Green ribbon schools 2012 highlights

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U.S. Department of

Green Ribbon

Highlights F ro m the

Honorees

2012

Blog: http://www.ed.gov/blog/tag/green-

ribbon-schools/

Webpage:

http://www2.ed.gov/programs/green-

ribbon-schools/index.html

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Education

Schools:

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U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools, 2012

Contents

Introduction 5..............................................................................................................................................................

Winners at a Glance .............................................................................................................................................. 7

Alabama 8...................................................................................................................................................................

Munford Elementary School, Munford, AL...................................................................................................... 8

Winterboro High School, Talladega, AL.......................................................................................................... 8

Arizona..................................................................................................................................................................... 9

The STAR School, Flagstaff, AZ ...................................................................................................................... 9

Roadrunner Elementary School, Phoenix, AZ ............................................................................................... 9

Arkansas.................................................................................................................................................................. 9

Acorn School, Mena, AR................................................................................................................................... 9

Bureau of Indian Education 10

.................................................................................................................................

Circle of Nations-Wahpeton Indian School, Wahpeton, ND 10

.......................................................................

California 10

................................................................................................................................................................

Longfellow Elementary School, Long Beach, CA ........................................................................................ 10

Environmental Charter High School, Lawndale, CA ................................................................................... 11

Grand View Elementary, Manhattan Beach, CA 11

..........................................................................................

The Athenian School, Danville, CA 11

................................................................................................................

Colorado ................................................................................................................................................................ 12

Flagstone Elementary School, Castle Rock, CO......................................................................................... 12

Denver Green School, Denver, CO ............................................................................................................... 12

Wellington Middle School, Wellington, CO ................................................................................................... 12

D.C. ........................................................................................................................................................................ 13

Stoddert Elementary, NW ............................................................................................................................... 13

Sidwell Friends School, NW 13

............................................................................................................................

Florida .................................................................................................................................................................... 14

Learning Gate Community School, Lutz, FL ................................................................................................ 14

Pine Jog Elementary, West Palm Beach, FL ............................................................................................... 14

Terra Environmental Institute, Miami, FL ...................................................................................................... 15

Georgia .................................................................................................................................................................. 15

Arabia Mountain High School, Lithonia, GA ................................ ................................................................. 15

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Springdale Park Elementary, Atlanta, GA 15.....................................................................................................

Savannah Country Day School, Savannah, GA .......................................................................................... 16

Hawaii .................................................................................................................................................................... 16

Ewa Makai Middle School, Ewa Beach......................................................................................................... 16

Hawaii Preparatory Academy, Kamuela, HI ................................................................................................. 16

Illinois ..................................................................................................................................................................... 17

Academy for Global Citizenship, Chicago, IL............................................................................................... 17

Thomas J. Waters Elementary, Chicago, IL................................................................................................. 17

Prairie Crossing Charter School, Grayslake, IL ........................................................................................... 18

Iowa ........................................................................................................................................................................ 18

Des Moines Central Campus High School, Des Moines, IA ...................................................................... 18

Kansas ................................................................................................................................................................... 19

Eisenhower High School, Goddard, KS ........................................................................................................ 19

Erie High School, Erie, KS .............................................................................................................................. 19

Brookwood Elementary, Leawood, KS 20

..........................................................................................................

Kentucky ................................................................................................................................................................ 20

Rosa Parks Elementary, Lexington, KY........................................................................................................ 20

Georgetown Middle School, Georgetown, KY 20

..............................................................................................

Richardsville Elementary, Bowling Green, KY ............................................................................................. 21

Maryland ................................................................................................................................................................ 21

Dunloggin Middle School, Ellicott City, MD .................................................................................................. 21

Francis Scott Key Middle School, Silver Spring, MD .................................................................................. 22

Folger McKinsey Elementary School, Severna Park, MD .......................................................................... 22

Lucy School, Middletown, MD ........................................................................................................................ 22

Michigan 23

.................................................................................................................................................................

Clarkston High School, Clarkston, MI 23

............................................................................................................

Detroit Edison Public Service Academy, Detroit, MI ................................................................................... 23

Minnesota .............................................................................................................................................................. 24

Garlough Environmental Magnet School, West Saint Paul, MN ............................................................... 24

Kennedy Community School, Saint Joseph, MN ......................................................................................... 24

North Shore Community School, Duluth, MN 25

...............................................................................................

Missouri 25

..................................................................................................................................................................

Crossroads College Prep, Saint Louis, MO.................................................................................................. 25

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The College School, Saint Louis, MO ........................................................................................................... 26

Nebraska ............................................................................................................................................................... 26

Lothrop Science and Technology Magnet, Omaha, NE ............................................................................. 26

Miller Park Elementary, Omaha, NE 26..............................................................................................................

New Jersey 27

............................................................................................................................................................

