 

program, students learn about several important components of environmental 

education, including solid waste, water quality, and air quality. Students conducted 

recycling and solid waste audits and visited the recycling center three times, 

including a virtual tour during the COVID-19 pandemic. 
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In 2017, The Academies worked with the University of Kentucky’s Office of 

Sustainability to explore ways to increase fresh food accessibility in urban areas. 

The Empower Ag Kentucky program is a three-component program focusing on 

sustainability education, community education, and professional development of 

participating students. The goal is to make students aware of innovation and for 

them to experience hands-on applications to an aquaponics system. The grant was 

designed to expose The Academies students to young leaders and mentoring from 

the University of Kentucky community. Students attended community field trips, 

including a trip to Food Chain, a large aquaponics system that produces and 

provides fish and vegetables to local restaurants and food banks. This experience 

enabled students to build and manage a classroom system. They worked in teams

and competed to see which team could maintain and implement the most efficient 

system.

Another successful initiative has been the decrease of energy and water 

consumption within The Academies. Students conduct energy audits each month to 

increase awareness. Over the past four years, energy consumption has decreased 

by 17%. From 2015 to 2019, the school reduced water usage by 30%. A storm drain 

mural completed by art students highlights the fact that pollution goes into the storm 

drain. Three water bottle refilling stations replaced water fountains. 

There is no mandate to recycle in Fayette County Public Schools (FCPS). Students 

partner with custodial staff to educate, inspire, and build an effective collaboration 

and protocols. In fall 2019, the municipal recycling center stopped accepting paper, 

a significant setback to school recycling. Despite the loss of paper recycling, The 

Academies continued to recycle aluminum, cardboard, and glass from classrooms 

and offices. When paper recycling resumed, it was no longer accepted with the other 

recyclable products. Paper had to be placed in specific bins around the city. Despite 

the inherent challenges associated with gathering, collating, and delivering office 

paper to an off-site recycling receptacle, The Academies students made it a priority. 

While 85% of FCPS schools (and all other high schools) chose to terminate their 

paper recycling until curbside pickup resumed, The Academies procured, designed, 

and instituted “paper only” bins, sorted paper tossed in other recycling bins, and 

delivered it to the off-site community paper dumpster at a local public park. 

The Academies’ Green Team collected 400 pounds of bottle caps, resulting in 

enough recycled material to make two benches using Green Tree Plastics LLC, 

which manufactures recycled plastic products using 100% recycled plastics. With 

additional outreach to the community, they accepted bottle caps from a variety of 

locally owned businesses and entities, collecting another 2,000 pounds of bottle 

caps that were made into two picnic tables and four more benches.
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The high school’s Medical Academy and Wellness Committee work together to bring 

awareness and increased engagement to improve health and wellness. The Medical 

Academy hosts a health fair for students and community members, exposes 

students to careers through health-related field trips, and organizes a series of “Med 

Talks” from individuals in the medical field. Medical Academy students partner with 

the University of Kentucky Dance Blue Program, which raises money and 

awareness for childhood cancer research. A student-led club of future health 

professionals participates in competitions and attends conferences. Students have 

taken home accolades in physical therapy, personal assisting, and dental science.

Faculty and 

staff weight loss 

challenges are 

implemented 

annually. 

Signage 

depicting 

walking 

distances and 

routes around 

the school have 

been added to 

promote walking 

and running, 

and the 

cafeteria began 

using local 

produce. 

Mindfulness and 

social and 

emotional learning have been incorporated into the school curriculum. After-school 

workouts are designed so that people at all fitness levels can participate, with 

activities such as Zumba, yoga, and running. 

The building is inspected monthly to monitor for mold, moisture, and leakages. 

Classrooms are monitored for carbon dioxide and radon levels. All cleaning products 

and air fresheners are inspected annually, and any product that is not approved is 

removed and disposed of properly. Environmental science and biology students 

participate in data collection on light levels, temperature, plug loads, and carbon 

dioxide levels within the school. Products purchased for school use must be low or 

no VOC.

 

AP environmental science students participate in the Adopt a Tree 

Program.
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All core science classes have an earth and space component. The Academies offers 

environmental science and AP environmental science courses. Biology classes 

focus on the human impact on the environment. All chemistry courses complete a 

project on alternative energy sources, and physics students design energy-efficient 

homes. Geography classes complete a project on the interactions between humans 

and the environment. AP human geography includes such topics as sustainable 

agriculture, human population dynamics, and the history of agriculture and farming. 

AP world history includes content related to pollution and land usage. Social studies 

classes study the impact of policy on the environment and humans. English classes 

conduct a climate crisis study to strengthen students’ research and writing skills in 

conjunction with data on climate change. 

Students in AP environmental science partnered with the Adopt a Tree program in 

2017 and 2019. Students explored the surrounding area of the campus and chose a 

tree that they would like to adopt. As part of the program, they measured the 

diameter of the tree to calculate how much carbon dioxide it removes from the 

atmosphere. This data continues to be monitored by current students.

West Kentucky Community and Technical College; Paducah, Kentucky

Economic, social, and environmental sustainability

West Kentucky Community and Technical College (WKCTC) is one of 16 

comprehensive two-year, associate degree-granting community colleges comprising 

the Kentucky Community and Technical College System (KCTCS). The college was 

created in 2003 when Paducah Community College and West Kentucky Technical 

College consolidated. The enrollment in fall 2019 was 6,389 (2,992 full-time 

employees), of which approximately two-thirds were part-time students, 22% 

nonwhite, 54.5% female, and 80% financial aid recipients (including 1,973 who were 

eligible for a Pell Grant). 

WKCTC’s commitment to sustainable development and environmental education is 

found in its mission to foster “a campus culture advancing diversity and inclusion and 

promoting equity and global responsibility,” and values of “economic, social, and 

environmental sustainability” and “inclusion, equity, respect, and global diversity.” 

Rooted in its two parent institutions, one of which was a teacher training college for 

African Americans, WKCTC’s diversity, equity, and inclusiveness is recognized for 

providing opportunities for low-income students. In 2019, WKCTC was named the #1 

community college in Kentucky by BestColleges.com. The college received the 2020 

Excellence in Community Partnerships award from the Kentucky Association of 
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Environmental Education for its dedication and commitment to environmental 

education.

WKCTC leadership encourages collegewide environmental and sustainability 

education efforts. In 2009, the college formed its first Green Committee (now the 

Sustainability Committee). In 2013, WKCTC developed its first Sustainability Plan, 

which was updated in 2019 to cover 2020-2025. Starting in 2014, WKCTC 

leadership has supported American Association for Sustainability in Higher 

Education (AASHE) membership. In 2017, a biology faculty member was given 

release time to fill a newly created sustainability project coordinator position, and the 

college’s 20-member Sustainability Committee added student, external community, 

and administrative leadership members. The college started a sustainability 

newsletter and created a public sustainability website (Sustainability at WKCTC), 

providing information about energy efficiency, recycling, living sustainably tips, and 

an interactive sustainability pledge. An internal intranet site, WKCTC Sustainability, 

houses college sustainability news, minutes, plans, and external resource links for 

the college’s community.

WKCTC has made strides in reducing its environmental impact and energy costs. 

The college has solar panels, improved R-values with new roofing, and, most 

significantly, engaged in two rounds of energy savings performance contracting 

(ESPC). In 2008, the first ESPC achieved $1.7 million (nominal) guaranteed energy 

and water savings. Building on the momentum of the first ESPC’s early payoff, the 

Sustainability Committee formed an Energy Efficiency Taskforce that provided the 

college’s engineering technology students with hands-on learning opportunities 

conducting energy audits. The students’ work informed, in part, a second ESPC in 

2014 that implemented (1) a public facing dashboard that communicates the 

college’s energy efficiency and greenhouse gas emissions and (2) a continuous 

retro-commissioning system via the Kentucky Commonwealth Energy Management 

Control System. Using the 2014 baseline, from January 2017 to December 2017, 

about 3,000 metric tons of carbon release were avoided. Similarly, from January 

2019 to December 2019, WKCTC saved 3,886,130 kWh and 6,813 kW of electricity; 

68,415 CCF of natural gas; and 8,385 Hgal of water.

Waste management, reduction, and recycling were among the first WKCTC 

sustainability initiatives. Building recycling leaders determine recycling bin locations, 

coordinate recycling pickup, and engage the college community in recycling. Waste 

reduction is achieved by reducing paper use through paperless meetings; printer 

defaults set to double-sided print; and streamlined or paperless business processes 

for records, travel, time, payroll, and procurement. The Culinary Arts program 

composts food waste and contracts farmers to compost food and reuse cooking oil. 

Hazardous waste management is coordinated by a Chemical Hygiene Committee 
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that develops a chemical hygiene plan. A chemical audit is conducted annually, and 

a full chemical inventory is maintained online via the Flinn Scientific Chemventory. 

Science lab faculty are required to complete annual chemical management training.

Enhancing green space on campus is planned through joint activities of multiple 

college and community constituencies, WKCTC student groups, and an 

Environmental Education Leadership (EEL) Corps AmeriCorps member. Since 2018, 

the college has hosted an EEL Corps AmeriCorps member, who is assisting the 

college to become a certified Arbor Day Foundation Tree Campus USA. The EEL 

Corps member and human ecology students identify and map trees on the 210-acre 

main campus. In addition, the EEL Corps member works with student groups, 

including the WKCTC Phi Theta Kappa, to revitalize a campus nature trail to connect 

the east and west sides of the college’s main campus.

To reduce the college’s transportation footprint, WKCTC installed bicycle racks, 

designated preferred parking for fuel-efficient vehicles, and purchased a hybrid car 

for the small college fleet. A mass transit bus stop is centrally located on the main 

campus. During summer months, the college switches to a four-day work week to 

reduce energy and transportation costs. To reduce student travel, the nature trail is 

being revitalized to encourage walking, and courses on a three-day schedule were 

changed to an extended time two-day schedule. WKCTC also offers a plethora of 

online courses.

To ensure a healthy 

and safe work and 

learning environment, 

the college offers small 

dining and catering 

services that employ 

several WKCTC 

culinary arts graduates 

and host culinary 

interns. The Scholar 

House program 

provides low-cost 

apartments with utilities 

included and affordable 

on-site day care 

adjacent to the main 

campus for students’ 

dependent children. A 

greenhouse on the 

WKCTC students hike in Shawnee National Forest as part of a 

human ecology class to observe natural systems in public 

federal lands.
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Paducah School of Art and Design campus provides hands-on learning that can 

culminate in a “Culinary Arts Farm to Table” certificate. To address student nutrition 

and food insecurity, WKCTC has a campus food pantry. Student clubs sponsor 

clothing and family care drives.

Health and Wellness Initiatives for WKCTC employees and students provide 

resources and educational opportunities across a gamut of physical, mental, and 

psychological health topics. One component of the employee wellness program is 

the “Stay Well” health engagement program, which encourages faculty and staff to 

be proactive with their mental and physical health via webinars, newsletters, and 

personal challenges. The KCTCS Employee Assistance Program provides free 

counseling and helps employees and their household members with behavior, 

psychological, and mental health, as well as financial, work-life, and legal issues. 

Four Rivers Behavioral Health is a private, nonprofit agency located on the main 

campus that provides outpatient individual and group therapy services to WKCTC 

students and the community at large. Services are provided at no charge for 

individuals without a payer source. Throughout the year, Four Rivers Behavioral 

Health offers free webinars, lunch and learn seminars, and information sessions 

open to the college community. Health education also is provided through the 

college’s academic programs, such as culinary arts, nursing, dental assisting/dental 

hygiene, and physical therapy. The programs have service components entailing 

community seminars, lunch and learn seminars, free and reduced-cost health 

screenings (e.g., blood pressure checks), teeth cleaning, or other public services. A 

University of Louisville School of Dentistry partnership provides student clinical 

experience and dental services to the community at a WKCTC campus clinic.

WKCTC maintenance and operations staff are committed to the safety and health of 

the community and implement integrated environmental health strategies, starting 

with effective cleaning and maintenance. WKCTC uses a building automation 

system to ensure ventilation systems are properly circulating indoor air and 

maintaining humidity levels between 30% and 60% to prevent building mold and 

moisture and to ensure air ventilation meets or exceeds ASHRAE standards. HVAC 

settings fit actual use schedules. Staff assess buildings, HVAC, duct work, and 

building foundations on a monthly basis. Committed to providing students, 

employees, and visitors with a safe and healthy environment, the college became a 

tobacco-free institution in 2015.

Environmental and sustainability education has the support of the college president 

and other executive leaders, some of whom (vice president of operations, vice 

president of workforce development, director of diversity and inclusion, and 

coordinator of student life) serve on the 20-member Sustainability Committee. To 

ensure faculty and staff are growing professionally and personally and to promote 
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collegiality, sustainability-related professional development is offered via lunch and 

learn seminars, health walks, all-day in-service sessions, and workshops. In 2019, 

the sustainability coordinator led a professional development session to educate 

faculty and staff about environmental and sustainability activities occurring across 

the KCTCS system and to identify opportunities for WKCTC in the areas of 

operations, academics, awareness, and planning. Results were compiled and used 

to develop the college’s Sustainability Plan 2020-2025.

Using AASHE protocols, faculty identified approximately 100 WKCTC courses in 

over 50 subjects that are sustainability-focused or sustainability-related. Some 

courses, both within and outside the STEM fields, use environmental education 

assignments as the assessment measure. As a participant in the American 

Association of American Colleges and Universities Liberal Education and America’s 

Promise initiative, many of the college’s general education courses have personal 

and social responsibility learning outcomes. In 2019, a sustainability module was 

implemented into the mandatory First Year Experience, allowing students to do 

career exploration using online geospatial “Story Maps” that describe environmental, 

economic, and social sustainability. Two pathways have been created in 

collaboration with Murray State University (MSU) for WKCTC students wanting to 

transfer to MSU. One pathway is environmental science and the other is 

sustainability, both in the Earth and Environmental Science Department. Some 

technical programs incorporating sustainability learning outcomes include business, 

early childhood education, automotive technology, culinary arts, advanced 

manufacturing, AC technology, health, occupational therapy, marine technology, and 

engineering technology.

Many WKCTC classes and activities provide students with opportunities to learn 

about sustainability. Programs, such as culinary arts, nursing, dental assisting/dental 

hygiene, and physical therapy, have service components. An ecology course 

requires students to do water sampling and data evaluation for the Kentucky Division 

of Water Watershed Watch program. Examples outside the classroom include field 

trips, nature hikes to study natural systems, and trips to build environments to learn 

about alternate energy and energy efficiency. Independent studies give individual 

students semester-long environmental education analytical opportunities using 

scientific method topics. Student extracurricular opportunities and student groups 

are instrumental in developing and implementing environmental and sustainability 

educational opportunities at the college.

Community involvement and family engagement are central to the college’s mission. 

The college invites the community to Earth Week and Campus Sustainability Month 

initiatives. The annual Earth Week observance culminates in an Earth Day 

Celebration, where local, state, and federal agencies; nonprofits, and WKCTC 
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faculty, staff, and students exhibit, engage, and educate attendees about the 

environment. In October, Sustainability Month activities promote environmental 

stewardship awareness and engagement.

Louisiana

Southeastern Louisiana University; Hammond, Louisiana

Decades of restoring the wetlands with reused Christmas trees

Southeastern Louisiana University is a public institution that sits on approximately 

365 acres and has an enrollment of some 15,000 students. The university’s mission 

is to lead the educational, economic, and cultural development of southeast 

Louisiana. Southeastern makes a conscious effort to promote sustainable practices. 

This commitment is evident across campus from the presence of solar panels, water 

bottle refilling stations, recycling campaigns, and its newest residence halls. These 

geothermal residence halls have reduced greenhouse gas production by 58% 

annually and have saved the university $107,000 since they opened in October 

2018.

Physical Plant staff can view and control the HVAC performance in most buildings 

on campus, thereby reducing energy consumption and generating significant 

savings. An online dashboard in the facility control system displays energy use and 

savings information so that visitors can observe the system’s benefits firsthand. 

Physical Plant staff also offer STEM educational outreach programs to nonacademic 

departments and the local community. 

Southeastern constructed a Sustainability Center in 2010 that utilizes a geothermal 

pond loop system to heat and cool the building. Through its sustainable energy 

design, the Sustainability Center has generated over 34.88 MW of energy with its 

photovoltaic panels since 2012. Additionally, Southeastern has five solar thermal 

systems around campus that have a capacity of 200,000 BTU per day. These 

renewable energy initiatives are an integral part of Southeastern’s plans to be 50% 

off the power grid by 2030.

In an effort to make recycling as convenient as possible on campus, Southeastern 

has a single-stream recycling program. Green recycling bins are located on most 

floors of campus buildings, and there are 60 blue outdoor recycling bins on campus 

to collect recyclable materials. Southeastern recycled 47 tons of waste in 2018 and 

increased the amount recycled to 48 tons of waste in 2019. Campaigns initiated by 

the Sustainability Center, such as “I Choose to Reuse,” educate and engage 
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Southeastern’s community to reduce its single-use plastic bottle consumption. As of 

November 2020, Southeastern had 88 water refilling stations across campus.

Southeastern’s Lion Traxx shuttle bus service is provided free of charge to all 

students, faculty, and staff.

One of the most sustainable places in the Sustainability Center is the Environmental 

Education Development (SEED) Outreach Center, a classroom powered by solar 

photovoltaic panels and heated and cooled by a geothermal system. The center also 

has an operational power generating wind turbine, a solar thermal system, and an 

electrical charging station. This room was designed consistent with LEED 

certification requirements. Each classroom has displays for the alternative energies 

utilized in the building, as well as an interactive 3D model of passive solar, called a 

heliodon.

The Center offers diverse learning opportunities for students of all ages in the areas 

of renewable energy, recycling and waste reduction measures, plant biology, and 

other sustainable technologies. The Center has become a popular field trip for 

students in local K-12 schools, through its STEM outreach programs and the North 

Shore STEM Coalition. As of 2020, the Center had offered 136 individual and group 

tours and welcomed over 1,500 student visitors in just two years. The center’s staff 

are actively involved in community outreach programs, such as STEM Cafe, First 

Lego League Science, and environmental education at local schools.

Another sustainable element and educational tool for Southeastern students and the 

community is the SEED Center’s aquaponics system. Located in its own greenhouse 

at the Sustainability Center, the aquaponics system has been constructed and is 

scheduled to open to students in 2021. This project is intended to provide further 

education in sustainable living and the sciences.

The Recreational Sports and Wellness Center (Rec Center) offers students and 

community members numerous opportunities to stay physically active. The Rec 

Center provides free weights; fitness classes such as yoga, Pilates, spin, and tai chi; 

fitness machines; and intramural sports for students. The University Counseling 

Center (UCC) provides a multitude of services, including consultation; workshops; 

counseling for individuals, families, and couples; psychoeducational, support, and 

therapeutic groups; and 24/7 emergency on-call services. In September 2019, the 

UCC launched “Lion Up Recovery,"” which is the state’s first Collegiate Recovery 

Program, designed to help students maintain their recovery from addiction and 

refocus on academics. 

Southeastern’s dining facility, The Mane Dish, plays an important part in the health 

of students. A team of dedicated managers and chefs at The Mane Dish work with 
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individual students with dietary restrictions, through its True Balance dining station. 

This dining station serves food without common food allergens, providing safely 

sourced, healthy meals for those who suffer from allergies. In addition to healthy 

options, The Mane Dish also provides monthly environmentally sustainable eating 

and waste reduction campaigns. These campaigns include Weigh the Waste, which

demonstrates how much food is wasted on a specific day, and Root to Leaf, which is 

a series of meals 

prepared with 

edible but often 

discarded parts of 

vegetables. The 

Mane Dish’s 

incentive behind 

these campaigns 

is to introduce 

sustainability 

practices and 

reduce waste 

while also 

encouraging 

healthy 

consumption 

habits. 

Southeastern is home to the only student-run farmers market on a college campus in 

Louisiana. The student environmental club, Reconnect, organizes several farmers 

markets each semester, held in the university’s student union. The events feature 

food sales from area farmers, arts and crafts, and vendors. Reconnect participates 

in the Real Food Challenge, a national effort among college students to promote the 

use of locally grown, healthy, and sustainable food. The student-run group educates 

the campus community about environmental and sustainability issues while 

connecting with other student groups, both internal and external to Southeastern, 

that share common goals.

The campus community garden is also managed by Reconnect and community 

participants. The garden is located at the Sustainability Center and was 

implemented to produce food for the local community as well as to be an educational 

tool for local youth. An on-campus food pantry has been in operation since 2013, to 

address the issue of food insecurity. On average, 3,500 food items are taken by 

some 400 students who visit the pantry each month.

Executive Chef Mason Garcia serves food from the Root to Leaf 

station at Southeastern Louisiana University’s Mane Dish cafeteria.
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Southeastern avoids campuswide pesticide applications in landscapes and grounds 

to minimize chemical exposure to students, faculty, staff, and guests. Pest control is 

localized for specific pest prevention, and chemicals are stored in locked sheds 

throughout campus to ensure safety. Indoor air quality, ventilation, cooling, and 

heating measures for all campus buildings are monitored to maintain the comfort 

and well-being of students, faculty, and staff. The use of tobacco products is 

prohibited on all university property. 

All buildings are equipped with ultraviolet lights and/or air purifier systems to 

continuously purify air by killing mold, bacteria, and viruses. The ionization process 

also reduces allergens, smoke, and static electricity, as well as controls odors and 

other particles in the air without creating ozone or any harmful byproducts. An 

ongoing surface contaminant sterilization system, vaporized hydrogen peroxide 

(VHP), is employed to continuously disinfect surface areas in a room, as well as 

reduce airborne pollutants that bond with the VHP molecules. 

Southeastern promotes sustainability education both in and out of the classroom. 

The Sims Memorial Library hosts such events as the Green Talks environmental 

series on sustainability, involving students, faculty, and the community in discussion. 

Numerous classes in environmental education, energy, and human systems are a 

part of an array of programs offered on campus that are focused on the 

environment. One such example is Southeastern’s College of Science and 

Technology, which offers electives that include Environmental Awareness, 

Conservation Biology, and Pollution Fundamentals and Control Technologies. Also, 

the university’s College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences offers 

Environmental Sociology, Earth Science, Food Sustainability and Society, and 

Applied Environmental Sociology in its elective choices for students.

Southeastern’s biology program is invested in the ecosystem of Lake Pontchartrain 

through the Turtle Cove Environmental Research Station. Their mission is to 

facilitate and support a better understanding of southeast Louisiana’s coastal 

wetland environments through research, education, and public outreach activities 

and programs. 

One such initiative to enhance Louisiana’s wetlands is Southeastern’s collection of 

discarded Christmas trees to help build up marshland in areas that have been 

impacted by erosion and other factors. Local partners collaborate with Southeastern 

to rally students and volunteers to deploy the trees in the Manchac wetlands, located 

northwest of New Orleans. This practice provides hands-on environmental 

opportunities for students and other volunteers. Throughout the program’s 26-year 

history, approximately 40,000 trees have been collected.
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Missouri

Flance Early Learning Center; St. Louis, Missouri

An oasis of sustainable, healthy early learning 

Flance Early Learning Center serves a racially, culturally, developmentally, and 

socioeconomically diverse population of children between ages 6 weeks and 6

years. Flance was founded with a desire to give all children the best possible start in 

life, regardless of their families’ socioeconomic status. Indeed, 86% of the school 

population qualifies for free and reduce-priced lunch. 

Flance was built with LEED certification in mind, and the building itself contributes to 

increased environmental literacy and wellness of people and the planet. It was 

designed to bring the outdoors in — daylighting is used in 90% of the building, every 

classroom has immediate access visually and physically to the outdoors, and 

classrooms are named for trees native to Missouri. Seventy-five percent of the 

school roof is covered with reflective materials, and the HVAC system can be 

controlled remotely even when the building is unoccupied. 

Although certification is not yet offered for preschools because of the dearth of data 

collected on this type of property nationally, the center uses ENERGY STAR 

Portfolio Manager to track gas and electricity usage. Flance reports that it has 

reduced total greenhouse gas emission intensity by 37% over the past two years. 
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Two-thirds of the Flance 

grounds are planted with 

water-efficient and regionally 

appropriate plants. Rainwater 

collected from the Flance 

Center roof is captured in two 

8-foot covered cisterns, 

which is then used to water 

and irrigate the garden and 

bioswales.

Flance received a donation of 

three compost bins to divert 

food waste from landfill. The 

center also received 30 

recycling bins, two recycling 

carts, and numerous 

educational materials from 

St. Louis City Recycles to help educate young pupils and practice good recycling 

habits. This inspired the center to develop its own recycling tracking system. A newly 

established Green Team, comprised of administrative, teaching, and custodial staff, 

is working to educate all staff about waste reduction and how to incorporate this 

topic into classroom curriculum and school culture. 

In December 2020, the Flance school community held its first annual Drop and 

Shop. This parent-led initiative gave families the opportunity to donate gently used 

clothing, toys, and other unused items so that families and community members 

could come and shop for the holidays from this selection of reused items at no cost. 

Flance is strategically located in the middle of a neighborhood and close to 

downtown to help reduce working families’ commute times. Half of families live 

around this urban area and this proximity encourages families to walk daily. Flance 

is also located right off the bus route. The center has designated parking for lowemitting and fuel-efficient vehicles. 

The Flance custodial staff conducts a thorough cleaning of taps, faucets, and 

drinking fountains throughout the day and an even deeper clean in the evening. A 

pest control agency conducts monthly inspections of both interior and exterior 

spaces. Additionally, the center conducts annual bird inspections to help address 

unwanted nesting. Roof slope and drainage, door sweeps, annual HVAC 

inspections, and ongoing maintenance help to prevent air quality and moisture 

issues.

Students from the River Birch classroom listen to an 

Urban Harvest educator talk about the life cycle of a 

pumpkin before they do some hands-on activities with 

pumpkins.
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Flance was named the only Gold Level Healthy Way to Grow Center in the United 

States by the American Heart Association in October 2020. Every classroom has 

direct access to a fresh air space. Flance has three playgrounds, each for specific 

age groups. During inclement weather, an indoor gross motor room is used by 

different classrooms. There are several informational boards between the 

playgrounds that show both graphic and textual information about the importance of 

outdoor experiential learning. The playgrounds and garden are accessible to the 

community when Flance is not in session. 

Flance was recognized for providing healthy environments for children, families, 

staff, and communities. In partnership with Affinia Healthcare, Flance houses an onsite health clinic to provide a wide range of health services for Flance families. 

Through community partners, it also offers hearing, vision, and dental screenings. 

As a designated EnVision Center by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban 

Development since May 2020, the early learning center has provided over 25 tons of 

free, fresh produce valued at over $180,000 to families and local community 

neighbors via a weekly free fresh food box program. The local zip code is one of the 

poorest zip codes in Missouri, with limited access to affordable and nutritious food. 

Health and the environment are embedded in the curriculum, from math lessons that 

involve making a healthy snack to vocabulary acquisition reflective of the natural 

world and valuing stewardship. Community partnerships further enhance these 

efforts. Flance’s Urban Garden consists of 20 raised beds in which students grow 

vegetables, herbs, and fruit. The center’s mulch is made from reused materials from 

tree removals by the regional electric company, Ameren. 

Flance partner Urban Harvest helps with nutrition education in the on-site community 

garden. Urban Harvest’s expertise is woven into preschool learning, which includes 

planting, harvesting, gardening, and natural scavenger hunts. Children learn about 

fresh fruits and vegetables, and the harvest supplements student and staff meals. In 

2020, students harvested 200 pounds of produce. In August 2020, Flance initiated 

an after-school program that encouraged neighborhood children from ages 8 to 14 to 

explore and learn about the on-site garden. 

A school chef prepares nourishing meals, including organic baby food, incorporating 

a variety of fruits and vegetables daily. The commercial kitchen is set up to not only 

prepare food for students and staff, but also to be used as a teaching tool. A display 

kitchen allows the school chef to conduct cooking demonstrations for families. 
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In 2021, the early learning center will sponsor an AmeriCorps Member to serve as its 

first sustainability coordinator, with the aim of continuing to improve school and 

community health, reduce environmental impact, and incorporate sustainability into 

all facets of curriculum and instruction. Flance is in the process of establishing a 

hydroponic garden with engineering students with Engineers Without Borders at 

Washington University to develop year-round gardening as well as to provide 

botanic education and sustainability.

Nebraska

Gerald Otte-Blair Middle School; Blair, Nebraska 

Green collar career ready

Otte-Blair Middle School (OBMS) partnered with Washington County Recycling to 

place a single-stream recycling bin on school property. Sixth grade students collect 

recycled materials from all the classrooms in the school and transport them to the 

Washington County Recycling center. OBMS participates in the Trex Challenge for 

the recycling of plastic bags, taking home accolades. 

In August 2019, OBMS began composting all cafeteria food scraps using the 

vermiculture method and composting bins built by environmental science students. 

OBMS composted over 1,700 pounds of food scraps over the course of the year. 

During compost lessons, students learn about what composting is and how to do it, 

as well as why it is an important way to provide quality soil for plants to grow in. 

The school garden lets teachers and students incorporate hands-on activities in a 

diversity of interdisciplinary, standards-based lessons. The garden engages students 

by providing a dynamic 

environment in which to 

observe, discover, 

experiment, nurture, and 

learn. Through the garden, 

students gain an 

understanding of 

ecosystems, an 

appreciation for food origins 

and nutrition, and 

knowledge of plant and 

animal life cycles. At the 

The Gerald Otte-Blair Middle School football team 

heads out to turn compost.
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same time, they learn practical horticulture skills that last a lifetime.

Blair Community Schools, OBMS’ school district, has engaged in a utility incentive 

rebate program for several years, and this incentive has funded many energy-saving 

projects at the school. One project included the replacement of all T-12 fluorescent, 

metal halide, and incandescent lighting with energy-efficient LED lighting and 

occupancy sensors. 

Where landscaping is present, the school uses drought-resistant plants and trees 

and mulches the areas to conserve the use of water. The school has received 

multiple tree planting grant awards from Papio-Missouri River Natural Resources 

District. Inside the building, OBMS has installed automated sensors on all toilets, 

faucets, and water fountains. Three of four water fountains at OBMS have been 

upgraded to include water bottle refilling stations. 

To improve bus efficiency, OBMS has participated in the Nebraska Diesel Emission 

Mitigation Program to decommission older school buses and replace them with more 

efficient buses. OBMS has installed bike racks at each building and has partnered 

with the city of Blair to provide safe routes to and from school. 

OBMS uses traps and eliminates food sources as its first lines of defense to reduce 

pest populations and prevent pest infiltration. The school is monitored biannually for 

asbestos by an independent contractor and participates in the Nebraska School 

Radon Testing Program. HVAC equipment receives regular maintenance, servicing, 

and air filter changes. The school uses Green Seal certified cleaning products from a 

mixing station distribution system that reduces the impact of shipping diluted product 

and plastic waste. OBMS is equipped with a professional cordless electrostatic 

handheld and backpack sprayer with EPA-registered broad-spectrum disinfectants. 

The school nurse promotes participation in the Educators Health Alliance “Elevate” 

wellness program. OBMS partners with outside entities to provide training, 

screening, and clinics pertaining to first aid and CPR, diabetes and blood pressure

checks, stress reduction, and flu shots. Students at OBMS walk for 15 minutes after 

lunch three days a week. Nutrition Services provides an app that students and 

parents can use on their phones that provides menus, nutrition facts, and allergy 

information for all food that is served in the cafeteria. OBMS provides a “grab and 

go” breakfast in the mornings and a salad bar during lunch. Blair Community 

Schools established a food advisory committee that meets quarterly.

The district’s curriculum, in alignment with the Nebraska College and Career Ready 

Standards, includes instruction on weather, climate, and human impacts. This 

includes topics that range from climate change, renewable versus nonrenewable 
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resources, alternative energy, overpopulation, deforestation, pollution, biodiversity, 

and land management. OBMS partners with DeSoto Bend National Wildlife Reserve 

to provide Outdoor Environmental Science Class at the refuge. A STEM class at 

OBMS allows students to learn the theory behind several renewable energy and 

energy efficiency technologies. Learning this theory and hands-on skills prepares

students for several entry-level positions in the renewable energy and energy 

efficiency fields.

Newman Grove Public Schools; Newman Grove, Nebraska

Small but mighty

Newman Grove Public Schools (NGPS) is a small, rural school serving 186 

students, elementary through high school, 49% of whom are socioeconomically 

disadvantaged. NGPS has built strong relationships over the years with several 

agencies, including Lower Platte North Natural Resources District, Nebraska Game 

and Parks, and the Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy (NDEE).

To reduce environmental impact and costs, NGPS built a new school featuring

efficient HVAC, LED and motion-sensored lighting, energy-efficient doors and 

windows, and automatic faucets and toilets. This has meant that, instead of heating 

and cooling three buildings, the district has been reduced to two buildings. During 

the weekends, devices are unplugged and turned off. Through this project, NGPS

moved the elementary school onto the same side of the street as the junior/senior 

high school. This eliminates having elementary students and staff crossing the 

highway several times throughout the school day. 

The school FFA program oversees paper and aluminum recycling. The agriculture 

mechanics class partners with a local manufacturing company to collect their metal 

scrap to use in the welding course throughout the year. The small pieces of steel 

and aluminum that are discarded by the manufacturing business are used by 

students to practice welding methods. Once the metal is completely full of welds, the 

scrap metal is taken to a nearby metal recycling center. Future Business Leaders of 

America and FFA groups participate in a trash pickup on a local highway. 

NGPS partners with a local pest control company to keep buildings safe and clean. 

Custodial staff use EnvirOx cleaning solutions to disinfect throughout the buildings. 

The FFA students maintain a greenhouse where they grow lettuce for the school 

cafeteria, and they are in the process of setting up a larger herb and produce 

garden. NGPS participates in “Nebraska Beef in Schools,” where local families 

donate beef to the school lunch program. “Nebraska Thursdays” is another program 
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that incorporates Nebraska-sourced foods into meals. The “Backpack Blessing” 

program provides students who take part in the free and reduced-price lunch 

program with weekly snacks to take home. 

K-6 students receive an hour of exercise time each day in the form of P.E. and 

recess. All students take part in the FitnessGram testing each year. A full-time 

counselor offers an hour a week of guidance and attends to the overall mental health 

of students. A licensed mental health practitioner from the community also serves 

NGPS students one day each week. A PBIS team focuses on developing character 

education among the student body. Teachers and students are encouraged to 

compliment individuals or classes who model “The Bluejay Way,” and, each month,

one student who goes above and beyond those guidelines is recognized as the top 

Bluejay and gets to pick the lunch menu for one school day.

Staff members are encouraged to enroll and participate in Educators Health Alliance 

(EHA) programs that focus on exercise, nutrition, hydration, sleep, mindfulness, and 

other various topics. EHA covers the cost for staff members to be part of the 

Headspace program, focusing on mindfulness, and Weight Watchers. The school 

nurse provides first aid and CPR training to all staff members. The school organizes 

the administration of annual flu shots. 

NGPS provides project-based and citizen science educational opportunities for 

students. The Shell Creek runs through the town of Newman Grove. In recent years, 

farmers and local conservation groups had noticed an increase in flooding, pollution,

and erosion. To better understand and potentially reverse these harmful changes in 

the stream, students from NGPS have volunteered their summers to monitor the 

water quality for nearly 20 years. The combination of hands-on learning and good 

old-fashioned playing in the creek has kept students engaged. Monitoring the creek 

allows conservationists and local farmers to take appropriate measures that help 

protect the stream.

The project studies the effects of agricultural chemicals on the environment in the 

local area. They test six sites covering more than 30 miles of the watershed. New 

technologies have been added to the project, such as drones and geographic 

information systems. The student scientists also compare the Shell Creek watershed 

data to nearby Beaver Creek. Approximately one-fourth to one-third of the junior 

high and high school student population participates in this program annually, 

providing year-round learning opportunities. A major focus of this program is to study

coliform bacteria, focusing on where it comes from in the system and where it goes. 

They report the results of the project to multiple agencies, including the Lower Platte 

North Natural Resources District and NDEE. The Shell Creek project has inspired 

multiple students to follow career paths in natural resources and science education.
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Students conduct their own 

independent science 

research experiments, 

collecting and analyzing 

data and developing

scientific conclusions. Both 

the science teachers and the 

agricultural education staff 

facilitate and help students 

with their research. Many 

research projects have 

included the agricultural 

department, and many have 

also been in conjunction with 

the Shell Creek project. 

Several of the science classes participate in the Trout in the Classroom project in 

cooperation with Nebraska Game and Parks, raising trout eggs to fingerlings, 

monitoring tank water quality, engaging in stream habitat studies, and learning about

ecosystems. Fifth grade students learn about and design a project to transport clean 

water to an area struck by disaster. The High Ability Learners program incorporates

the Lego Education Renewable Energy challenge. 

New Jersey

Switlik Elementary School; Jackson, New Jersey

A 42% solar offset

Constructed in 1948, Switlik Elementary School is the oldest building in the Jackson 

School District. Nevertheless, Switlik was awarded a 2019 Silver Certification 

through Sustainable Jersey for Schools, one of only 19 schools in New Jersey that 

have received this recognition. The school’s sustainability efforts include a 

sustainability policy, an energy policy, and an energy plan that is updated and 

approved annually. 

In the fall of 2016, Switlik introduced a behavior-based energy conservation program 

that has reduced energy consumption by 16% and saved over $2.5 million in energy 

budget expenses over the past four years. The school is enrolled in an annual 

demand response program through PJM, the local grid. In 2017, the school 

conducted a local government energy audit through the N.J. Clean Energy Program,

Newman Grove Public Schools students must 

complete nine separate tests to determine the Water 

Quality Index for Shell Creek; these students are 

evaluating the dissolved oxygen content of the water.
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which identified areas of the building needing updates for better performance. The 

recommended improvements are currently being implemented as part of a $26

million districtwide Energy Savings Improvement Program. The amount of energy 

savings generated will create a net-zero cost to taxpayers and, to date, the school 

has installed a new roof, new insulation, plug load controls on large equipment, highefficiency transformers, new unit ventilators in every classroom, new LED lighting, 

and a new boiler. 

In 2021, a 317kW solar array will be added on the new roof, exceeding the amount 

of electricity Switlik consumes from the grid by over 42%. This is in addition to the 

10% green energy currently purchased from the grid via an electricity supply 

contract. The array will feature a monitoring device that can be accessed by 

students and staff so they can see firsthand how much energy is saved. The 2020 

ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager score is 96.

The school is awaiting the result of a grant written to garner electric school buses 

and refuse trucks. The district has constructed a new transportation facility that has 

significantly reduced the number of miles buses are on the road. This is extremely 

important as Jackson is over 100 square miles and busses over 90% of the student 

population. The school also has a well-publicized No Idling Program and a Safe 

Routes to School Program that are part of its Sustainability Policy. 

Rather than outsource waste pickup, recycled materials are collected by a district 

truck weekly, and a separate truck collects solid waste twice a week. On average, 

Switlik recycles about 1,500 pounds monthly, including waste generated from afterschool and recreation activities. The school has several grade-level assemblies 

throughout the year to instruct students and staff on proper single stream recycling. 

The school also has two filtered water bottle filling stations and recycles electronics. 

In one school year alone, students collected over 20 pounds of dry erase markers 

for recycling as part of the Crayola Colorcycle program. Teamed up with two other 

schools and the township recycling department, the school collected 500 pounds of 

plastic bags and had the Trex company make those into a park bench. 

The Operations and Maintenance Policy ensures that all Switlik students and staff 

are provided with a safe environment to engage in the teaching and learning

process. The Integrated Pest Management Plan is updated on a yearly basis. Switlik 

uses all Green Seal certified cleaning products, PEFC-certified copy paper, and 

water instead of stripper to remove wax from floors. The school has a green cleaning 

and purchasing policy. There is no smoking on school grounds or buses, and no use 

of pesticides. Construction is conducted at night and is immediately cleaned by staff 

to ensure minimal exposure to occupants. The staff also performs daily moisture 

inspection in all classrooms. Unit ventilators are inspected regularly, filters are 
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changed every three months, and the ventilators adhere to ASHRAE Standard 62.1 

by exchanging the air in the room with outside air every 45 minutes at maximum 

capacity. 

The well water has backflow preventers and a filtration system. Every year, the 

drinking water is tested for lead, and the results are shared publicly. Every year, 

Switlik enters the Barnegat Bay Rain Barrel competition and has been crowned 

champion three years in a row. The rain barrels collect water for the gardens, 

courtyard, and outdoor learning center that serves as home for the school’s turtles. 

Switlik received a $10,000 grant from Sustainable Jersey for Schools to construct a

school greenhouse.

A school climate team meets throughout the year to cover anti-bullying, peer 

counseling, and school climate measures. A full-time school counselor runs various 

school groups and activities to promote mental health as well as running antibullying programs. Every week, the entire school participates in Mindfulness 
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Monday, and some grades participate in 

a program called Yoga Calm. The 

school nurse provides students with 

health lessons several times a year.

Other relevant teams include the school 

safety team, green team, school 

wellness committee, and a COVID-19

team. At least 50% of P.E. takes place 

outdoors, in addition to outdoor recess 

and structured play. Two gaga ball pits 

were recently constructed with help 

from the school’s Parent Teacher 

Network.

Participation in the Department of 

Defense Local Farms food program 

ensures that as much locally grown 

food reaches Switlik as possible. 

Students are provided with breakfast 

and encouraged to consume it in class, 

even after the bell rings. Through the 

Food Service Department’s Choose My 

Plate program, students are 

encouraged to make healthy choices 

beyond the cafeteria, throughout the 

day at school and at home.

Switlik’s teaching staff meets on a regular basis to share lessons on sustainability,

and the green team has presented at events such as the N.J. School Boards 

Association’s convention on several occasions. Students in K-5 engage in a science 

curriculum centered around STEM principles and environmental design. 

Starting in kindergarten, students learn about the life cycle of a chicken by observing 

a classroom incubation chamber for eggs, and the students look forward to holding 

the chicks once hatched. The green team organizes assemblies on recycling and 

energy. Fourth grade students give presentations on different types of energy to the 

district energy specialist, discussing actions taken by the district to lower its carbon 

footprint in a session recorded and later shown on the community’s local TV 

channel. 

Switlik kindergarteners visit their hatchlings.
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All students attend the Barnegat Bay Watershed Festival and participate in outdoor 

lessons in the school’s courtyard. The art teacher demonstrates upcycling with wood 

chopped at a local karate school and has all grade levels create artwork from 

repurposed materials. Teachers take students on field trips that focus on the 

environment, including trips to Jenkinson’s Aquarium, Insectropolis (an interactive 

insect museum), and the Philadelphia Zoo.

Winslow Township Middle School; Atco, New Jersey

EmPowering students with an environmental STEM focus

Winslow Township Middle School (WTMS), which serves a student body that is 57% 

socioeconomically disadvantaged and 79% minority, established a green team 

during the 2016-17 school year to plan and implement sustainability initiatives. The 

green team then expanded its membership and established subcommittees focused 

on specific areas. It has worked diligently over five years to achieve Sustainable 

Jersey for Schools Bronze, Silver, and Champion’s awards.

WTMS has an 820.54 kW solar system with a production of 1.02 MW that is owned 

and operated by National Energy Partners. The energy generated by the solar 

panels over the course of one year offsets an average of 34% of the building’s 

monthly energy needs. Winslow Township School District entered into an agreement 

to purchase renewable energy through the Alliance for Competitive Energy Services 

program; per the agreement, the school district receives a minimum of 40% of its 

purchased energy from renewable sources. 

All hallway lights have been replaced with high-efficiency LED lighting, and windows 

have been replaced with dual glazed windows with built-in blinds to help regulate 

room temperature and energy usage. In addition, exterior lighting has been replaced 

with LED lighting. This resulted in a savings of 283,598 kWh of energy and an 

annual cost savings of $55,737. 

STEM teachers have incorporated the solar panel energy generation into classroom 

lessons using the New Jersey EmPower Schools program. Led by the environmental 

STEM teacher, classes train students as energy ambassadors to help promote 

energy conservation throughout the school. Through this program, staff and students 

learn about energy-saving measures and sign a pledge to conserve energy. 

Students create videos to explain the program and its benefits and complete energy 

audits in classrooms. WTMS won the EmPower Schools competition in the 2019-20 

school year and was the first participating school to earn over 1,000 points.
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WTMS students and teachers collect used markers for the Crayola ColorCycle 

recycling program and cartridge toners for Ricoh. Working through Waste 

Management, WTMS diverted about 30% of the overall waste generated at the 

school through recycling efforts in 2020. 

The green team has been the champion of several student and staff wellness 

initiatives, including a garden program encompassing courtyard, indoor hydroponic, 

and vertical tower gardens. Students and staff manually pull weeds and mulch to 

manage weeds instead of using herbicides. They use plant-based food waste from 

the cafeteria to make compost. Soil moisture and weather is monitored to determine 

when to water the plants using water collected from rain barrels.

Food challenges based on the popular cooking show “Chopped” encourage students 

to create healthy plant-based dishes based on the foods in the garden. The recipes 

are shared with the students’ families to promote healthy eating habits. WTMS is in 

the process of 

constructing a large 

greenhouse to 

introduce more 

students to the art 

and science of 

growing fruits, 

vegetables, and 

herbs, as well as 

topics related to 

healthy eating, 

cooking, and 

nutrition for overall 

well-being. 

WTMS has instituted 

a social and 

emotional learning 

program. Teachers 

participated in social

and emotional 

learning professional 

development at the 

start of the 2019-20 

school year, and 

social and emotional 

learning lessons 

Students at Winslow Township Middle School use plant-based 

food waste and worms to make compost for their gardens.
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were incorporated in classes throughout the year. WTMS implemented a new 

student advising period beginning in the 2018-19 school year. Students are assigned 

to a small group with a staff member as an adviser to meet twice monthly to discuss 

social and emotional learning topics and cover issues such as coping with stress 

and general well-being. This program helps students navigate the challenges that 

many young people face during the formative middle school years. The small group 

setting permits students to form bonds within the group and talk about topics that 

they might not feel comfortable discussing in a larger classroom setting. 

Each week, students participate in Mindful Monday and Wellness Wednesday. The 

guidance department creates messages that tie into ongoing social and emotional 

learning that the students receive through the student advisory program every 

Monday. On Wednesdays, students watch videos in their homeroom on topics 

related to health and wellness. The green team launched a student and staff weight 

training and stress reduction program in 2020 and purchased kettlebells, exercise 

balls, weighted resistance bands, and a CrossFit-type weighted rope system, along 

with signage demonstrating proper use of this equipment. 

WTMS is committed to incorporating sustainability and environmental education 

throughout the school’s curriculum. The green team has coordinated several 

professional development opportunities for staff, including programs related to 

sustainability, gardens, and greenhouse education. The courtyard garden is 

available for teachers to augment their classroom lessons. 

Students in Environmental STEM classes explore environmental issues facing the 

world through the study of the campus environment, developing and testing 

solutions to address those issues. One focus for this course is sustainable 

agriculture, soil and water health, and food supply. Students design soda bottle 

hydroponic systems to understand the basic concepts of hydroponics and look at 

alternative ways to repurpose trash. They grow a variety of crops in their 

hydroponics systems, including basil, cilantro, parsley, mint, microgreens, kale,

tomatoes, spinach, peppers, and lettuce. The goal is to help create the next 

generation of environmental scientists, engineers, and problem solvers by teaching 

lessons focused on raising awareness of local and global environmental issues and 

by challenging students to develop solutions to address these challenges. 

A courtyard is also available as an outdoor classroom space where students can 

learn about ecosystems, native plants, and birds. The area features an elevated 

platform with benches at one end of a pond. Both outdoor classrooms are used with 

multiple disciplines. Math classes coordinate grids and learn geometry; science 

classes explore biology and units of measure; language arts classes practice 

descriptive writing and use the tranquility of the space for reading novels; social 
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studies classes examine living off the land during colonial times; art classes create 

drawings, paintings, and design elements; and health classes use the physical 

activity of gardening to encourage consuming healthy foods. 

Examples of sustainability in classrooms lessons can be found throughout WTMS. 

Science students monitor the water, pH levels, and growth of the tower garden;

make observations; and record data to draw conclusions. Art students are 

challenged to represent the negative impacts of the plastic problem. Engineering 

students create a logo that brings awareness to a sustainability topic of their 

choosing. English language arts students write essays on the plastic problem. A 

math teacher incorporates principles of healthy eating through a lesson about the 

sugar content of various popular drinks. Students complete a computer science 

lesson called Artificial Intelligence for Oceans.

New York

PS90 The Magnet School for Environmental Studies and Community 

Wellness; Brooklyn, New York

An all-vegetarian school combats climate change

The Magnet School for Environmental Studies and Community Wellness (PS90) is 

located just blocks away from the iconic Coney Island Wonder Wheel. Since 

becoming a magnet school in 2016, PS90 has focused its academic instruction on

the environmental sciences and climate change. The presence of the nearby Atlantic 

Ocean reminds PS90 students, all of whom qualify as socioeconomically 

disadvantaged, that their actions have a direct impact on their immediate 

environment.

The school tracks resource use in Portfolio Manager and has documented an 8% 

reduction in energy use and a 27% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions over 

three years. All lighting is LED. A student green team surveys all classrooms and 

offices and gives an energy score based on each room’s practices. PS90 recently 

won a grant to install solar panels.

PS90 does not have an irrigation system. The school gardens are watered through a 

rain barrel collection system. PS90 plants marigolds, rose bushes, and other 

perennials. In the warmer months, the school plants an edible garden and pollinator 

attracting plants. Initial lead testing of 127 school water fixtures found that 14 fixtures 

were contaminated with lead, and there was a full remediation of the 14 fixtures. The 

green team performs water quality assessments to test for all types of water 
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contaminants. Fountains and taps are cleaned twice annually to reduce 

contamination, and screens and aerators are cleaned annually.

An exterminator approved by the New York Department of Education examines the 

premises of PS90 monthly and uses only nontoxic materials when needed. No 

chemical pesticides are used on the school garden. Each classroom has an efficient 

air ventilation system and a local exhaust system to control major airborne 

contaminant sources. PS90 uses cleaning products and practices that have been 

approved by the state Department of Education green cleaning program.

Staff and students adhere to an impressive 11-stream waste system, in which 

building occupants sort paper, metals/plastics, electronic waste, landfill trash, plastic 

bags, snack wrappers, oral hygiene packaging, Crayola markers, plastic cups, 

organic waste compost, and clothing.

PS90 is the second school in Brooklyn to adopt a plant-based menu, endeavoring to 

demonstrate a commitment to consuming a healthy diet of fruits, vegetables, and 

whole grains and to doing the school’s part to reduce its carbon footprint by 

demanding less energy output from the food program. A group called “Garden to 

Café” works with PS90 to incorporate school garden produce into school meals and 

snacks. Through a nutrition education program called CookShop, students and their 

parents participate in workshops and learn about how to properly nourish their minds 

and bodies. Through a partnership with Coalition for Healthy School Foods, PS90 

offers family food nights, providing vegan meals to educate the school community on 

healthy and low impact choices. 

PS90 is a designated Move-to-Improve school. All staff have been trained in using 

classroom-based physical activity to enhance academic lessons. Eighty percent of 

students walk or bike to school as a result of school outreach about the health and 

environmental benefits. 

PS90 participates in the New York City Department of Education’s Comfort Dog 

program, aiming to help children who feel distressed during the day. Students

engage in social and emotional learning using the Cloud9World curriculum for one 

period every day, and students are welcome to share any experiences they need 

assistance with. A course on digital citizenship and anti-bullying is offered annually 

by the school’s Respect for All liaison. PS90 runs a peer mediation program.

The school customizes science curricula to incorporate environmental studies so 

that every unit and every subject has a connection to climate change and human 

impact. Students analyze a real-world problem and develop solutions. Students 

deepen their learning by researching, collaborating, writing, analyzing, and 
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presenting to an audience beyond their classroom, often at the school’s annual 

expo, to display their understanding of the effects of climate change.

PS90 partners with Grow NYC to maintain 

three hydroponic gardens indoors, as well as a 

greenhouse and outdoor garden. In 2020-21, 

PS90 formed a partnership with Whole Kids 

Foundation, The Bee Cause, and City Growers 

to install a beehive to aid in teaching about the 

importance of bees as pollinators. 

Through the One Billion Oyster Project,

students go on field trips to PS90’s oyster reef 

in Sheepshead Bay. Students help with 

research and data collection. The Brooklyn 

Botanic Gardens has provided live plants and 

professional development to teachers. Other 

partners have offered teacher training on 

climate science, plant-based diets, energy 

conservation, and other sustainability topics. 

Other PS90 partnerships ̧ including those with 

the Alliance for Climate Education, the 

Department of Sanitation of New York City, 

Eco-Schools USA, the Wildlife Conservation 

Society (New York City Aquarium), the New 

York City Office of Sustainability Pilot Program, 

the New York City Department of Education Health Pilot Program, and Pepsi Co. 

Funds Recycle Rally, have offered professional development and resources, 

allowing PS90 to expand its sustainability, health, and wellness offerings.

Morning announcements are dedicated to delivering a schoolwide lesson on 

sustainability practices, wellness, and nutrition. Additionally, PS90 introduces 

students to one environmentally focused career each week and highlights a college 

or university that can prepare students for that career. During the COVID-19 

pandemic, students have taken STEM-related virtual field trips.

Third grade students present their 

yearlong culminating research, 

“Asia’s Climate Change: A 

Farming Fear Factor,” to peers 

and community members at 

PS90’s From Climate Change to 

Climate Action – A Technology 

Expo. The students analyzed the 

harmful effects of climate change 

on Asia’s farming systems and 

offered their solutions.
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New Roots Charter School; Ithaca, New York

Integrating best practices in green schools

New Roots Charter School is a public charter high school authorized by the State 

University of New York in 2008 to create a learning environment that empowers 

young people as citizens and entrepreneurs to create just, democratic communities 

and thriving green economies that restore the natural world. New Roots attracts a 

regionally diverse population of students in grades nine to 12, bringing together 

young people from rural, urban, and suburban backgrounds.

In 2017, the Green Schools National Network designated New Roots as a Catalyst 

Network Accelerator School, positioning it as a national leader among schools 

preparing students to help create a sustainable future while increasing student 

achievement, improving the health and well-being of students and staff, and 

decreasing operational costs and the school’s and district’s ecological footprint. New 

Roots was recognized with a Green Schools National Network’s Best of Green 

Schools Award in 2019. In 2016, New Roots was the first school in the nation to 

receive recognition as a Human Rights Friendly School by the Dorothy Cotton 

Institute and Human Rights Educators USA.

The school integrates core environmental, sustainability, green technology, and 

civics studies into a four-year college preparatory curriculum. Students engage in 

interdisciplinary exploration of core academic subjects within a framework of 

sustainability and environmental stewardship, focusing on college, career, and life 

readiness. STEM courses, such as Earth Systems Science, Contemporary Science 

and Technology (applied physics and chemistry), Global Environmental Science, 

Biomimicry, and Mathematical Modeling for Sustainability, provide conceptual 

understanding and skills that are applied in fieldwork and community-based projects.

Inspired by the Cloud Institute’s Education for Sustainability (EfS) Standards, the 

New Roots curriculum prepares students with the full spectrum of thinking skills, 

content, and big ideas necessary to envision and create a more just and sustainable 

future, firmly grounded in a “sense of place” through direct experience of the natural 

places and community spaces that they call home. Students examine the complex 

relationship between human and natural systems and how they can serve as 

ecological stewards and agents of ecosystems restoration, developing their capacity 

as “solutionaries.” 

Culminating portfolios and capstone projects require that students demonstrate 

schoolwide outcomes as healthy persons, lifelong learners, communicators, 

community members, citizens, members of ecosystems, and visionaries committed 
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to a just and sustainable future for people and the planet. Students earn college 

credit for upper-level coursework through Tompkins Cortland Community College’s 

College Now program.

The Cayuga Lake watershed is a focus of study each year, beginning with a 

foundational two-year study of earth systems science. Students conduct scientific 

field studies, learn directly from community environmental organizations and local 

agencies, and share their research with their wider community through symposium 

presentations. They build on this foundation by participating in ongoing ecological 

restoration work through the Cayuga Wetlands Project in such courses as 

Contemporary Science and Technology (an applied physics and chemistry class) 

and Global Environmental Studies. 

Students petitioned the Ithaca City Common Council, the Department of Public 

Works, and the Ithaca City Mayor’s Office to establish wetlands restoration plots to 

test the hypothesis that native wetlands species would improve water quality and 

bird habitat on Cayuga Lake. In 2018, the project was awarded a four-year grant 

from the New York Department of Environmental Conservation to establish a 

summer Youth Ecological Restoration Corps employing 10 youth each summer.

Students participating in the New Roots Youth Ecological Restoration Corps canoe to their 

work site.
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In their senior year, students address a sustainability issue in the community through 

research and action in self-designed capstone projects. Projects have included 

studies of how urban gardening and farming can increase access to fresh produce, 

the impacts of local agriculture on improving the lives of low-income people living in 

food deserts, the causes of toxic algae bloom on Cayuga Lake, development of 

rainwater catchment systems, establishing eco-friendly “upcycling” businesses, 

raising funds for a local artist to create a sustainability mural on the school building, 

and raising awareness about the impacts of global climate change.

All students participate in the New Roots crew advisory curriculum, designed to 

cultivate a powerful school culture by engaging students in school governance, 

community development, and service learning. Restorative justice practices turn 

disciplinary infractions into learning experiences that strengthen individual well-being 

and community bonds. The crew curriculum also includes exploration of college and 

career paths, with an emphasis on green careers and technology. In 2020-21, New 

Roots added a pilot career and technical education program emphasizing green 

careers and entrepreneurship.

New Roots teachers engage in professional development to learn the content and 

skills necessary to design and teach curriculum and assessments aligned with the 

EfS standards and to develop meaningful projects in collaboration with community 

partners. Since the school’s inception in 2009, teachers have engaged in 

professional development offered by such organizations as the Cloud Institute for 

Sustainability Education, the State Environmental Education Roundtable, the Green 

Schools National Network, and an EPA-funded project called Teaching Our Cities, a 

consortium of schools with a place-based, environmental focus.

Located in the heart of downtown Ithaca, New Roots maximizes opportunities for 

outdoor fieldwork and community engagement, facilitated by the proximity of urban 

spaces, natural places, and the public transportation system. Students engage in a 

wide range of meaningful outdoor activities at each grade level, including hiking, 

gardening, stewardship of local parks, outdoor recreation and sports, fieldwork for 

science topics (such as water quality monitoring), growing food in containers and in 

an urban farm demonstration plot, supervised tree climbing, ski club, and urban 

history walks. 

The school takes full advantage of opportunities for collaboration with community 

partners from institutions of higher education to small nonprofits and the local library, 

including Ithaca College, Cornell University, Cornell Cooperative Extension, and 

EcoVillage at Ithaca. 
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The New Roots school facility, a repurposed historic hotel over 200 years old, is an 

example of adaptive use of existing infrastructure by making minimal upgrades. 

Every aspect of school facility operations is managed to reduce impact and enhance 

student and staff well-being. All operations vendors are evaluated for green options 

using the New York State Department of Education’s Green Preferred Products 

Listing. The school limits purchases to essential items and purchases used or 

reconditioned items when possible. Student transportation arrangements include 

carpooling, public buses, walking, and cycling. 

One hundred percent of the available school grounds are dedicated to an urban farm 

demonstration plot, a sustainably managed demonstration of small-scale diversified 

vegetable production that also serves as a habitat for wildlife and native plant 

species and as an outdoor educational space. 

New Roots Charter School is a member of the Ithaca 2030 District, a public-private 

collaboration working to create a high-performance building district in downtown 

Ithaca to reduce building emissions by 80% by 2030. New Roots monitors its

resource conservation and efficiency using ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager. The 

school reduced its energy use by 28% over a two-year period by being responsive to 

this data and through green practices, such as installing compact fluorescent lighting

in every light fixture. The school features water bottle filling stations and low-flow 

toilets. 

All students take Personal Wellness in their first two years, a course integrating 

health and physical education. All students learn mind-body techniques to improve 

focus and reduce stress as part of their physical education coursework. Such 

practices as “Take 30,” a 30-second quiet pause, are integrated into the beginning of 

every class meeting. The school uses HEPA air filters in every classroom. No 

pesticides are used on school facilities.

Physical education often means a trip to local parks and sports facilities or 

immersion into student-selected projects focusing on “fitness for life” interests. 

During the fall season, New Roots has a coed Soccer Club. During the winter 

season, New Roots has a Ski and Snowboard Club, and club members travel to

Greek Peak Mountain Resort. The cafeteria is a block away from the main school 

facility, encouraging all students to get out into the fresh air for a daily walk.

The farm to school program provides a free, healthy breakfast and lunch for every 

student and staff member through the community eligibility program that emphasizes

regional and organic whole foods, including daily soups and a salad bar. New Roots 

uses local dairy and whole foods with no added sugar or additives. The school 

makes its own sauces and dressings, uses only pure meat (no fillers or breading), 
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and serves an abundance of fruits and vegetables. New Roots offers vegan, 

vegetarian, nut-free, and gluten-free options daily. The program sources 100% of its 

food regionally, and uses real plates, silverware, and glasses instead of disposables. 

Cafeteria waste is composted, and recycling is maximized.

Scarsdale Middle School; Scarsdale, New York

Making environmental education professional development a priority

Scarsdale Middle School (SMS) is emblematic of its district’s plan for an 

interdisciplinary approach in instruction, overall health and wellness, and facilities 

management. The plan includes a series of goals that emphasize sustainability and 

equity. Students and teachers lead in developing and introducing innovative 

practices in energy production, conservation, lifestyle modification, food production, 

and building technology. A 2007 board resolution specifically addresses curriculum 

and instruction, behavioral change, and institutional operations. Actions include 

professional development, units of study with a focus on issues of sustainability,

print and digital resources added to libraries and classrooms, student activities 

supported with sustainability materials, and a sustainable facilities plan. This has 

cultivated a culture of responsibility to educate students about sustainability, of 

operating the facility sustainably, and of maintaining a healthy environment for the 

whole child.

SMS faculty and staff have developed relationships with organizations, such as the 

Children’s Environmental Literacy Foundation, Kaleidoscope Landscape & Garden 

Design, and neighboring schools. Over the past two years, 75% of SMS teachers 

have participated in approximately 30 professional development courses related to 

the integration of environmental studies, sustainability, STEM, green technology,

and civics into curricula. As a result, while the global pandemic created obstacles 

this past year, SMS continued education practices that cultivate students’ deep 

understanding of the world around them. 

The SMS sustainability curriculum is interdisciplinary and asks students to connect 

what they learn about science, math, economics, politics, and justice to climate 

change issues. Students are challenged to examine their own carbon footprint (and 

“food print”) and to reflect on their habits. Students participate in environmental 

stewardship opportunities, such as garden maintenance, cleanups, compost 

workshops, recycling assemblies, and interact with guest speakers and other 

community partners.

In many classes and across disciplines, students explore the natural world and local 

outdoor spaces. They are asked to journal daily nature observations, caption nature
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photography, and develop poetry focused on a sustainability topic. Other coursework 

centers around the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, Earth Day, 

ecosystems, solar energy, and farm practices. The school celebrates Human Rights 

Day, and students participate in the Daffodil Project. 

SMS has implemented a composting program. After becoming well versed in the 

sorting of their waste at school, students participate and continue their education 

with their families as part of SMS’ at-home composting program. The program in the 

community offers weekly curbside pickup of food waste. This was established by 

community members, one of whom now serves on the board of education and 

continues to champion sustainability efforts.

There has been a concerted effort to use environmentally and human safe cleaning 

products and advanced water and air purification systems and to conserve energy.

Over two years, SMS has documented a 57% reduction in greenhouse gas 

emissions and a 45% reduction in energy use in ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager. 

A relationship with the local utility’s solar energy division has been explored and 

plans laid out for future development. 

Ninety percent of plantings are typically water efficient, regionally appropriate, and 

perennial. SMS recently completed lead testing of the school water system. All 

potable drinking faucets that came 

back with elevated levels had lead 

filters installed. The building’s 

water system is flushed completely 

once a week. Water bottle filling

stations have been installed

throughout the building.

All HVAC equipment is controlled 

by a building management system 

that maintains healthy and 

comfortable humidity levels in the 

building. These units have 

dampers that adjust the amount of 

fresh air brought in depending 

upon outside temperatures. All 

HVAC units have filters that are 

checked regularly and changed 

quarterly to maintain air 

cleanliness. Staff perform daily 

building checks for leaks. All paint 

Students put together bagged meals, 

including some with personal messages, for 

Midnight Run, an organization that delivers 

food and other necessities to those in need. 

This took place on the school’s annual 

Human Rights Day.
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used is low VOC, and all cleaning products are certified green. Pesticides are not 

used on school property.

SMS’s curriculum and service learning emphasize food systems, and students grow 

their own food using conventional and innovative practices. They plan and develop 

space for seasonal growing, harvest and donate food, and prepare ingredients for 

cooking. The enclosed courtyard houses 10 raised beds of approximately 1,000 

square feet. 

The school food program’s dietitian provides advice about menu preparation, 

wellness committees offer guidance, and physical spaces are designed with a 

particular emphasis on the health and wellness of the entire school community and 

environmental impacts. SMS is home to four house counselors, two psychologists, 

two nurses, three youth outreach workers, one speech/language specialist, an 

occupational and physical therapy provider, and a counseling coordination 

committee.

SMS grounds include an outdoor challenge course, used by P.E. and professional 

development classes. Students participate in yoga, mindfulness, and team building. 

Outdoor lunch and recess are available daily, and all P.E. takes place outside. There 

are continuing efforts in place to reduce screen time both on-site and in virtual 

settings, including screen breaks, to provide education about brain development, 

and to offer challenges to turn off phones for 24 hours.

North Carolina

Wrightsville Beach Elementary School; Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina

Marine science on the island

Nestled on a barrier island surrounded by a tidal estuary, Wrightsville Beach 

Elementary School (WBS), has served Wrightsville Beach since 1954. As part of a 

2014 New Hanover County School bond, the once antiquated facility was renovated 

into a modern structure that brings in natural light, highlights the surrounding 

environment, and provides ample opportunity for students to take advantage of a 

variety of outdoor spaces. 

The renovation of WBS is the result of planning to not only incorporate stunning 

views of the local setting but to reduce impact on the environment and utility costs. 

The 31,695-square-foot building has been upgraded with occupancy sensors for 

lighting and sensors for exhaust fans, as well as circular pump controls for the water 

heater to reduce energy consumption. The second floor was positioned strategically 
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and large windows throughout are made with specialized glass to maximize daylight 

without heat gain. 

Intentional efforts were made with the new construction to reduce stormwater runoff 

and erosion of adjacent local waterways by directing the stormwater from the 

building to two new subsurface drain systems. Low-flow fixtures and waterless 

urinals throughout the school have reduced domestic water consumption and costs. 

The landscaping around WBS is designed to include native plants and vegetation 

that do not require irrigation. 

Through a grant from the New Hanover County Extension Master Gardener 

Volunteer Association, the parent-led WBS “Green Team” is reinstalling raised 

garden beds and, for the first time, installing a rain garden on school grounds. The 

rain garden is designed as an outdoor, hands-on learning area for students, 

teachers, staff, parents, and the community to learn about water runoff, sustainable 

garden design, native plants, and rain barrels. No pesticides or chemicals are used, 

which protects wildlife, landscaping, and waterways, drastically reducing the impact 

on the environment. 

The students of WBS use 

various modes of transportation 

for their daily commute to school. 

Thirty-four percent of students 

ride the bus, 12% to 15% walk or 

ride their bikes to school, and a 

significant number of car riders 

choose to carpool. WBS has 

separate pickup areas for 

walkers/bikers and car riders to 

reduce wait time and idling. WBS 

is implementing an online 

technology to more efficiently 

line students up and load cars. 

The fourth grade leads a 

schoolwide recycling initiative. 

Although some of it looks different due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many initiatives 

have continued. Students learn how long various items take to decompose and 

produce educational videos to reinforce the importance of recycling. Through 

participation in the Crayola ColorCycle and the PepsiCo Recycle Rally, WBS 

receives lesson plans, supplies, and incentives to inspire students to recycle.

As part of its marine and environmental sciences 

program, Wrightsville Beach Elementary School 

students participate in hands-on learning about 

their local ecosystem.
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Multiple outdoor covered areas are used for classes, small group lessons, and 

presentations throughout the year. The second-floor addition is oriented parallel to 

the adjacent marsh, forming a large, covered outdoor space underneath that is used 

for outdoor classes, recess play space, and school gatherings. 

Students are welcomed into a clean, well-ventilated, and nurturing environment that 

fosters learning and exploration as well as social-emotional learning. The school 

system has a policy that requires the use of IPM to prevent and control pest 

problems in school buildings and grounds and minimize pesticide use. The WBS 

team ensures that heating and cooling systems are properly maintained; classrooms 

are effectively cleaned; and all cleaning products are safe for students, staff, and 

visitors. 

Days begin with deep breathing exercises. During the day, students engage in 

movement breaks to help them maintain focus. The school social worker provides 

social-emotional learning opportunities to all classes, small groups, and individual 

students, as well as professional development to staff. A full-time school nurse is 

available to students for acute and emergent needs as well as providing information 

on health and wellness. The school counselor uses Sunny Days Healthy Ways, an 

evidence-based sun safety curriculum, to teach sun protection.

The certified physical education teacher provides skill-based lessons that integrate 

health and wellness for students. Students regularly use the outdoor playground 

facilities; the paved track around the playground, funded by the WBS Foundation; 

and kayaks. Additional opportunities for organized physical activity include afternoon 

running clubs for boys and girls, an annual bike to school event, and yoga in the 

classroom.

The WBS marine science program, established in the 2000-2001 school year, is a 

schoolwide program facilitated by the school counselor. Over the past 20 years, the 

program has grown to encompass outdoor marine science and environmental 

education, classroom education, community outreach, interdisciplinary learning, and 

citizen science projects. All activities are designed to support the Standard Course of 

Study for each grade as established by the North Carolina Department of Public 

Instruction. It is strategically integrated into the academic curriculum in every class 

and grade level. 

It provides authentic learning experiences and plays a significant role in the culture 

of the school, embedding lessons of citizenship, team building, problem-solving, and 

responsibility. Each week, students have class out on the school dock to learn about 

the marsh ecosystem and local wildlife. All classes regularly conduct sand, beach, 

and dune investigations and collect seashells. 
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With the help of parent volunteers, students collect and record data on water quality, 

tide levels, and the number of fish and crabs caught during each class for crosscurricular lessons. Reading assignments focus on marine life and the environment. 

Studies about ecosystems come to life through field trips and hands-on explorations 

of the salt marsh flora and fauna as well as tidal islands. 

WBS has a large outdoor area that contains soil material from a phosphate mine, 

material rich with marine fossils that date to the Eocene Epoch. Students regularly 

visit the “Shark Tooth Pile” to learn about fossils, shark teeth variations, and the 

marine vertebrates and invertebrates that inhabited the ocean. 

WBS holds an annual fifth grade kayak race in tandem kayaks. A racecourse is set 

up using motorboats that are manned with parents and teachers. While navigating 

the racecourse and passing each motorboat, students are required, as a team, to 

answer academic questions. This event teaches paddling skills, promotes teamwork, 

and is an end-of-year academic review.

During the 2000-2001 school year, WBS became a designated Using the Outdoors 

to Teach Experiential Science (UTOTES) School. The North Carolina Museum of 

Natural Sciences UTOTES program provides teachers with knowledge and 

resources to use school grounds to teach environmental education. Through this 

program, WBS teachers attended six workshops to foster a culture of outdoor 

awareness and environmental stewardship.

Collaborative programs with the community include participating in beach sweeps, 

hosting an annual college student environmental science intern, planting sea oats, 

and creating signage for the local nature sanctuaries. Partnerships with numerous 

organizations, such as the University of North Carolina – Wilmington, Audubon North 

Carolina, a local garden club, and the towns of Wrightsville Beach and Masonboro, 

provide students with lessons and hands-on activities for marine biology, ecology, 

and conservation. An annual Marine Science Festival with experts and professionals 

from a wide array of disciplines and local businesses includes presentations and 

activities with students.
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D.C. Virgo Preparatory Academy; Wilmington, North Carolina

Flourishing with a little help from friends

The goal for instruction at D.C. Virgo Preparatory Academy (DCVPA) is to be guided 

by the acronym PIER (personalized, inquiry-based, experiential, and reflective), and 

the school emphasizes interdisciplinary STEM education, sustainability, and 

environmental literacy. Collaborative learning permeates the school community and 

has empowered a focus on sustainability for K-8 students. Ninety-nine percent of 

students are socioeconomically disadvantaged, and 94% identify as minority. 

DCVPA created a baseline greenhouse gas emission and water inventory for the 

2018-2019 academic year. The emission inventory includes purchased energy, 

natural gas, transportation, refrigerants, and waste. The inventories are updated 

yearly to assess trends and identify needs for improvement. 

DCVPA has transitioned to using energy-efficient light bulbs and natural light 

through blinds to conserve energy. Instead of irrigation, the school uses two rain 

barrels to water the garden and landscaping, conserving many thousands of gallons 

of municipal water in recent years. 

Outdoor classrooms provide the opportunity to engage all students in outdoor 

learning, and they have been used extensively during the period of phased COVID19 learning, enabling students to continue learning while benefiting from fresh air. 

Over 90% of students use some form of alternative transportation to commute to 

school. Those who ride the bus account for 80% of students, and the others either 

walk, bike, or take a vanpool. The neighborhoods surrounding DCVPA are equipped 

with sidewalks, and the speed limit is generally 25 miles per hour. This creates an 

environment where walking and biking are viable options. 

A student-led fourth and fifth grade recycling initiative at DCVPA involves 

collaboration with the University of North Carolina – Wilmington (UNCW). Each 

week, students empty the recycling bins around the school and prepare the recycling 

for pickup. 

The assistant principal provides weekly composting instruction to fourth grade 

students; the program allows cafeteria food waste to be redirected to a collaborative 

composting facility. Once processed, the material is purposed for reuse in gardening 

and, thus, reduces the landfill load generated by the school. The DCVPS vegetable 

gardens have already benefitted by utilizing compost. This program teaches 

students the full cycle of food composting and growing.
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DCVPA collaborates with the county and a contractor to ensure environmental 

health. The UNCW Public Health Department collaborates to produce a school 

health fair. Air purifiers were added to classrooms to assist with filtration and to 

promote health and wellness for students and staff. The school is home to an on-site 

health clinic that provides medical services for students and parents, such as 

primary care, well-child checks, physicals, diabetes care, and immunizations. As a 

part of the health curriculum, DCVPA students engage in healthy meal planning, 

keeping a nutrition journal to monitor healthy habits.

The DCVPA learning community is 

focused on addressing both the 

physical health and social-emotional 

needs of students and uses a “kinship 

model” to facilitate relationship 

building among staff, families, and 

students. Staff have been trained in 

the Community Resilience Model and 

how to implement restorative circles. 

Classrooms participate in daily 

morning meetings using a curriculum 

prepared by the Social and Emotional 

Learning Pillar. Schoolwide daily 

morning meetings are focused on 

social-emotional learning and highlight 

student and staff achievements, set 

goals, and encourage the learning 

community to succeed in all areas.

In addition to physical education and 

recess, an Action-Based Learning (ABL) Lab for K-3 students integrates sensory 

experiences, movement, and academics. Gains noted from ABL work include 

improved on-task behavior, improved academic retention skills, and growth in visual 

processing skills such as handwriting. Teachers integrate movement breaks 

throughout academic instruction to allow students to recenter their brains and bodies 

for learning. Students voted on a preferred playground design, resulting in a 

playground that provides elementary students with a place to play near the learning 

gardens.

The K-8 school and university partnership provides mutual learning opportunities. 

UNCW undergraduate students and DCPVA students alike benefit from UNCW 

student teaching opportunities in STEM and special education. DCVPA has access 

to STEM resources and tools that support sustainability learning. UNCW 

D.C. Virgo Preparatory Academy students 

explore pond life.
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sustainability peer educators provide DCVPA students with weekly presentations on 

various topics on sustainability. The assistant principal, the College of Education, 

and the Office of Sustainability collaborate to offer middle school gardening. 

The assistant principal teaches middle grade students gardening basics, such as 

how to grow plants from seeds using a greenhouse and grow lights. Students are 

provided with weekly presentations on various topics on sustainability, such as 

plants and air quality, the importance of water, and how to recycle at home. Students 

learn to transfer their plants to raised beds and observe developments in the garden. 

The school works with a local volunteer (and UNCW doctoral student) to introduce 

mycology lab lessons and to revamp the learning garden; this effort has engaged 

additional community volunteers. Students are learning how to read and understand 

Blum’s Farmer’s and Planter’s Almanac to become familiar with how astronomy, the 

weather, and planting seasons impact the growth of plants. Students took home 

“plant packages” during the pandemic to observe plant growth progress and then 

transferred their plants to the school’s raised beds.

All students engage in field trips in the local area that are focused on outdoor 

education or interdisciplinary learning experiences. DCVPA is a partner in a National 

Science Foundation Research Experiences for Undergraduates grant to support

DCVPA K-8 students learning about marine sciences through authentic 

interdisciplinary learning experiences; this effort is designed to spark interest about 

career pathways related to the environmental sciences.

DCVPA middle grade teachers have partnered with UNCW’s MarineQuest program 

to construct three specialized programs for middle grade students. These programs 

are focused on ecology, meteorology, and biotechnology through the contextual lens 

of marine science.

Wake County Public School System; Cary, North Carolina

Cultivating conservation values and community in the research triangle

Located in Research Triangle Park, Wake County Public School System’s (WCPSS) 

student experiences are influenced by regional organizations that are innovative, 

environmentally sustainable, and focused on scientific research. With 191 schools, 

WCPSS is the 15th largest district in the nation, serving over 161,000 students, 51% 

of whom identify as minority, and employing over 19,000 people. Teachers facilitate 

learning through project-based learning and understanding by design. School and 

community projects focus on maintaining a healthy campus, reducing food 

insecurity, and tackling global topics that encourage learners to be empathetic and 

culturally literate. 
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WCPSS facilities include over 26 million square feet and are benchmarked for 

energy, water, and greenhouse gas emissions in Portfolio Manager, resulting in 

annual ENERGY STAR certification. WCPSS partnered with the Wake County 

government to develop the “Guidelines for Design and Construction of EnergyEfficient County Government Facilities and Schools,” a framework that has been 

used by other school districts as a model for sustainable design and construction. 

Occupancy sensors, LED lighting, and programmable HVAC system setbacks 

reduce energy consumption.

Landscaping for new schools includes native plants that do not require irrigation. 

Many of WCPSS’s older schools have partnered with the North Carolina Department 

of Soil and Water Conservation to install rain barrels and cisterns, engaging students 

in these conservation projects. A dedicated water quality management team 

monitors wastewater collection, treatment, and disposal from individual sites. Five 

schools within the district have been designated as Watershed Stewardship 

Schools. In 2019, four WCPSS schools were selected for the expansion of the 

Bionomic Education Training Centers, which provided them with weeklong rain 

garden training and certification. 

Students are engaged in clubs, such as Feed the Bin (recycling) and Student Water 

Audit Teams, to embolden learners to be leaders in these efforts. In 2018, nutrition 

services staff implemented a districtwide plan to replace all Styrofoam trays with 

compostable ones. A number of schools then partnered with local organizations to 

both appropriately dispose of the compostable trays and create food waste diversion 

programs through on-site composting. Even in the shortened 2019-20 school year, 

over 83,000 pounds of food waste were diverted from landfills and over 19,000 

pounds of compost were created for local farms. 

Schools plan efficient carpool loading to reduce car idling and encourage walking 

and biking to school. The district works collaboratively with the North Carolina 

Department of Environmental Quality and uses the nationally recognized EPA Indoor 

Air Quality Tools for Schools to identify and address potential air quality challenges 

and educate the school community. For the last 10 years, WCPSS has concentrated 

on removing pest habitats from schools rather than using pesticides as part of an 

IPM policy.

Prior to students returning to classrooms, the WCPSS Board of Education partnered 

with the ABC Science Collaborative. Coordinated by the Duke University School of 

Medicine and the Duke Clinical Research Institute, the collaborative pairs scientists 

and physicians with school and community leaders to help communicate the most 

current and relevant data about COVID-19. WCPSS put together a series of return-
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to-campus guidelines and resources to help staff and students understand the safety 

protocols for returning to campus. Enhanced cleaning procedures, air filter 

replacements/upgrades, protective equipment for both staff and students, and social 

distancing protocols were all part of the return-to-campus guidelines.

WCPSS takes advantage of programs designed with community partners to promote 

healthy lifestyles. Through such events as First in Fitness and Jump Rope/Hoops for 

Heart with the American Heart Association, students in grades K-8 engage in 

exercise outside of the daily 30 minutes facilitated by teachers. Partnerships have 

also been forged with First Tee golf, Girls on the Run, and the Carolina Hurricanes 

to provide avenues for students to develop lifelong wellness habits. Working with the 

Alice Aycock Poe Center for Health Education, over 21,000 K-12 students learn 

about healthy lifestyle choices with a certified health professional. 

Meaningful engagements with such organizations as the Interfaith Food Shuttle and 

local faith-based groups have helped in efforts to provide students with healthy meal 

options outside of school hours. WCPSS distributed over 1 million meals to students 

from strategically located hubs during all-remote COVID-19 classes. Many schools 

have transitioned lunch and class time to outside natural space areas. WCPSS 

students are given the opportunity to take “green” breaks during remote learning.

Each high school has a Student Assistance Program counselor who works closely 

with the most at-risk students, such as teenage parents or expectant parents, those 

experiencing homelessness, and students with chronic attendance issues. Many of 

WCPSS schools use PBIS programs and other curricula, such as the Positivity 

Project, to support mental health and well-being. WCPSS uses restorative practices 

to create healthy relationships and foster student connection. WCPSS has added a 

director of Equitable Discipline Practices, who monitors fairness, equity, and 

consistency of student suspension recommendations across the district. 

Meaningful learning experiences that focus on the environmental sciences and 

sustainability are mapped out for students. Citizen Science projects – such as 

Nestwatch, CoCoRaHS, Critter Cams, Tomatosphere, Shad in the Classroom, the 

Lost Ladybug, Purple Air Monitoring, and Ants Picnic – are incorporated at all levels. 

These engagements also lead to student connections with scientists in the region. 

WCPSS has 39 dedicated elementary science specialists who ensure the 

environmental lens is integrated into the K-5 school day. Instructional frameworks 

that support content integration, authentic student outcomes, and soft skills 

development are essential to the curriculum and professional development for all 

elementary and secondary educators.
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WCPSS values authentic teacher field experiences to support professional growth in 

the areas of environmental science and sustainability. Working with Wake Ed 

Partnership, K-12 teachers attend the professional development SummerSTEM, 

which focuses on project-based learning and real-world engagement. One hundred 

five of 191 schools have sent teachers to SummerSTEM, where teachers have field 

immersions with organizations that include the National Institute of Environmental 

Health Sciences, Duke Energy, the EPA, and the North Carolina Department of 

Environmental Quality. They create learning units that focus on such topics as water 

quality, reducing the carbon footprint, and relating scientific research to personal and 

global health. Additional professional development experiences include working with 

the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences and the Kenan Fellows program, 

and these have led to learning units focused on renewable energy sources, air 

pollution, and healthy ecosystems. 

WCPSS offers innovative 

school choices for 

families. Two elementary 

schools share the 

designation of Center for 

Environmental 

Connections, where all 

K-5 learning has an 

environmental emphasis. 

Athens Drive Magnet 

High School Center for 

Medical Science and 

Global Health Initiatives 

and Wake STEM Early 

College High School use 

engineering to tackle 

such topics as food 

insecurity, sustainable 

energy sources, and access to clean water. Athens Drive has a grades 9-12 STEM 

Academy where students attend integrated high school courses with an engineering 

emphasis. Other career academies at 17 other high schools feature such themes as 

biomedical sciences, sustainable energy engineering, environmental studies, and 

agribusiness leaders. 

Southeast Raleigh Elementary School is a collaboration between WCPSS and the 

YMCA in which one building serves as both a school and a YMCA. Community 

service, food insecurity, and unique elementary courses, such as swimming, are all 

provided to students in partnership with the YMCA. The school partners with a 

Wake County Public School System students participate in 

the “Shad in the Classroom” conservation project. This 

class is releasing their fry into the local watershed to boost 

the population of this native fish.
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FoodCorp Service member to maintain two on-site gardens with over 40 garden 

beds, including a rooftop garden for growing healthy foods. Students sow, maintain, 

harvest, and prepare the produce grown at the school.

Outside of the classroom, schools provide opportunities for students to become 

involved in projects, such as student green teams, Envirothon, Big Sweep 

participation, STEM nights, zoology clubs, family environmental events, garden 

clubs, and many other opportunities for students to connect with the natural world.

In 2020, the Wake Green Schools Partnership hosted its first conference for 

WCPSS. Guest speakers from North Carolina State University; Wake County Solid 

Waste; the Center for Human-Earth Restoration; Audubon North Carolina; North 

Carolina Cooperative Extension, Wake County; Farm Bureau North Carolina 

Agriculture in the Classroom; and other community environmental entities frequent 

WCPSS classrooms to offer learning opportunities for students and teachers. To 

further promote environmental career connections, WCPSS students participate in 

the Skype a Scientist program.

University of North Carolina – Wilmington; Wilmington, North Carolina

Engineering the solutions to coastal challenges

As North Carolina’s coastal university, the University of North Carolina – Wilmington 

(UNCW) takes great pride in maintaining the local community’s natural allure and 

resources. Enrolling nearly 18,000 undergraduate and graduate students, UNCW 

has been elevated to an R2 doctoral university. The university has 55 undergraduate 

degree programs, 35 master’s degree programs, and four doctoral programs in 

seven colleges.

Accolades awarded to UNCW for sustainable practices and actions are not the work 

of one department or organization but the entire community. UNCW has been listed 

on the Princeton Review Green Colleges, Sierra Club Cool Schools, UI GreenMetric, 

and the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education 

Sustainability, Tracking, Assessment & Rating System. The Lower Cape Fear 

Stewardship Development Coalition awarded several projects to UNCW that 

incorporate measures to reduce environmental impact, including new construction, 

major renovations, and outdoor built space.

In 2009, the UNC system created a sustainability policy. The policy states that new 

construction and significant innovations should consider sustainability and life cycle 

cost. This policy builds upon the code that all state-funded buildings must build to at 

least an LEED Silver standard. Every three years, UNCW develops a greenhouse 
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gas inventory for emissions. In 2014, various stakeholders and sustainability 

champions drafted the first Sustainability Action Plan. In 2020, the Office of 

Sustainability began a campuswide collaboration to create a Climate Resiliency and 

Action Plan to be researched, written, and edited by students. The plan is an 

interdisciplinary project open to students from all disciplines to work together 

collaboratively by leveraging online platforms. 

UNCW was the first university in the North Carolina system to reduce the campus’ 

energy use by 30%, based on 2002 baseline numbers. Incandescent light bulbs 

across the campus have been replaced with LED upgrades. Over 95% of outdoor 

lighting uses LED bulbs. Across campus, boilers have been replaced with more 

efficient units.

UNCW has partnered with the North Carolina Coastal Federation to work on 

stormwater projects, funded by an EPA grant. Four rain gardens have been installed 

to manage over a million gallons of water a year in the past three years. The 

university’s Landscape Services has an aggressive goal of removing all irrigation 

from city water and utilizing reclaimed stormwater pumped from retention ponds 

within the next few years. Over 70% of the irrigation is currently on this system, 

reusing 760,000 gallons of stormwater instead of potable water each week. Low-flow 

bathroom fixtures and motion-sensor sinks are common across campus. Small 

changes, such as going “trayless” at the main dining facility, have saved 8,782 

gallons of water each day since 2007. 

UNCW has an in-house recycling program. This means that recyclable materials are 

collected by university staff and hand sorted. Those materials are sold directly to 

vendors who purchase them to be recycled. The Recycling Department not only 

accepts traditional recycling, such as paper, plastic, glass, metals, but also collects

batteries and electronics recycling. UNCW even has a special Styrofoam recycling 

program. UNCW also participates in Campus Race to Zero Waste, formally known 

as RecycleMania, and has hosted several zero-waste basketball games. UNCW 

diverts about 4,000 pounds of compostable material every month to the New 

Hanover County composting facility from the main dining hall and was an integral 

player in getting this county program initiated. All of the fryer oil used in the dining 

halls is converted to biofuel by an outside vendor.

UNCW encourages alternative transportation through education, incentives, and 

master planning. One of the City of Wilmington’s two extensive multimodal paths 

cuts through the campus, and the other is adjacent to the campus. Both routes 

connect Wrightsville Beach to other areas of interest in town. In 2016, UNCW 

implemented a bike share program on campus. The university was named a silver 

level Bicycle Friendly University by the League of American Bicyclists. All UNCW 
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community members have free, unlimited bus access to the campus Point-to-Point 

shuttle and to the city’s bus system with university identification.

Healthy Hawks is a cross-campus 

campaign promoting programs and 

educational opportunities that 

support a nine-pillar spectrum of 

wellness. Sixty-seven different 

departments and organizations 

hosted Healthy Hawk programming 

over the last school year. There are 

several programs and departments 

within the university that have a 

more specific focus on key elements 

of health promotion, including 

outdoor adventures; counseling; 

drug, alcohol, and violence 

prevention; and recreational and 

competitive athletics.

Bluethenthal Wildlife Preserve is a unique space located in the center of campus. 

This preserve provides just over a mile of trails that meander through longleaf pines, 

pocosin, a lake, carnivorous plants, hardwoods, and outdoor learning spaces. Other 

outdoor activities include a 1.65-mile walking loop around the campus with signage 

featuring sustainability facts about the area. Solar-powered umbrellas in front of the 

library allow visitors to enjoy the outdoors while charging a phone or other device.

From general maintenance to post-hurricane recovery, UNCW Landscape Services 

works diligently to create, protect, and preserve beautiful areas using innovation and 

best management practices to ensure the health and integrity of the environment 

and people. An IPM plan is in place to eliminate the use of pesticides. Other 

chemicals, such as fertilizer and herbicides, are used minimally. The Office of 

Environmental Health and Safety responds to the community-at-large to ensure that 

such safety measures as indoor air quality and hazardous waste are handled with 

the highest standard of care.

A 250-gallon aquaponics system is located in one dining hall. A joint project among 

UNCW’s departments of sociology and criminology, marine biology and biology, and 

environmental studies, the tank combines aquaculture and hydroponic technology, 

allowing plants and fish to coexist. Campus dining utilizes the vegetables and herbs 

grown. Students are able to conduct activities involving chemistry, physics, biology, 

and sustainability to solidify their understanding of scientific theories. 

First-year University of North Carolina –

Wilmington students tour the campus using 

the school’s bikeshare program.
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The Sustainability Committee is the grassroots organization that provides 

recommendations for improvements and new projects to the Chancellor’s 

Sustainability Council. The Office of Sustainability hires student Sustainability Peer 

Educators and Sustainability Interns to promote sustainable habits and act as a 

liaison with the student body. The Green Initiative Fund is a student fee used to fund 

minigrants for research, programs, and initiatives that support environmental 

stewardship at UNCW and in the community. Each year, at least $20,000 is 

allocated to students and faculty for projects that align with the fund’s mission. 

A nine-credit hour Sustainability Minor was created to enrich any course of study 

with sustainability values that can be incorporated in any career. In 2020, the first 

Sustainability Learning Community was established for first-year students at UNCW. 

This learning community provides the opportunity for first-year students to live in the 

same residence hall and take three classes as a group that examine the dynamics 

among people, planet, and profit. The Coastal Engineering program teaches 

students to address issues affecting coastal communities around the world through 

the application of geological and physical oceanography, coastal management 

curricula, applied physics, and civil and ocean engineering fundamentals. The 

University Center for Marine Science promotes basic and applied research in the 

fields of oceanography, coastal and wetland studies, marine biomedical and 

environmental physiology, and marine biotechnology and aquaculture. UNCW has a 

long history of providing STEM learning opportunities for the community, such 

teacher professional development, Science Olympiad, and MarineQuest. It also 

supports the K-12 green school efforts of its lab school, the D.C. Virgo Preparatory 

Academy.

Ohio

James N. Gamble Montessori High School; Cincinnati, Ohio

Montessori intersessions inject real-life sustainability

James N. Gamble Montessori is one of the first public high schools in the nation to 

be accredited by the American Montessori Society. It is located in the heart of 

Cincinnati on a 14-acre campus. All students qualify for free and reduced-price 

lunch, and 77% identify as minority. Gamble Montessori began with two seventh 

grade classes in the basement of a dilapidated building under another name. Over 

time, it was renamed and moved to its current building in 2019. 

Cincinnati Public Schools spent nearly $16 million dollars to fully renovate what was 

an all-girls private school and turn it into a first-place winner of the ASHRAE
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technology award for energy-efficient buildings. Gamble Montessori boasts a stateof-the-art building automation system to ensure fresh air circulation. These green 

school features have become essential during the COVID-19 pandemic; the school 

is able to execute two complete air flush outs before students enter the building 

every day and about six air exchanges per hour per space. Occupancy sensors and 

LED lighting help to save energy. 

Gamble Montessori provides a water bottle made from 100% recycled plastic to 

each of its 608 students. Students oversee an organics recycling program. Cleaning 

and paper supplies are nontoxic green products. Low‐flow toilets and faucet sensors 

reduce water waste. A facilities manager, a building engineer, and an environmental 

safety manager work together to conduct quarterly water audits and to ensure water 

is safe. The school participates in a Safe Routes to School program.

A health and wellness committee has organized organic food options and runs 

employee wellness programming. Gamble Montessori received a Bronze Level Ohio 

Breakfast Challenge Award in the 2019-2020 school year. In 2019, Gamble adopted 

the Good Food Purchasing Program, a coordinated local-national initiative that 

harnesses the power of procurement to create a transparent and equitable food 

system. Student dining services partners with local growers, sourcing 90% of milk 

and 30% of produce from local farmers. Started in 2018, the Gamble Montessori 

Market has grown into a full-scale collaboration with local business, restaurants, and 

neighboring schools. The Montessori Market festival engages over 600 students and 

attracts over 30 local businesses to participate; it raises over $5,000 annually. 

The campus includes four outdoor classrooms and an extensive land lab with a 

maple grove, arboretum, spring bulb garden, permaculture orchard, raised beds for 

edible plantings, and kitchen herb garden. Every aspect of the school garden and 

orchard is maintained by students in all grade levels. Students plan, build, plant, 

cultivate, maintain, and harvest. The Agriculture Career and Technology program is 

preparing the campus for a pollinator garden, a high tunnel hoop house, and an 

aeroponic tower garden.

The environmental science curriculum covers a wide range of topics from 

biodiversity and ecological relationships; food production; water, air quality, and 

pollution; climate change; and human impacts on environmental systems to politics, 

ethics, and social justice. Students are involved in biodiversity labs, tree phenology 

studies, water quality tests, mock climate summits, and seminar discussions. 

Students invite local speakers to talk about environmental practices and their 

careers in the field of environmental conservation. High school students enrolled in 

an environmental science elective develop projects that require them to research 

environmental issues in the community and develop solutions. Students write letters 
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to politicians, make videos and digital presentations, and design logos, magnets,

and T-shirts to raise awareness.

One signature Gamble Montessori program are Intersessions, which get students 

out into the world to connect community service to their in-class learning. Students 

are offered a wide variety of focus 

areas to choose from, including, 

but not limited to, practical life 

skills, hiking in the Smoky 

Mountains, whitewater rafting, 

urban farming and sustainability, 

animal rescue, and conservation. 

During high school intersessions, 

students keep journals, discuss 

challenging issues relating to 

social justice and environmental 

sustainability, perform acts of 

community service, and 

synthesize their experiences into 

professional-grade presentations.

Students engage in a variety of 

forms of community service

throughout their career at Gamble 

Montessori. Middle school 

students help remove invasive 

species growing along the Mill 

Creek in partnership with local community guides. High school students serve their 

community during fall and spring intersessions as they volunteer at a local 

educational farm, prepare the neighborhood community garden for planting, and 

assist animal adoption and rescue teams. Seniors spend months preparing their 

senior projects, each of which includes a community service component, and these 

projects have ranged from food and clothing drives to prenatal nutrition education to 

planting annual flowers in public spaces.

Middle school students attend fall camp, a four-day, three-night primitive camping 

experience, where they engage with the natural world by participating in pioneering 

activities, canoeing on the Little Miami River, and conducting service work at the 

campsite. Students work together to set up and take down their tents, prepare daily 

meals for the entire group, and haul water. Science, math, language arts, and social 

studies lessons are also embedded into the experience. In collaboration with the 

Gamble Montessori students harvest fresh 

greens in early spring. Using row cover and 

germinating indoors, the school has extended 

its growing season for a full harvest of cool 

season crops.
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Pigeon Key Foundation, eighth grade students participate in six days of immersive 

study on-site at the Pigeon Key Marine Science Center in Florida. 

Annually, before the beginning of the school year, staff gather for a half-day retreat 

in a natural setting that has featured such activities as canoe trips down the Little 

Miami River and invasive species removal at Mt. Airy forest. Staff are encouraged to 

take group lunches outside and hold team meetings in the outdoor classrooms 

located around the 14-acre campus.

The agriculture education program focuses on project-based learning that teaches 

21st century skills to reach collaborative solutions related to the natural world. 

Students engage in horticulture and culinary labs to learn about plant and food 

science as well as create and sell products for the school’s student-run 

microeconomy, the Montessori Market. In high school, students can elect to continue 

their exploration in agriculture education by taking additional courses that focus on 

animal and plant biotechnology, applications of food science and safety, business 

management for agricultural and environmental systems, and food marketing and 

research. 

The advisory committee for Gamble Montessori’s agriculture career and technical 

education program is a collaboration among 24 individuals who represent a diverse 

cross section of industry professionals, production agriculturalists, community 

advocates, and school district staff. All students benefit from access to cutting-edge 

practices in agriculture and opportunities to learn from local experts. The Gamble 

Montessori agriculture program has received generous donations of supplies, tools, 

and expertise. Students also develop leadership skills through participation in FFA. 

Pennsylvania

Hance Elementary School; Gibsonia, Pennsylvania

A “Fab Lab” enhances environmental learning

Hance Elementary School (Hance) sits on approximately 10-15 acres of land and 

features a plant wall in the entryway and skylights throughout the building. Hance 

created an outdoor classroom with the support of the Hance PTO, Pine-Richland 

Opportunities Fund, students, and staff during the 2019-2020 school year. The 

outdoor space features an amphitheater, picnic tables with umbrellas, and a covered 

shelter where teachers can facilitate class, brain breaks, or mask breaks during the 

COVID-19 pandemic. An outdoor walking path was also installed that year to 

promote the health and wellness of students, staff, and the community. 
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Hance has tracked consumption of all utilities to determine where conservation 

efforts can be made and participates in the local utility’s programs to conserve 

energy. Water is tested periodically in all buildings for lead exposure, and all toilets 

are low flow. Aerators and faucet screens are cleaned on a regular basis, and water 

use is monitored. Gifted and talented students created a rain garden to reduce 

stormwater runoff. Rain gauges and barrels were installed in the back of the school 

near the outdoor classroom so that students can learn about the water cycle.

The Pine-Richland School Board instituted a policy requiring all schools in the district 

to establish an IPM plan to reduce or eliminate pesticide use that addresses needs 

specific to the school. Routine testing is conducted to monitor radon levels and air 

quality in the building. Custodians at Hance use Green Seal certified cleaning 

products for 90% of their cleaning applications, ensuring that the products in use are 

friendly to humans and the environment by eliminating dangerous VOCs and toxic 

chemicals. 

The school district has contracted with a transportation provider that predominantly 

uses propane fuel, and Hance has implemented and expanded their efforts. Noidling signs are posted at all entrances to Hance facilities, and the loading and dropoff area is at least 25 feet away from the building. 

All light bulbs, batteries, glass, chemicals, and electronics are recycled or 

neutralized for disposal. Old computers, monitors, and TVs are recycled as well, 

along with printer cartridges and cell phones. Hance installed a “buddy bench” made 

from 540 recycled milk jugs, purchased three water bottle filling stations, and funded 

water bottles for each student. Waste-free lunch days are sponsored throughout the 

school year. The Hance PTO hosts a book swap every spring, and Hance 

participates in Crayola ColorCycle.

Led by third grade students, Hance has participated in Healthy Schools PA, 

sponsored by Women for a Healthy Environment. This Pennsylvania initiative allows 

schools to submit a report card with various levels of achievement to be considered 

for an award. The report card provides criteria in the areas of curriculum integration, 

community engagement, professional development, sharing success, school 

philosophy and culture, air quality, water, waste and recycling, energy, health and 

well-being, transportation, and school grounds.

Hance has developed a Wellness Committee that includes support from the PTO 

and members of the Hance Elementary Instructional Leadership Team. The 

Wellness Committee created before- and after-school programs, such as Girls on 

the Run, Kids of Steel, and yoga, to encourage physical activity. Friday Focus 

lessons offer social and emotional learning activities. The school counselor and 
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principal conduct “Minute Meetings” three times per year with students to ensure 

they are connected with the school and peers and are having a positive experience 

during their time at Hance. 

Two sensory paths were installed 

in the building for students to use 

during the school day. The Hance 

PTO created a relaxation station 

for teachers during the pandemic, 

featuring massage chairs, as well 

as new curtains, seating, and paint 

in the teachers’ lounge. Students in 

grades K-3 are engaged in a 

schoolwide positive behavior 

support system that allows them to 

earn tickets for positive behaviors 

to earn healthy rewards, such as 

extra recess, a nature walk, or a 

read aloud by a guest reader in the 

outdoor classroom area.

New science resources focus on the environment and sustainability. Students in 

kindergarten learn about the needs of plants and animals, while first grade lessons 

expand upon those concepts by focusing on animal and plant defenses. Second 

grade and third grade students continue to learn about the environment by studying

how landforms change as well as weather and climate. These environmental 

concepts are tied into social studies and English language arts classes. Students are 

able to study these concepts while being immersed in the outdoor classroom,

making direct connections to the environment surrounding them. The Hance library 

has an extensive collection of books regarding environmental and sustainable 

topics, and a new STEM lab facilitates students’ learning about the environment.

Commonwealth Charter Academy; Harrisburg, Pennsylvania

All virtual, but completely hands-on, agriculture

Commonwealth Charter Academy (CCA) is a Title I public, cyber charter school 

serving K-12 students across Pennsylvania. Students, 55% of whom are 

socioeconomically disadvantaged, do not report to a physical location, accessing 

their work at home, but buildings are maintained to provide a resource for hands-on 

experiences that would not be accessible in a home setting. CCA started the school 

Hance Elementary School students participate 

in a brain break on the indoor sensory path.
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year with approximately 10,000 students, which increased to 19,000 during the 

COVID-19 pandemic.

CCA reaches students through virtual instruction and provides face-to-face 

opportunities at 11 Family Service Centers. Five of these facilities include drop-in 

centers or areas where students can choose to report daily or weekly for assistance 

with their courses, tutoring, field trips, and other programming. Students can 

participate in field trip opportunities in their area. CCA invested in three mobile 

classrooms to enhance regional field trips. Each mobile lab specializes in certain 

activities, with one specifically catering to sustainable learning through aquaponics. 

As a cyber school, CCA is 

uniquely suited to address

sustainability. For example, there 

is no daily bus commute for 

students. When a student requests 

to attend a drop-in center, they are 

encouraged to take mass 

transportation, with CCA offering 

to provide bus passes free of 

charge. Students bring their 

lunches if they plan to stay for the 

day. From home, they submit their 

work through an online learning 

management system, reducing 

paper waste. Many science 

experiments include items that are typically found in the home, reducing shipping 

costs for curriculum kits.

In December 2018, a CCA Works Initiative was begun to introduce and guide 

students through the career planning process, with assistance from some of the 

largest employers in Pennsylvania. One of its Works centers, AgWorks, at the

Capital Campus building, is the largest K-12 school-based aquaponic facility in the 

country. Aquaponics allow the operator to grow fresh, organic produce and raise

fish. At CCA, this produce is provided to local restaurants or donated to the Central 

Pennsylvania Food Bank.

The facility includes fish tanks, grow beds, clarifiers, LED lights, and technology to 

bring learning alive to students. AgWorks is 100% powered by 1,050 solar panels, 

located on the roof of the building. The remaining energy is used to supplement 

power to the rest of Capital Campus. Students use an online dashboard to learn 

about energy production and how to reduce energy usage and costs. 

Students record aeroponic data at AgWorks, 

Commonwealth Charter Academy’s aquaponics 

facility.
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Students learn about composting, embryology, and animal husbandry and hatch 

chickens. AgWorks staff craft lessons, videos (prerecorded or livestreamed), photos, 

and time-lapse videos for staff who are teaching virtually. A virtual Down on the 

Farm series included visits to local farms, highlighting the work those farmers were

doing during the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, students have learned about and 

participated in field trips to wastewater treatment plants and have studied 

ecosystems, lake ecology, mine impacts, waste management, and alternative 

energy,

CCA partners with Harrisburg University to have students analyze and report their 

water usage and carbon footprint, using that information as a key discussion point 

on how they can reduce their environmental impact. The Harrisburg Family Service 

Center was able to reduce energy usage by one-third through a grant to install solar 

panels on the roof with a learning dashboard for students to track energy generation. 

The mobile aquaponic classroom also has small panels and a dashboard. 

Capital Campus strives to reduce water usage and provide additional tie-ins with the

grow lab. CCA installed water filling stations to reduce the use of plastic and 

encourage healthy lifestyle choices. The aquaponics lab uses 90% to 95% less 

water than a soil-based agricultural system. Students are trained to mitigate food 

waste, and any unused food or dead leaves are donated to two staff members who 

feed it to their chickens. CCA does not use pesticides; instead, it implements an IPM

approach. Students are researching the installation of a compost system.

A robust wellness program, including reimbursement for gym memberships and 

continuing education, inspires staff to live a healthier lifestyle. All K-12 students 

receive a physical education kit with a variety of items to encourage them to stay 

healthy. A Community Class Reimbursement helps to offset the cost of 

extracurricular community classes, such as sports leagues, karate lessons, 

swimming lessons, and other fitness classes. Students have access to a Student 

Assistance Program, which provides support and guidance to students and families. 

A counseling team offers monthly lessons on a variety of mental health topics. CCA 

offers an Adventure Club and field trips that include archery, canoeing, white water 

rafting, zip lining, hiking, snow tubing, ice skating, horseback riding, outdoor rope 

courses, orienteering, kayaking, stand-up paddleboarding, golfing, fishing, and 

paintball.
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Lehigh University; Lehigh, Pennsylvania

The campus as a living lab

Lehigh University has made tremendous strides as an institution to create a campus 

that merges environmentally responsible solutions with equitable community 

practices. One of the Lehigh’s visions is a commitment to social, environmental, and 

economic sustainability. Over the years, Lehigh has been recognized nationally for 

its sustainability efforts through various national rankings. Lehigh is consistently 

ranked in the Sierra Club’s Coolest Schools list and in The Princeton Review’s 

Guide to Green Schools. Additionally, since 2015, Lehigh has submitted a 

Sustainability Tracking, Assessment and Rating System report annually to the 

Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education. 

In 2020, Lehigh adopted its Sustainability Strategic Plan 2030, which provides a 

long-term vision for sustainability and will improve operational efficiencies and 

promote cost savings. It encompasses six focus areas and 113 goals, with each goal 

aligning with one or more of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. 

This 10-year plan is intended to inspire ecologically sound, socially just, and 

financially prudent actions that improve the well-being of people and the 

environment and positions Lehigh as a local and global collaborator and leader.

This process included numerous meetings with administrative departments and 

colleges to establish goals and obtain buy-in. It also included a two-part series of 

campus workshops open to all faculty, staff, and students, as well as engagement 

with the City of Bethlehem and Bethlehem community. Additionally, an Alumni 

Advisory Council made up of nine alumni offered their expertise to shape the plan. 

Throughout the process, the Lehigh Sustainability Council (faculty, staff, students, 

and senior administrators) provided crucial oversight and support.

Lehigh has begun the process of creating a bold Climate Action Strategy and is 

currently assisting the local Bethlehem community with climate action. Lehigh uses 

the results of its annual greenhouse gas inventory to guide decisions and has 

implemented numerous measures to conserve energy and increase efficiency. This 

includes LED lighting projects and HVAC upgrades. Lehigh will soon be offsetting 

100% of its electricity emissions through a combination of off-site and on-site 

projects, energy conservation, and renewable energy credits and is mapping out a 

plan to transition its vehicle and bus fleet to run exclusively on renewable energy.

Lehigh continues to make progress to reduce universitywide water usage, including 

process, irrigation, and potable water usage, as well as waste generated on campus. 

One prime example of a water reduction strategy that Lehigh has incorporated into 
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the design of its new Health, Science, Technology building, the home of the new 

College of Health, is a rainwater reclamation system that will irrigate the green roof 

and indoor planters and be used for flush fixtures. 

Lehigh is beginning to plant more native plants, shrubs, and trees in the areas 

around residence halls to improve soil regeneration and reduce excess runoff. 

Several lawn landscapes on Mountaintop Campus will be transitioned to native 

meadow landscapes in 2021.

Lehigh eliminated the 

use of plastic straws and 

Styrofoam on campus. 

Additionally, the 

Community Service 

Office holds an annual

move out collection 

drive. This sale raises 

approximately $20,000 

per year for the South 

Bethlehem community 

and diverts 20 tons of 

goods, including 1.5 

tons of food, from going 

to waste. The 

Sustainability Strategic 

Plan 2030 outlines 

specific near-term, intermediate-term, and long-term goals for water and waste at 

Lehigh, including developing a broader campus zero-waste strategy that outlines a 

roadmap to a zero-waste campus by 2030.

In 2018, Lehigh University and the Lehigh and Northampton Transportation Authority 

partnered to offer free bus rides to students, faculty, and staff with a Lehigh ID. In 

2020, Lehigh joined the EV Purchasing Collaborative to leverage the buying power 

of fleets to make electrification more simple, affordable, and accessible. In addition, 

Lehigh kicked off the development of an Alternative Fuel Study to develop a plan to 

fully transition the campus bus and vehicle fleet to run exclusively on renewable 

energy. Over the last several years, Lehigh has purchased an all-electric bus and 

eight hybrid/all-electric vehicles for its fleet. Lehigh’s Office of Sustainability applied 

for, and was awarded, a grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental 

Protection in 2020 to add two all-electric vehicles to the fleet. Additionally, four 

electric vehicle charging stations with two ports each have been installed across two 

of Lehigh’s campuses. 

Lehigh University students participate in the annual Eco-Rep 

Leadership Program Trashion Show in spring 2019.
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Lehigh has a strong commitment to health and wellness, as evidenced by the 

creation of the new College of Health and the inclusion of a “Health and Wellness”

focus area in the Sustainability Strategic Plan 2030. Programs such as the 

Employee Wellness Program, which encourages the entire community to commit to 

a healthy and active lifestyle; dietician/nutrition services that include nutrition 

counseling and helping students create meal plans; and mental health services 

provide ongoing support for faculty, staff, and students. 

Through Lehigh Dining and the Real Food Challenge, Lehigh students, faculty, and 

staff have access to food on campus that is local, organic, humane, and fair trade. 

Lehigh Dining is in the process of expanding its commitment by collaborating with 

the Office of Sustainability and Purchasing Services to develop the Lehigh University 

Sustainable and Healthful Food Purchasing Policy. 

Lehigh University has an Environmental Health and Safety (EH&S) office that 

promotes a safe and healthful environment through the development and 

implementation of health, safety, and regulatory compliance programs and 

procedures. This includes hazardous waste management, inspections, training 

sessions, and emergency response action. EH&S staff conduct regular trainings to 

raise awareness of potential issues, and they work closely with Lehigh faculty in 

research labs to ensure all safety procedures are followed. Lehigh’s cleaning vendor 

uses green cleaning products in alignment with Lehigh’s Sustainable Purchasing

Policy. 

Lehigh students are engaged in sustainability research, internships, and 

opportunities to use the campus as a living lab. Some of the examples include an 

app to help direct leftover food from campus events to hungry students, smarter 

trash and recycling bins to eliminate recycling contamination, and a food carbon 

footprint calculator for Lehigh Dining to display how carbon intensive the menu item 

is and to motivate sustainable food selections. Students present this work annually 

at the Lehigh Expo, a universitywide showcase of project work. Graduate students 

have worked with state and local governments to support greenhouse emissions 

inventories and farm to school efforts. Student sustainability competencies are 

assessed twice a year through a Sustainability Literacy Assessment. The results are 

reviewed, knowledge gaps are identified, and solutions to narrow those gaps are 

then implemented.

Each year, the Office of Sustainability and the Lehigh Sustainability Council host a 

sustainability curricular integration workshop. Additionally, in 2020, the Office of 

Sustainability and the Lehigh Sustainability Council developed a College Level 

Sustainability Framework to guide colleges in incorporating sustainability into 
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academics, experiential learning, and research. In working with Library and 

Technology Services, a Teaching Sustainability Library Guide was also developed to 

assist faculty in incorporating sustainability into their classes. As part of Lehigh’s 

Climate Action Strategy development process, the Office of Sustainability, in 

collaboration with faculty, developed a class toolkit to assist faculty from all five 

colleges at Lehigh in integrating climate action into their classes. Lehigh also 

incorporated education and research opportunities into both of its off-site and on-site 

solar agreements.

As a premier research institution, Lehigh’s Energy Research Center finds solutions 

to national and global energy and energy-related problems by collaborating with 

federal, state, and local agencies, energy businesses, technology developers and 

suppliers, the research community, and academic institutions. Lehigh engineers are 

making cutting edge breakthroughs in technologies to produce green hydrogen. 

Lehigh’s Design lab team also took on an essential role early on during the COVID19 pandemic in printing 3D face shields.

Rhode Island

Barrington Middle School; Barrington, Rhode Island

Deep learning for global citizenship

Barrington Middle School (BMS) participates in the Barrington School Departments’ 

plan to manage energy use through the EPA Energy Star Portfolio Manager, and 

BMS achieves a 40% energy savings above International Energy Efficiency 

Certificate 2009 baseline requirements. The school uses high-efficiency fixtures. In 

addition, appliances are ENERGY STAR label. Landscaping was developed using 

durable native plantings that flourish without heavy maintenance or irrigation. 

Stormwater runoff from the school site was reduced by using low impact 

development best management practices that include rain gardens and sand filters.

The BMS recycling program has continued through the pandemic; composting, 

managed by volunteers, was temporarily put on hold. All paper is made from wood 

that came from a certified managed forest. All potentially hazardous materials are 

either kept in locked metal cabinets or in the locked maintenance shop. Maintenance 

staff use Green Seal cleaning products and practices. BMS has had an IPM plan in 

place since 2002, in accordance with EPA guidelines. The building has carbon 

monoxide, humidity, and ventilation detection devices in every classroom that 

monitor levels and adjust the amount of outside air being delivered to each space. 
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The building has an active radon mitigation system and is inspected for radon levels 

regularly.

Bike signage, bike parking, lighting, and wide bike paths were designed to 

encourage students to bike to school in all seasons. The school building committee 

conducted a post construction traffic study to further evaluate improvements to 

enhance pedestrian and bicycle access. The Town of Barrington continues to 

expand its Safe Routes to School and has taken on projects that make impactful 

connections from the school property to local bikeways. BMS also provides reserved 

parking for electric vehicles. No-idling signs are posted at the loading area in front of 

the main entrance to the building.

BMS works closely with Chartwells, the contractor that provides school breakfast 

and lunch. Throughout the school year, Chartwells works with local farms to 

purchase and incorporate farm-to-table food options when available. Chartwells 

creates campaigns so that families, staff, and students are aware of and celebrate 

these local foods. 

All students and staff are provided with opportunities to take daily walking breaks 

outdoors. In addition, the Health and Wellness Committee provides staff with 

information about wellness and physical activity best practices. All staff are trained in 

mindfulness and emotional intelligence. Working with Rhode Island Interlocal Trust, 

Barrington provides staff with a monthly calendar of events, activities, and 

challenges that range from walking challenges, water challenges, yoga, group and 

individual exercise, to courses on nutrition, cooking, and mental health. BMS has a 

full-time nurse, psychologist, and social worker on staff, in addition to a counselor for 

each grade level.

BMS has empowered students to take an active role in environmental literacy. BMS 

developed a Youth for Climate Action Group, whose student members codesign 

lessons with faculty. The group also reminds students and staff of climate change 

and what they can do to lower their environmental impact as a school community. 

Parents with expertise in climate and the environment visit and work with BMS 

students on environmental and sustainability issues. 

With the adoption of the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDG) and Deep 

Learning Competencies, students engage in project-based learning that involves 

positive environmental impact or helps the community. Some examples of Deep 

Learning projects include building earthquake-proof structures, evaluating objects 

that are made from synthetic materials, developing ways to use sustainable 

materials, and learning about environmental impacts. 
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Sustainability and environmental concepts are woven throughout the three years of 

middle school science. They are also evident in interdisciplinary lessons that focus 

on students’ deep understanding of the environment from a current events and 

scientific lens. In math, students use underwater mapping tools to measure the 

impact of use and climate change on the floor bottom of local water systems. 

The global classroom is used to 

communicate and livestream 

with environmental agencies 

and experts across the globe. 

The entrepreneurship teacher 

leads a UNSDG project in 

which students learn about 

upcycling and environmental 

impact; students then “sell” their 

upcycled product and explain 

the reasons why it helps the 

environment. Students also 

annually take tours of the 

nearby landfill and recycling 

center to see the impact of 

waste on the environment.

BMS installed outdoor classrooms, and the campus abuts wetlands that classes use 

for learning spaces. BMS uses the Rhode Island Department of Education School 

Building Authority’s School as Tool program to communicate to students, finding 

learning opportunities related to construction, energy efficiency, and sustainability. 

BMS partners with the Barrington Community Farm as one way to promote and 

participate in environmental and sustainable education. 

To a great extent, the school promotes and encourages students to conduct civic 

and community engagement projects. Each grade conducts projects and uses them 

to inform others. Some outcomes are removal of plastic trays and straws from 

school, composting at BMS, increased recycling, decreased paper consumption, the 

provision of socks and coats to homeless shelters, the donation of food products to 

local agencies, and the incorporation of speed monitors throughout town. In addition, 

BMS partners with New Pedagogies for Deep Learning: A Global Partnership, which 

focuses on global citizenship education and works on annual human impact projects.

This device was created and used by BMS 

students to check soil composition and activate a 

water pump.
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Portsmouth School Department; Portsmouth, Rhode Island

Outdoor learning across the school district

Portsmouth School Department (PSD) is a suburban school district located on the 

north end of Aquidneck Island in Rhode Island. The Navy base makes up a large 

part of the island, and the district welcomes military families whose children attend 

school in the district for one to three years at a time. With a total of 2,600 students, 

PSD is comprised of two elementary schools, one middle school, and one high 

school.

Since 2011, PSD has had an energy plan in place that covers the conservation of 

energy, from printing materials and lights to heating and cooling. PSD adheres to 

standards outlined in the Northeast Collaborative for High-Performance Schools;

ASHRAE Standard No. 90.1, the energy standard for buildings; and the Rhode 

Island Building Energy Code. New equipment purchased must carry the ENERGY 

STAR label as often as practical. PSD prohibits the purchase of low-efficiency 

products, including incandescent task lights, halogen torch lamps, and portable 

electrical resistance heaters. 

Portsmouth High School (PHS) is home to the district’s wind turbine, erected in 2009 

and a large producer of electricity in town. The district receives energy credits, which 

reduces its electricity bill. Hathaway Elementary School received a new energyefficient white roof in 2018. Melville Elementary School and PHS both received 

partial new roofs as well. The boilers have been replaced with ENERGY STAR highefficiency natural gas boilers at the two elementary schools and at PHS. In 2018, 

PHS underwent a $425,000 auditorium renovation, which included installing LED 

lights and PFC power supplies with auto standby to reduce power used.

The district’s water is monitored annually, as are radon and lead levels. All cleaning 

products are Green Seal certified. Cleaning products are dispensed through dosing 

machines that predilute the products, preventing overexposure while also assisting 

in water saving methods. A no-idling policy is in place districtwide. Pest mitigation is 

primarily accomplished through nonpesticide traps and cleaning. Natural products 

are used for the playground or athletic fields. Each classroom has an air purifier with 

H13 filters, and the building has HVAC systems that have new MERV13 filters. 

Since 2012, PSD has implemented an Indoor Air Quality Management Plan using 

through EPA’s Tools for Schools.

School gardens provide the ideal site for applied environmental education at the 

schools. Both elementary schools have been improving their outdoor learning

spaces for the last five years. Melville Elementary students, working with Eastern 
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Rhode Island Conservation District and high school seniors, installed a rain garden 

to help to control stormwater runoff and increase pollinator habitats. Teachers 

received a year of professional development from THRIVE Outside on how to use 

the outdoor spaces to teach all content. Hathaway Elementary, working with the 

Audubon Society, created an outdoor habitat, pavilion, and outdoor learning lab. 

Prompted by a high school 

student, PSD initiated recycling 

in 2011. In 2019, Hathaway 

Elementary School started a 

composting program. Then

both elementary schools and 

the middle school began with 

one grade of composting, 

gradually building to the entire 

school. Each school has 

designated student 

ambassadors who help 

navigate ways to compost even 

during the COVID-19 

pandemic. At all schools, water 

bottle filling stations have been 

installed since 2012. The PHS Green Club constructed waste stations for all district 

schools to help improve the sorting of recycling and landfill garbage. 

At the high school, the Green Club has been in place for nine years. Students lead 

beach cleanups, tree plantings, electronic waste collection drives, an annual Earth 

Day festival, and, more recently, helping to plan for Aquidneck Island Earth Week. 

The president of the Green Club designed an outdoor classroom for her senior 

project. Other PHS offerings include an on-site “orchard” with many species of trees 

offering opportunities for species identification and the use of the nearby town park 

“Ft. Butts” as a place for ecological research conducted by environmental science 

students. At PHS, there are a number of gardens planted in areas of high drainage 

from the school roof to reduce runoff.

PSD works with several local agencies, both during and after school. Audubon 

Society, Clean Ocean Access, Save the Bay, Thrive Outside, ERICD, and 

Portsmouth Historical Society are a few. The high school conducts an “Energy RI” 

field trip where students visit the wind turbines at the Narragansett Bay Commission, 

the Rhode Island Nuclear Science Center at the University of Rhode Island, and 

Newport Biodiesel. Outreach visitors from Clean Ocean Access and Aquidneck Land 

Trust visit annually to conduct presentations. During the Earth Day Fest, many local 

Both Portsmouth School Department 

elementary schools have outdoor learning 

centers where they teach all content classes as 

well as some of the specials like music and art. 
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companies and nonprofits set up exhibits, including Aquidneck Land Trust, Norman 

Bird Sanctuary, Clean Ocean Access, Sailors for the Sea, and Newport Biodiesel. 

The district received the Multi-Tiered System of Supports program to train 

administrators, faculty, and staff to support the academic and behavioral needs of all 

students. In addition, the schools adopted Choose Love, a social and emotional 

learning and character education program. At the elementary schools, common 

behavior expectations, Whale Done, and Golden Apple certificates highlight 

classrooms that are following the expectations. Students participate in Pennies for 

Patients and Jump Rope for Heart. 

The PSD is an active participant in the Rhode Island Interlocal Trust’s Health 

Matters Program, which is designed to promote innovative approaches to total 

worker health. Comprehensive on-site programming is available free of charge for all 

staff and includes physical activity classes; educational sessions on such topics as 

nutrition, well-being, and fitness; behavior change interventions; self-directed 

challenges; and awareness campaigns. One example is the Nourished! Six-week 

Weight Loss Challenge, which is offered in partnership with Rhode Island Nutrition 

Therapy and is designed to provide learning opportunities and activities on how to 

feed and fuel the body with wholesome, sustainably sourced nutritious foods. During 

the COVID-19 pandemic, PSD has continued to offer these wellness opportunities to 

all staff virtually. 

PSD’s food contractor, Chartwells, has a robust farm-to-school program that

features local produce such as apples, corn, potatoes, and squash. Chartwells 

obtains bread from a local company and collaborates with Farm Fresh Rhode Island

on various events such as harvest meals and food tastings. The middle school is 

home to a farm that, after its first harvest in 2021, intends to show students how to 

prepare nutritious food and donate one-third of the harvest to the food bank. The 

elementary schools have installed edible gardens as well.

PSD’s science curriculum incorporates environmental education aligned with NGSS. 

In kindergarten, students learn about what plants need in order to survive. At the 

high school, courses such as environmental science (both academic and AP), 

renewable energy, and oceanography are offered regularly. A nearby park is used 

for environmental science students to apply their knowledge to a real environmental 

setting. 

Portsmouth Middle School created an after-school club called Portsmouth Ag 

(Agriculture) Innovation where students planned and designed farmland on five

acres, featuring solar energy, composting, pollinator pathways, an outdoor pavilion,

and a high tunnel. During the COVID-19 pandemic, elementary students were given 
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two recesses and an allotted time for outdoor learning every day, a schedule PSD 

plans to continue.

Both elementary schools have an outdoor learning center where they teach all 

content classes and some of the specials, such as music and art. At the middle 

school, students get out to the farm, where they learn about sustainable farming, 

financial literacy to maintain a farm, and how applied math works when planning a 

farm. Students have worked with many environmental organizations. For example, 

Save the Bay hosts third grade students at their aquarium, and students then go on 

a seal watch. They learn about the structure and function of seals and how 

fishermen work with environmental organizations to maintain an equal food web.

Both elementary schools and the middle school have a Makerspace. In that space, 

students are engaged in STEM learning. At the end of each unit, students are given 

an engineering design challenge to solve using the content that they have been 

learning. For example, in second grade, students learn about erosion and the 

Earth’s surfaces. They are then tasked with ways to prevent landslides. In third and 

fifth grade, students learn about ecosystems and the food web and then try to see if 

they could grow food on Mars. In seventh grade, students learn about the ecosystem 

and then do a wetlands project. In eighth grade, students try to find ways to help 

reduce the amount of pollution in the world during a climate change engineering 

week.

Utah

Shadow Valley Elementary School; Ogden, Utah

Project-based learning about air quality

Shadow Valley Elementary School is nestled on the east bench of the Wasatch 

Front. The building was constructed in 2009 with the local community’s vision of an 

environmental science magnet school that teaches sustainable living, along with a 

strong science curriculum. The campus was built to LEED standards. The school 

exceeds energy code requirements by over 14%, due to design and layout factors of

minimizing west-facing windows, reducing internal electrical loads, installing energyefficient lighting, harvesting both sun and wind energy on-site, and employing highly 

efficient heating and cooling systems. 

Shadow Valley was designed to maximize water efficiency and uses 45% less water 

than schools constructed to normal standards. More than 28% of the school was 

constructed of recycled materials, such as structural metal, metal studs, concrete, 

acoustic ceiling tile, carpet, and ceramic tile. Over 44% of the materials used to build 
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Shadow Valley were manufactured within 500 miles of the school site, reducing 

environmental impact.

When the local municipal recycling program was suspended, students asked 

questions about the rationale for the service discontinuation and learned that there is 

a recycling crisis on national and global levels. They have since created projects to 

bring awareness to the issue and show the community ways to repurpose or reuse 

materials before recycling or disposing of them. They work to oversee and revamp 

the school’s recycling and composting programs. With the closure of water fountains 

due to COVID-19, Shadow Valley installed touchless water bottle refilling stations to

improve water quality, protect students and staff from surface germs, and reduce the 

consumption of single-use plastics.

Shadow Valley partners with senior Weber State University engineering students to 

design and build an electric green car to race in the Mountain West Grand Prix. This 

project, part of the United Kingdom’s Greenpower Education Trust global initiative, is 

part of the Utah Department of Energy’s program to educate Utah students and the 

community about alternative transportation solutions. Approximately 51% of Shadow 

Valley students ride the bus to school, and roughly 22% walk, bike, or carpool with 

other families. The school encourages alternative transportation by dedicating 

specific parking spaces to low emission vehicles, partnering with Bike Utah to 

educate and encourage students to ride their bikes to school and other destinations, 

and holding walk and bike to school events each year.

For a full week in late winter, Shadow Valley works to educate students and parents 

about the importance of reducing emissions, especially in months when air quality 

declines in Utah. In the COVID-19 environment, this began with a virtual assembly 

and continued with signs outside in drop-off and pickup zones to remind parents to 

be idle free. If parents turn off their engines, their student receives a small prize as 

they enter the school. In previous years, Shadow Valley’s Green Ambassadors 

conducted research to learn the impact of the idle-free initiative. They found that 

more than half of the cars avoided idling before the initiative but more than 75% of 

cars avoided idling two weeks after the initiative.

The student news group announces air quality each day. One sixth grade class is 

working on monitoring to test the air within the school and then research and test 

ways to improve the air quality. Pest management education includes students 

selecting animals and plants that naturally control and minimize pests without using 

harmful pesticides, as part of outdoor classrooms design. 

The school campus is located in a city park; the park was designed to slope into 

three tiers so stormwater would run down each tier and less irrigation would be 
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needed to maintain the lawn. The trees and plants on the school campus and park 

have been selected because they are native to the area and require minimal 

watering. The park features an outdoor classroom that was not clearly defined by the 

school or city, so that, in the first year the school and park opened, the outdoor 

classroom was not maintained, invasive plants grew, and the space became 

unusable. Subsequently, the STEM and environmental science teachers created a 

schoolwide multiyear problem-based learning project to improve the campus. 

Shadow Valley has been awarded grants to help assist in the design and renovation 

of the outdoor classroom. The teachers have also established relationships with 

community partners that include Ogden City, the Weber Basin Water Conservancy 

District, and Weber State University for assistance with this project. Students 

redesigned the outdoor classroom into four distinct areas. 

Teachers, supported 

by a school counselor 

and a behavior 

specialist, have 

adopted the Second 

Steps curriculum to 

support students’ social 

and emotional learning. 

It focuses on teaching 

mindfulness, 

compassion, empathy, 

and resiliency 

practices. Three times 

a year, students and 

faculty take a 

panorama survey to 

assess social, 

emotional, and learning 

needs in the school. 

Shadow Valley uses Let’s Move and Alliance for a Healthier Generation to assess 

physical activity and school lunch programs. The P.E. teacher offers yoga and 

meditation classes, designed for students and teachers who need healthy ways to 

cope with stress. A staff wellness representative leads teachers in monthly wellness 

challenges, with such themes as steps, stress, and nutrition. Staff yoga and walking 

groups are offered after school. 

Operating for over 11 years, the school has maintained its environmental focus 

through administration, faculty, and staff changes, by creating a curriculum that is 

Kindergarten students compare and contrast their experiences 

hatching chicken and trout eggs and growing seeds.
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based on environmental studies. Every subject covers some aspect of the 

environment and ways to solve environmental issues.

In addition, every student at Shadow Valley attends environmental science classes. 

The environmental science program focuses on educating students about the 

environment, as well as providing large and small project-based learning activities 

that attempt to solve environmental issues. Students in upper grades created 

science fair projects that focused on a topic that falls under the three green school 

pillars. Sixth grade students design acceptable composting procedures, indoor air 

quality initiatives, and alternative energy powered structure design. First through fifth 

graders create sustainable ecosystems and a habitat area for learning about native 

organisms. Kindergarten and special education students learn about the importance 

of recycling. They also “become” biologists to compare and contrast the growth and 

needs of different living organisms.

Annually, kindergarten students participate in the adopt a tree program, deepening 

their awareness of individual trees over time and encouraging a greater 

understanding and appreciation of their local environment. Fourth grade students 

learn about the science of energy and the importance of alternative energy. They 

study how wind turbines work and have been investigating ways to fix the school’s 

own wind turbine, recently broken in a storm.

During the COVID-19 shutdown, Shadow Valley used the opportunity to offer staff 

environmental science professional development with the theme “Getting Back to 

Going Green.” Each teacher completed a weekly online class that led them through 

such topics as the pillars of a green school, plans for the redesign and building of the 

outdoor classroom, and how to plan problem-based environmental science lessons 

aligned with state standards.

Virginia

Prince William County Public Schools; Manassas, Virginia

Challenging an entire division to make sustainability a priority

Prince William County Public Schools (PWCS), the second largest school division in 

Virginia, serves over 89,000 students in 96 schools. The 347-square-mile district 

comprised of urban and suburban areas serves a diverse population that includes 

72% minority students and 25% limited English proficient students. Forty-eight 

percent of the district’s students qualify for free and reduced-price lunch.
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In June 2020, the PWCS School Board passed a new Sustainability Initiative that 

brings the tenets of U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools to the 

forefront within the school division. Objectives include: 1) establishing standards for 

net-zero buildings; 2) establishing standards for procurement, installation, and 

operation of solar power systems; 3) recommending a standard for high 

performance building design specifications; 4) determining the feasibility of replacing 

all fossil fuel buses with electric; 5) establishing a sustainability advisory committee; 

6) participating with Prince William County in the creation of a countywide 

sustainability task force; 7) creating measurable standards for environmental 

literacy; and 8) increasing site-based participation in waste reduction. 

Established in 2012, the PWCS energy management program generates savings 

based on behavioral changes and operational strategic planning. EnergyCAP 

software is used to track energy, water, and greenhouse gas data; benchmark 

buildings; measure and verify savings; create budgets and forecasts; and submit 

building data to the ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager. PWCS has approved, and is 

currently procuring, building automation analytics and continuous commissioning for 

95 sites. PWCS is the first district in the nation partnered with the Lawrence Berkley 

National Labs to use a public-access, data-driven benchmarking tool. 

Since 2011, PWCS has built eight new elementary schools that earned LEED 

certification and is pursuing LEED certification for two schools currently under 

construction. Sixty PWCS sites have earned ENERGY STAR certification. PWCS is 

currently replacing the 30,000 existing fluorescent light fixtures with LED interior and 

exterior lighting in all schools, with an estimated $2 million in utility savings and a 

decrease in 3,600 metric tons of carbon. These energy conservation efforts have 

resulted in an average 24% decrease in utility costs, while the total square feet of 

the buildings have increased by 15%, for a total cost avoidance estimated at $48 

million. 

PWCS has replaced all sinks and toilets with low-flow and flush devices. All high 

schools have artificial turf fields to reduce water required, maximize playing time on 

the fields, and reduce the footprint of practice fields. Since 2012, all remodeled 

buildings have been provided with irrigation systems that limit water usage and 

overwatering. Since 2012, all eight of the newly constructed elementary schools 

have included installation of underground cisterns. These cisterns collect water from 

the roof and then store the water for use as irrigation, reducing the use of potable 

water for irrigation, along with the associated cost.

The division sponsors recycling events and assemblies to raise awareness. In 

September 2020, the school division was awarded a U.S. Department of Agriculture 

Community Composting and Food Waste Reduction grant, facilitating the initiation of 
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a pilot composting program. PWCS annually participates in two Safe Routes to 

School days. These activities bring schools and communities together as they enjoy 

sustainable transportation and physical activity. 

An aquatic center, recently constructed at one district school, is home to the PWCS 

Water Safety School. This program provides free swimming instruction to PWCS 

second grade students and utilizes the American Red Cross Learn-To-Swim 

curriculum. Approximately 10,000 students have participated in the program since 

the facility opened.

The PWCS program, BeWell, 

strives to provide world-class wellbeing to all PWCS staff through 

holistic wellness focused on 

physical, emotional, social, 

occupational, and financial health. 

Some supportive resources that 

BeWell offers are webinars, online 

challenges, health fairs, all 

focusing on the five pillars of the 

district’s well-being program.

PWCS purchases seasonal fruits 

and vegetables from Virginia farmto-school vendors. As part of the 

Farm-to-School initiative, second 

grade students participate in an 

annual corn-shucking contest every 

September. 

To promote a safe, healthy learning environment, each campus annually reviews 

and adheres to the preventive maintenance and monitoring plan administered by the 

PWCS Facilities Services department, for HVAC, building envelope, water quality 

and conservation, chemical safety, and moisture management.

PWCS has an IPM program that begins with maintaining clean buildings. The entire 

staff is involved with a goal of pest control without pesticides. If pest management is 

required, a work order is sent from the specific school and tracked. The IPM team 

uses such methods as trapping, screening, and caulking to control and eliminate 

pests. Steam cleaning and power washing are also often used to ensure the health 

and safety of the students and staff of PWCS. If the use of chemicals is necessary, 

they are EPA-approved and are applied after school hours.

Native plant gardens at Prince William County 

Public Schools are maintained by student green 

clubs, provide native species for a semi-annual 

plant sale, and are designed to provide food and 

shelter for pollinators and birds.
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In 2017, PWCS changed the cleaning strategy in all schools, using only four 

cleaning products – a hard surface disinfectant, odor eliminator, degreaser, and floor 

cleaner. As the products were distributed, each custodial station was equipped with 

a product mixing station, and staff were trained in the proper usage of the four 

products. Color-coded microfiber cloths are used, washed, and reused to reduce 

waste. In the cafeterias, kitchens, or wherever food is eaten, a food contact surface 

sanitizer is used. The implementation of these products has led to a reduction in 

water and chemical usage and resulted in a cleaner school environment.

Annually, since 2013, the division has hosted a sustainability summit to celebrate 

accomplishments and share best practices among PWCS schools. Led by the 

sustainability coordinators in each school, staff members and students from all 

schools collaborate, share activities, and explore new opportunities with community 

partners. The August 2020 summit was held virtually, due to COVID-19 limitations.

Every year since 2015, PWCS has hosted an annual Energy and Sustainability 

Challenge to support the activities of the Sustainability Coordinators, encourage 

student-led activities, and provide rebates for school sustainability programs. The 

Challenge guidelines require activities in a minimum of three curriculum areas, 

including energy conservation, waste reduction and recycling, and water 

conservation. The primary curriculum for the Challenge is based on Project Learning 

Tree (PLT) GreenSchools. Since inception, more than 280,000 students have 

participated.

In fall 2019, the PWCS Energy Management and Sustainability Team began 

developing environmental science activity books for elementary students in grades 

K-5. The first book of the five-part sustainability activity book series was published in 

the fall of 2019. The books are available to PWCS students, free of charge, either as 

digital flipbooks or as paper booklets. Students can learn about and engage in 

activities that explore conservation of resources and sustainability. 

At the elementary, middle, and high school levels, a required minimum of one 

MWEE enables students to participate in hands-on environmental learning about the 

Chesapeake Bay watershed. The goal is for every student to graduate with the 

knowledge and skills to act responsibly to protect and restore their local watershed. 

MWEE is organized into three phases, encompassing research and discussion, 

observation and data collection, and reflection and analysis. 

For the past 30 years, the Prince William Soil and Conservation District annually 

hosts Farm Field Days for PWCS at the Prince William Fairgrounds. Fourth grade 
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students rotate through seven barns, learning aspects of life on a farm, with handson lessons geared to meet Virginia Standards of Learning for science. 

Environmental science is taught at the ninth grade level at all county high schools. 

Students may take earth science, advanced earth science, AP environmental 

science, and IB environmental systems. Specialty programs include an 

environmental engineering career program; a Center for Environmental and Natural 

Sciences; and an Agriculture Program that encompasses horticulture, turf 

maintenance, and landscaping, among other subjects.

To support and engage students in STEM activities, PWCS has funded a robotics 

program for all grade levels since 2009. The FIRST LEGO League Challenge 

introduces scientific and real-world tasks for students to problem solve as a 

collaborative team every year. Environmental and sustainability challenge topics 

have included Climate Connections, Trash Trek, Animal Allies, and Hydrodynamics. 

Washington

Anderson Island Elementary; Anderson, Washington

No individual is an island – especially on an island

Anderson Island Elementary (AIE) is small, rural school within Steilacoom Historical 

School District, serving 22 students pre-K to third grade, 41% of whom qualify for 

free and reduced-price lunch. AIE strives to offer all students an equitable, handson, well-rounded education. 

AIE has implemented experiential and project-based learning for students. In just a 

few years, AIE transformed parts of the forest to an outdoor classroom, which was 

built with sustainable infrastructure and remains an interactive green space. 

Students access the outdoor classroom via a 1-mile walking path. The AIE school 

community also worked to restore the local creek, building up the ecosystem by 

raising and releasing salmon each year. The school transformed a former bicycle 

racing track into an outdoor amphitheater. A school garden is integrated into life and 

earth science, math, and nutrition education aligned with NGSS and Washington’s 

Environmental and Sustainability Education standards. In the 2018-2019 school 

year, AIE was Bronze certified with Washington Green Schools. 

The school focuses on educating staff and students on ways they can conserve 

energy within the school building and at their homes. They practice turning off lights 

and equipment when not in use and utilize daylight as a main source of light. AIE

recently replaced all lighting ballasts with high-efficiency bulbs to help reduce energy 
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consumption and eye strain. Recently installed exhaust fans help to properly 

circulate air, resulting in a reduced strain on heating and cooling systems and

improving air quality and ventilation.

An annual water quality report is used to help educate staff and students on water 

quality and conservation methods. Students are taught to rub soap on their hands, 

turn on the water to rinse, and immediately turn the water off again. As part of the

school’s partnership with Pierce County’s Environmental Education Department, AIE

received a water bottle filling station and fountain. Maintenance staff perform daily 

inspections on water faucets and toilets to ensure leaks are not causing damage to 

the building or wasting water. Low-flow water fixtures are installed throughout the 

campus. Because of its location in a community park, AIE collaborates with the 

island’s parks division on landscape design, use of natural resources, and 

preservation of materials. AIE and parks staff are working on a native plant garden.

AIE eliminated all nonreusable food service items, introducing reusable lunch trays, 

water bottles, condiment dispensers, utensils, to decrease the amount of waste sent 

to the landfill. Students developed a program for collecting and sorting recycling 

products to minimize recycling contamination. AIE began saving, donating, and 

composting food remains.

Anderson Island is a rural community without sidewalks. While there are safety 

concerns about walking and biking, students are encouraged to ride the bus and 

carpool. The loading and unloading area is at least 25 feet from building air intakes, 

doors, and windows to ensure that staff and students have clean air to breathe in the 

building. 

At AIE and districtwide, there is a strong focus on social and emotional health. Staff 

receive training in neural education, Zones of Regulation, mindfulness, and 

restorative and inclusive practices. The school uses a Green Seal certified cleaning 

product called Envirox and has put plans into place for chemical management, air 

quality, asthma triggers, and pest management.

AIE has also worked hard to ensure that there are safe, healthy, sustainable

grounds, creating new play areas, a walking track, and a large green space for 

multipurpose play. Embracing the weather, students go outside every day, rain or 

shine. P.E. is always outside. Students are active members of the AIE Mileage Club, 

setting and meeting goals of physical fitness. 

AIE aims to have students and staff spend as much time outside as possible – in the

garden, at the beach, visiting the outdoor classroom, or walking through the woods. 

Students participate in annual field trips to beaches for water quality testing and 
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habitat exploration and to a nearby hands-on science museum. As a micro school, 

AIE students can undertake environmental and sustainability related projects that 

interest them through project-based learning opportunities and designated “genius 

hours.” 

The school garden provides food for students seasonally. Students are active 

contributors to the garden’s success, preparing and testing the soil, maintaining its 

quality, starting seeds, planting the starts, and maintaining the perfect environment 

for them as they grow. Students then also harvest the crops and prepare the soil for 

the next season. AIE partners with the local community to educate students about 

healthy foods and gardening. A representative from the Pierce County 

Environmental Education Department visits AIE to copresent lessons to students 

and provide teachers with materials and lesson plans to guide them in the study of 

compost, worms, and gardens.

AIE educators teach math in the form of direction finding, calculating tree age, and 

looking for geometric shapes within plants. Nature provides a great medium for art –

students craft bird houses, create natural ornaments, and discuss texture and shape 

in plants. On Anderson Island, students learn science as they experience it,

discussing habitats, ecosystems, earth systems, plants, clouds, weather, seasons, 

native species, and forests. 

Anderson Island Elementary students participate in investigations, including benthic 

and shore crab surveys, a lesson on invertebrates, and a sound map.
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AIE is in the process of adopting a new science curriculum, Amplify, that aligns with 

the K-12 NGSS. Each unit engages students in relevant, real-world problems in 

which they investigate scientific phenomena, engage in collaboration and 

discussion, and develop models and explanations to arrive at solutions. AIE also 

aims to provide students with hands-on exposure outside of the curriculum. For 

example, an AIE teacher adopted a cow for her classroom and, in partnership with 

the American Dairy Association and Discover Dairy, she and her students do math, 

science, and reading related to their dairy cow; they were able to take a virtual farm 

tour and meet farmers who live on a dairy farm in Minnesota. In the school’s

engineering lab, students are challenged to build structures that serve an 

environmental purpose.

Wisconsin

Helen R. Godfrey University Child Learning and Care Center; Stevens 

Point, Wisconsin

Nature-based and Reggio-inspired

The Helen R. Godfrey-University Child Learning and Care Center (UCLCC) is a 

community location for 4- and 5-year-old kindergarteners in the Stevens Point Area 

School District, in addition to providing child care for children from birth to age four. 

UCLCC is a nature-based and Reggio-inspired educational and training site that 

collaborates with partners throughout the University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point 

and the community. Forty percent of students are socioeconomically disadvantaged.

A UCLCC partnership with the university’s Office of Sustainability has resulted in an 

aggressive effort to conduct composting and waste management practices. UCLCC

has two vermicomposting units that allow children to learn about food waste and 

what they can feed the worms. Children then use the worm castings in the school 

garden during the spring and summer months. UCLCC recycles paper, glass, 

metals, plastic containers, ink cartridges, cell phones, milk and juice cartons, 

batteries, and food waste. UCLCC uses paper that is 30% post-consumer waste, 

and 90% of paper used for art projects is donated by companies that would have 

otherwise destroyed it.

Clothing and toy swaps provide needed items for families, while keeping these out of 

landfills. Materials, such as paper towels rolls and baby food jars, are reused for 

classroom projects or recycled. UCLCC is also a drop-off site for small electronic 

recycling and ink cartridges and participates in the “SoleMate” shoe recycling 

program. A certified Breastfeeding Friendly Childcare Program, UCLCC supports 

and encourages breastfeeding, which reduces the environmental impact of formula 
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use. UCLCC also supports families that choose to use cloth diapers. Each family 

brings in a reusable water bottle for their child, and staff keep them clean and filled. 

When possible, staff utilize reusable washcloths and towels in lieu of paper.

UCLCC has installed and upgraded to efficient and sustainable lighting, flooring, and 

appliances. A recent bathroom remodel provided new sinks, as well as soap, towel, 

and toilet paper dispensers that encourage the conservation of resources. UCLCC 

conducts annual audits of the facility and irrigation systems to ensure they are free 

of water leaks and to identify opportunities for conservation. Taps, faucets, and 

fountains at UCLCC are cleaned at least twice annually to reduce contamination,

and screens and aerators are cleaned at least annually to remove particulate lead 

deposits.

In each room, there is a child whose designated job is to turn off the lights when 

everyone leaves the classroom. Rather than always having the fluorescent overhead 

lights on, teachers utilize natural light that comes in through the windows as much as 

possible. In addition, all lamps in the classroom use energy-efficient light bulbs.

UCLCC has an IPM program and does not use pesticides. It employs a 

comprehensive indoor air quality management program that is consistent with the 

EPA’s Indoor Air Quality Tools for Schools. During hours of operation, dish soap and 

sanitizing and disinfecting bleach solutions are the only cleaning supplies utilized.

UCLCC conducts walking field trips, both on and off campus. To encourage walking 

and rolling drop-offs, the center offers bike racks and daytime stroller storage. As a 

result, many UCLCC children bike or walk to school with their families, and nearly all 

student aides walk or ride their bikes to work. Children also participate in the 

“Babblers Bike Fest,” a fun local event highlighting the community impact of riding 

bikes, including the social, environmental, and health benefits. Teachers utilize playbased, experiential learning to teach and discuss transportation with the children.

Children are offered time to walk over to the campus gym every week. At the gym, 

they are given toys, tools, and a safe space to develop their gross motor skills. 

Physical education majors from the university work with three- and four-year-old 

students; the college students practice simple lesson plans and teaching while the 

UCLCC students develop important cognitive and physical skills. All students spend 

at least one hour at a time on the playground at least twice per day. In the summer 

months, the children spend as much time outdoors as possible.

Teachers use the conscious discipline strategy of “Brain Start Smart” as a way to 

foster wellness. This evidence-based tool encourages both adults and children to 

improve social and emotional wellness and create a healthy classroom community. 
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Children learn self-awareness so that they can respond consciously to the needs of 

the moment, such as taking deep breaths when feeling overwhelmed.

Meals are catered by the Dreyfus University Center, which uses locally sourced, 

sustainable food products whenever possible. The campus garden is used as an 

outdoor classroom where students learn about cultivating food. They learn about 

alternative energy through the solar panels on the hoop house that power the 

ventilation system. The children also grow items in UCLCC’s classroom garden 

during the spring and summer months. They learn how to care for the garden and 

are offered the food that they grow. 

UCLCC believes in learning 

from the natural 

environment. Instead of 

plastic equipment, the 

school has a natural 

playscape, made of 

environmentally sustainable 

materials, repurposed from 

other areas of the campus. 

Children spend about 50% 

of their time at the center 

investigating the outside 

world. Eco-friendly artificial 

turf eliminates the need to 

water the grounds. A 

garden utilizes compost 

from the center as well as 

compost from a local 

organic farm, and both the 

UCLCC garden and 

playground are free of 

pesticides. 

In the outdoor classroom,

the children’s interests drive 

a play-based approach to 

environmental STEM 

exploration throughout the day. They learn about water and mud play at a sensory 

table. Large blocks, logs, and rocks are used to create complex structures. Themed 

focus boxes guide learning about specific environmental topics, such as trees, birds, 

insects, and water. Students participate in nature walks with books and use 

UCLCC children go on walking field trips to visit 

nearby green spaces. One of the favorite 

destinations is Schmeeckle Reserve in Stevens 

Point, where college students teach young children.
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scientists’ tools, including paper, clipboards, microscopes, magnifying glasses, and 

binoculars. Playground activity cards provide staff with inspiration for large and small 

group engagement, encouraging the children’s connection to STEM, the 

environment, and sustainability education. 

UCLCC’s university campus location offers a wealth of field trip possibilities. The 

children visit the Schmeeckle Nature Reserve, where the younger children observe 

nature around them, and the older children learn about animal habitats and 

conservation. The children also play gross motor games in the nature reserve. 

UCLCC children frequently visit the natural history museum, Boston School Forest, 

the campus botanical garden, and the sculpture garden.

UCLCC staff receive professional development, including Green & Healthy Schools 

Wisconsin workshops, the Midwest Renewable Energy Fair, and farm to school 

summits. Teachers rely on such programs as Project Wild and Project Learning Tree 

to enhance their curriculum.

Starms Early Childhood Center; Milwaukee, Wisconsin

A natural center of the community

Starms Early Childhood Center (SECC), part of Milwaukee Public Schools, has 

grown from implementing simple programs, such as recycling in classrooms, to 

embedding principles of the Three Pillars of ED-GRS into the school curriculum and 

culture. The SECC building is over 100 years old and located in a central urban city 

where it serves 278 3- through 5-year-old kindergarten students, 88% of whom

identify as Black, 6% as Hispanic, and 3% with two or more races/ethnicities. Ninetyfive percent of students come from socioeconomically disadvantaged households. 

In 2019, SECC completed a multiyear holistic schoolyard redevelopment project. 

The new schoolyard allows SECC to teach environmental themes, conservation, and 

cross-curricular lessons that emphasize careers. Through the project, SECC 

removed 12,200 square feet of asphalt and installed green infrastructure features 

that manage 42,430 gallons of stormwater per rain event. SECC is committed to 

saving water, learning about the environment, and reducing its carbon footprint. With 

the help of partners at Neighborhood House, a community center, SECC staff have

aligned the district-assigned curriculum, Frog Street, and on- and off-site 

environmental education programs into daily teaching and learning. Children are 

taught to reduce, reuse, and recycle through many schoolwide initiatives that 

encourage the reduction of waste, both in school and in students’ homes.
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SECC accepts gently used donations from families and staff, which are given to 

others in need and used in a clothing size exchange program for families with 

growing children. SECC created a recyclable room where children and staff can put 

the recyclables they collect to be reused for art projects and as learning materials. 

The school also composts food waste, engages in vermicomposting, and contributes

to the Crayola marker and Trex recycling programs. For its participation, SECC has 

been rewarded with a garden box, planter box, and a full-sized bench from the Trex 

recycling program.

SECC has automatic faucets. Outside, a bioswale has been installed to collect and 

filter water from permeable surface and runoff from the staff parking lot. SECC 

worked with the school district and community partner, Reflo, to install an 

aboveground cistern to harvest rainwater and add an additional rain garden, both of 

which are used as teaching tools. 

School gardens consist of native plants, perennials, annuals, and different varieties 

of bulbs, which are tended to and explored by the children. The raised vegetable 

beds are cultivated, planted, tended, and harvested with the help of students, staff, 

family members, and volunteers. Moveable tree trunk small-group stations, 

toadstools, planter pots, and a student-sized picnic bench enable children to be 

immersed in the beauty of the garden. 

With support from the City of Milwaukee Forestry Department, SECC has planted an 

arboretum on campus containing 30 varieties of trees. Twenty-five bird houses were 

installed and decorated with shapes, letters, and numbers so children can go on 

observation hunts. SECC uses green cleaning products; has installed energy 

recovery ventilation systems; tests for radon; and inspects monthly for mold, 

moisture, and water leakage.

SECC is a citywide school with many students arriving by bus. The district has 

established a no-idling policy for vehicles, with signs posted. Community field trips 

within walking distance are taken as much as possible, public transportation is 

utilized, and bus sharing is highly encouraged.

SECC has conducted an energy audit and receives a score of 91 in ENERGY STAR 

Portfolio Manager. The lights throughout the school are labeled with reminders to 

turn them off when leaving, and partial lights are used to conserve energy and 

create calm.

The school’s Frog Street and Second Step curricula include opportunities to identify 

emotions and feelings while students learn to manage them. Children are taught 

self-regulation and calming strategies though practice and adult examples. 
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Strategies include self-talk, empathy lessons, breathing techniques, meditation, and 

yoga. Staff are given the opportunity to practice self-care skills through such 

techniques as yoga, wellness and healthy cooking classes; exercise challenges; and 

monthly mindfulness training. 

Physical wellness is 

supported by a full-time 

nurse, the Fresh Fruit and 

Veggie Program, and brain 

breaks. Winter weather gear,

including boots, coats, 

mittens, hats, and scarves,

are provided on-site so that 

all children can experience 

outdoor winter activities.

Partnerships have been 

established with Aurora 

Health Care, the Social 

Development Commission, 

the Milwaukee Police 

Department, Bell 

Ambulance, the Milwaukee 

Fire Department, local 

secondary schools, and the 

Hilton Corporation. Volunteers read to the students, support learning opportunities, 

lead schoolwide projects, maintain and assist with gardens, and attend schoolwide 

events. 

SECC has designed and implemented an environmental curriculum for ages 3-5 that 

scaffolds from the previous year. This ensures that children are learning outdoors 

using developmentally appropriate practices, guided by the Wisconsin Model Early 

Learning Standards and Common Core standards, that incorporate imaginative play, 

conversation, and environmental exploration. An ongoing partnership with the 

Neighborhood House of Milwaukee, a local community center, supported SECC’s 

transition to virtual learning with nature time programming. 

Environmental education is embedded into SECC’s curriculum through classroom 

displays focused on conservation or environmental justice themes and by exploring 

daily water use and learning in the schoolyard with the Outdoor Discovery Cart. 

Students visit nature centers, parks, and museums and participate in maple 

sugaring, animal tracking, and park cleanups.

Starms Early Childhood Center children engage in 

outdoor exploration moving wood pieces, designing 

walkways, and creating and building different structures 

through loose parts play. 
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Clement Avenue School; Milwaukee, Wisconsin 

Safe biking for all

Clement Avenue School’s (CAS) mission is to conserve, teach, and encourage 

healthier choices, both environmentally and physically. CAS, part of Milwaukee 

Public Schools, serves 406 students in 4-year-old kindergarten through eighth 

grade, 77% of whom are minority and 72% of whom qualify for free and reducedprice lunch. The CAS green team, made up of staff members and families of 

students, maintains the momentum of the campus redevelopment project and 

develops a school and community culture focused on environmental sustainability. 

The CAS redevelopment project can manage over 88,000 gallons of stormwater 

every time it rains. The school has removed approximately 22,000 square feet of 

asphalt and has replaced it with green space and a mixed-use recreation and 

educational space. Because of CAS’s successful school garden program, the school 

now has a new outdoor classroom with a rainwater harvesting system that helps 

reduce flooding and basement backups in the neighborhood, reduce combined 

sewer overflows, and improve the water quality in local rivers and Lake Michigan. It 

also serves as an opportunity for creative STEAM student and community 

engagement.

The school has installed efficient light and faucet fixtures, occupancy sensors, and 

computer power management systems and relies on natural daylighting whenever 

possible. CAS has begun working with a local company, called Compost Crusader,

to divert organic material from the landfill in an economically and environmentally 

sustainable way. Student breakfast containers, including wrapping, cereal bowls, 

and milk cartons, are rinsed and recycled. Plastic and aluminum containers are 

saved for the art teacher or for use in the classroom for holding supplies.

CAS has worked closely with community organizations to bring outdoor physical 

activities to life. The physical education teacher teaches an annual unit on biking to 

encourage safely engaging in this outdoor activity, partnering with Safe Kids 

Southeast Wisconsin Lead Agency, the Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin, the 

Milwaukee County Sheriff's Office, the City of Milwaukee Fire Department, COA 

Youth & Family Centers, the American Cancer Society, and Wisconsin Health and 

Physical Education. CAS teams up with the Wisconsin Bike Federation to offer 

additional bike and pedestrian classes that prepare students for the bike/run to 

school day. The addition of bike racks assists with the promotion of a healthy, active 

lifestyle.
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The new CAS playground provides workout stations throughout the structure. A 

brightly painted traffic garden provides riding lanes and opportunities for students to 

learn bike safety and traffic rules on the schoolyard. In addition, natural play features 

support gross motor activities such as climbing and balancing. The grassy area is 

used for mindfulness activities and community soccer. Buddy Benches and social 

seating areas help promote social health and problem-solving. 

CAS is an entrance way to Tippecanoe Park, part of the Milwaukee County Parks 

system, located just southeast of the building. CAS embraces the community not 

only as stakeholders in the renovation of the playground but also as active explorers 

and users of the area. Inclusivity is at the heart of CAS, a one-level school on a

public transit bus line, allowing people who use wheelchairs or walkers the ability to 

use the facility and grounds. 

The gardens continue to impact students and the community by promoting healthy 

eating. Students take part in managing what is planted, learn about the vegetation, 

and harvest what is there to use in recipes. CAS is one of 50 schools that serve as a 

site for anyone 18 or older in Milwaukee Public Schools to pick up breakfast and 

lunch daily, as well as weekly fresh produce to feed entire families. Each produce 

bag is paired with nutrition facts, a cooking video, and recipes. 

Each week the school psychologist and social worker prepare social-emotional and 

wellness activities for families to practice. These are delivered weekly in an 

electronic school newsletter and through ClassDojo. Staff are offered yoga, 

mindfulness, and fitness classes. CAS encourages students to be physically active 

outdoors by offering turkey trot and jingle fun runs.

Students at CAS are immersed in environmental education, with integration across 

all grade levels and subject areas. Each year the early childhood classrooms 

participate in a butterfly life cycle program. One early childhood classroom is home 

to an aquaponics setup using tetra fish and mollies to grow kale and herbs. The 

older students help grow the plants and maintain the garden beds with the help of 

the school community and neighborhood around Clement Avenue. The second and 

third graders become Animal Ambassadors through a partnership with the 

Milwaukee County Zoo. Students study the ecosystem around them as well as how 

a city works. Fifth grade students learn about the water cycle using the green space 

and cistern. 

In middle school, students plan community spaces in their design of cities. Students 

can volunteer by caring for butterfly gardens, planting, weeding, watering, and 

composting. The school uses every opportunity available to integrate environmental 

learning, including through an annual plant, compost, and rain barrel sale. Staff 
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members participate in the local green schools conference to learn and share about 

outdoor learning, school gardens, sustainability, and schoolyard redevelopment.

CAS served as a pilot school when Reflo and the Green Schools Consortium of 

Milwaukee were developing the EcoLiteracy Challenge. The EcoLiteracy Challenge 

provides a variety of resources, activities, and curricular connections that engage 

youth in environmental education and in sustainability focused learning opportunities 

while building a culture of environmental stewardship. The EcoLiteracy Challenge 

Activity Menu was shared with families to engage them in environmental education 

and sustainability activities.

Students and their families have volunteered at the Bay View Bash, known as 

“Milwaukee’s Greenest Festival,” to learn while literally getting their hands dirty 

sorting trash, recycling, and composting, with the aim of earning funds toward the 

school’s playground renovation.

University of Wisconsin – Madison; Madison, Wisconsin

The bike capital of the Midwest

The University of Wisconsin – Madison (UW-Madison) has a deep legacy of 

environmental stewardship: such pioneering figures as Aldo Leopold and Gaylord 

Nelson rooted their careers at the university, and today UW-Madison continues to be 

a leader in environment- and sustainability-related research, education, and 

Clement Avenue School transformed its schoolyard from asphalt to a sustainable 

outdoor classroom to benefit students and the watershed.
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operations. UW-Madison signed Second Nature’s Resilience Commitment in 2019, 

pledging to create an institutional Climate Action Plan. UW-Madison is a 

Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System Silver rated institution and is 

listed in the Sierra Club Guide to Cool Schools and Princeton Review Guide to 

Green Colleges every year.

UW-Madison has documented a 38% decrease in greenhouse gas emissions and a 

20% decrease in potable water consumption over 10 years, while increasing gross 

square footage of building space by 18.5% and seeing the campus population

increase by 7%. The majority of buildings on the UW-Madison campus are heated 

and cooled using natural gas. Facility improvements, such as lighting retrofits, utility 

infrastructure improvements, and building HVAC updates, have saved over $44

million in energy costs in the past 10 years. Approximately 10% of UW-Madison’s 

electricity use is offset by the purchase of Renewable Energy Certificates. UWMadison also generates renewable electricity on its main campus through multiple 

rooftop solar photovoltaic systems and rooftop solar hot water systems and has 

partnered with its local electricity provider to support the development of the largest 

solar array in Dane County. 

The Environmental and Occupational Health Program assesses and monitors water 

quality on campus. UW-Madison uses a number of IPM principles, such as planting 

native species, using physical controls as the first approach to pest management, 

and strictly monitoring and sampling soils prior to any fertilizing to reduce the need 

for fertilizer application. Campus Planning & Landscape Architecture employs rain 

gardens, permeable pavement, green roofs, stormwater ponds, cisterns, and 

underground detention systems to infiltrate, evapotranspirate, or reuse stormwater to 

benefit campus users and the environment. Sustainability goals are included in the 

Campus Master Plan.

From 2007 to 2018, the university reduced total waste by 13% per campus user, and 

in 2018 diverted 43% of campus waste from the landfill. Efforts encompass surplus 

procurement; using food waste to make compost, liquid fertilizer, and biogas; and 

recycling. 

With 16,000+ bike parking spots, a bicycle resource center for do-it-yourself repairs,

bicycle-related classes, bicycle air and repair stations across campus, and a 

platinum-level bike friendliness rating from the League of American Bicyclists, UWMadison can be considered the biking capital of the Midwest. Alternative 

transportation promotion encompasses carpools and vanpools, bike sharing, and 

discounted city bus passes.
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UW-Madison is proud to be recognized by the Human Rights Campaign as a 

Transgender Inclusive Benefits University and offers comprehensive student health 

and employee assistance services. The Center for Healthy Minds works to cultivate 

well-being and relieve suffering for people of all backgrounds and ages through a 

scientific understanding of the mind. The Bandana Project is designed to spread 

awareness about mental health resources. 

The Campus Food Shed distributes fresh 

produce that would otherwise be thrown 

away to several fridges located 

conveniently on the UW-Madison campus. 

The food is made available at no cost to

students, faculty, and staff. The Open 

Seat, the university’s student food pantry, 

distributes food from Second Harvest 

Food Bank. Students for Sustainable 

Agriculture has among its projects a 1.75-

acre farm at Eagle Heights, where 

students learn organic and sustainable 

gardening techniques, producing 

approximately 2,900 pounds of vegetables, fruit, flowers, and herbs each growing 

season. Most of the produce is distributed free of charge to the campus community 

at Harvest Handouts.

A university working group partners with the Native Nations in Wisconsin to improve 

health services, preserve the environment, develop local economies, strengthen 

families, and expand educational opportunities. Some of its efforts include a 

watershed education program that combines outdoor education with native culture; a 

partnership between the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences with the 

Menominee and Oneida Nations to develop collaborations for science education; 

offering culturally relevant climate literacy by integrating traditional ecological 

knowledge; and a community-based, multimodal early childhood intervention that 

addresses childhood obesity. 

The UW-Madison Arboretum includes more than 17 miles of trails through restored 

prairies, savannas, woodlands, and wetlands. The Lakeshore Nature Preserve is a 

300-acre natural area on the main campus situated on the south shore of Lake 

Mendota that is home to a plethora of native plants and animals. Both function as 

spaces for learning, research, and recreation for the campus and the community.

The Wisconsin Hoofers is the outdoors club at UW-Madison, providing instruction 

and excellence in outdoor recreation. Outdoor UW serves as an outlet to the 

UW-Madison students participate in a 

collegiate sailing competition hosted by 

the Wisconsin Hoofers Club.
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outdoors for the campus community, providing recreation rentals, educational 

opportunities, and experiences.

The Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies is host to interdisciplinary programs 

and research that help to solve challenging environmental issues while also training 

leaders and innovators. The environmental studies major offers an interdisciplinary 

curriculum that spans all contemporary disciplines that touch upon the environment. 

The Environmental Studies Certificate program offers a unique opportunity for 

undergraduate students to broaden their studies through interdisciplinary 

coursework related to the environment. The Sustainability Certificate offers students 

the opportunity to pursue sustainability interests that complement their major(s). 

The Engineering for Energy Sustainability Certificate offers undergraduate students 

a suite of courses addressing energy sustainability. The Community Environmental 

Scholars Program is designed for students who want to link their passion for the 

environment with a commitment to the community. The Sustainability Course 

Attribute allows for easy identification of coursework that relates to sustainability. 

As one of the world’s top research universities, UW-Madison produced the most 

climate change research of any Midwestern university from 2014-2018 and 

generated over $459 million in funding for sustainability-related research in fiscal 

year 2020. The Center for Climatic Research brings together leading climate 

scientists to investigate climate and its implications for 21st-century climate change.

The Center for Culture, History and Environment supports multidisciplinary 

environmental research and learning by fostering collaborations. The Center for 

Sustainability and the Global Environment examines the connections between 

natural resources, technology, policy, human health, security, and changes in the 

global environment. The Wisconsin Energy Institute is led by scientists and 

engineers committed to crossing traditional research boundaries to make major 

breakthroughs in the way society sources and uses energy. 

UW-Madison is host to a wide range of sustainability-related student organizations. 

Campus Leaders for Energy Action Now consists of dedicated students from 

different backgrounds and majors who wish to transition the university away from 

fossil fuel-dependent energy. The Ethical and Responsible Business Network 

focuses on educating students and businesses on the ways sustainability and 

profitability go hand in hand. HELIOS advocates for more sustainable infrastructure 

at UW-Madison and educates community members on the importance of a 

sustainable future. 

The UW-Madison Green Fund offers financial and administrative support for studentinitiated projects that address the environmental footprint, social impact, and 
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operating costs of campus facilities. The Sustainability Advisory Council develops

recommendations for the provost and the vice chancellor for finance and 

administration on how to advance sustainability at UW-Madison. Campus 

sustainability events include Sustain-a-Bash, an outdoor expo featuring dozens of 

sustainability-related organizations, departments, and local businesses, and Earth 

Week celebrations. Sustainably themed learning communities and an Office of 

Sustainability internship offer additional opportunities for learning outside of the 

classroom.
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Acknowledgments

Over the past year, ED employees Kathrina Bridges, Kate Devine, Laurette Crum, 

Lizbeth Perez, and Bernice Williams have pitched in to keep this project running.

This program would not be feasible without their invaluable assistance.

Of course, this entire award would not be possible without the participation of some 

30 state educational agencies and their hardworking partners that have built their 

own green teams to oversee statewide competitions that select schools, districts, 

and postsecondary institutions to nominate to ED. They are a dedicated group of 

facilities, health, and environmental education professionals who support the work of 

the schools, districts, and postsecondary institutions in states across the nation.

Finally, thanks to Adam Honeysett, ED’s director of state and local engagement, for 

his unfailing support of ED-GRS and its director.
The Department of Education’s mission is to promote student achievement and 

preparation for global competitiveness by fostering educational excellence and 

ensuring equal access.

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