Bernard High School, Bernardsville, NJ 27

........................................................................................................

Midtown Community Elementary, Neptune, NJ ........................................................................................... 27

Alder Avenue Middle School, Egg Harbor Township, NJ ........................................................................... 28

The Willow School............................................................................................................................................ 28

New York ............................................................................................................................................................... 29

Hampton Bays Middle School, Hampton Bays, NY 29

.....................................................................................

Sleepy Hollow Middle School, Sleepy Hollow, NY ...................................................................................... 29

Bethlehem Central Middle School, Delmar, NY........................................................................................... 30

North Carolina....................................................................................................................................................... 30

Evergreen Charter School, Asheville, NC 30

.....................................................................................................

American Hebrew Academy, Greensboro, NC ............................................................................................ 31

Ohio................................................................ ........................................................................................................ 31

Loveland High School, Loveland, OH ........................................................................................................... 31

North Adams Elementary, Seaman, OH ....................................................................................................... 32

Oregon ................................................................................................................................................................... 32

Sunnyside Elementary School, Portland, OR .............................................................................................. 32

Willamina Elementary School, Willamina, OR ............................................................................................. 32

Gladstone High School, Gladstone, OR ....................................................................................................... 33

Caitlin Gabel School, Portland, OR ............................................................................................................... 33

Pennsylvania......................................................................................................................................................... 34

Radnor Middle School, Wayne, PA ............................................................................................................... 34

Thaddeus Stevens Elementary School, Chambersburg, PA ..................................................................... 34

A.W. Beattie Career Center, Allison Park, PA 35..............................................................................................

Springside Chestnut Hill Academy, Philadelphia, PA ................................................................................. 35

Rhode Island ......................................................................................................................................................... 36

Classical High School, Providence, RI.......................................................................................................... 36

Nathan Bishop Middle School, Providence, RI ............................................................................................ 36

Virginia ................................................................................................ ................................................................... 36

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Fishburn Elementary School, Roanoke, VA ................................................................................................. 36

Gereau Center, Rocky Mount, VA ................................................................................................................. 37

Washington ........................................................................................................................................................... 37

Tahoma Junior High, Ravensdale, WA ......................................................................................................... 37

Camelot Elementary, Auburn, WA ................................................................................................................. 37

Secondary Academy for Success, Bothell, WA ........................................................................................... 38

The Overlake School, Redmond, WA ........................................................................................................... 38

West Virginia......................................................................................................................................................... 38

Hilltop Elementary, Wheeling, WV ................................................................................................................. 38

Wyoming County Career and Technical Center, Pineville, WV................................................................. 39

Wisconsin .............................................................................................................................................................. 39

Dimensions of Learning Academy, Kenosha, WI ........................................................................................ 39

Middleton High School, Middleton, WI .......................................................................................................... 40

Purdy Elementary School, Fort Atkinson, WI ............................................................................................... 40

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Introduction

When Secretary Duncan opened the inaugural year of U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon

Schools (ED-GRS) in September 2011, he said that the winning schools would be those that were

making the greatest progress in three areas, known as “Pillars”: 1) reduced environmental impact; 2)

improved health; and 3) effective environmental education. While the schools recognized this year

have gone about their greening efforts in different ways depending on their specific circumstances, they

all have shown significant progress in the three pillars of our award, and continue to make efforts to

improve each day.

Selectees of the inaugural cohort of ED-GRS were reviewed exhaustively at the state level, where they

competed for one of up to four nominations state education agencies were asked to send to the U.S.

Department of Education (ED). In their respective states, schools were reviewed by committees from

multiple state education agency offices, judges from state environmental, energy, and/or natural

resources agencies, and, in many cases, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency regional office judges

as well.

Because of the short timeline for this first year, competitions for school applicants in many states were

open only for a matter of weeks. Even in this short window, over 1,000 schools across the nation

began applications, and over 350 ultimately completed and submitted them to their state education

agencies. ED provided some guidance as to how state education agencies might evaluate schools on

the three pillars and their nine underlying elements, but ultimately, states had flexibility in their selection

processes, provided that they documented schools’ comprehensive progress in the three areas. Each

nomination package, all of which are posted on the ED-GRS website, reflected comprehensive

progress in not one, but all three pillars. Rewarding such progress is the principal aim of this new

federal award.

Many aspects of the inaugural year of ED-GRS impressed federal judges even before the first

nominations arrived. First, we were struck by the number of states – over 30 -- that voluntarily elected

to nominate schools, especially given the number of competing priorities, the budgetary limitations, and

the time constraints at the time of the ED-GRS launch in September 2011. Next, we were impressed

by the enthusiasm states and schools showed about this new recognition award. They not only wanted

to participate in a federal competition recognizing the high achievement of schools in environmental

impact, health, and education, but they were willing to invest significant time and energy to take part.

The inaugural cohort of nominees themselves impressed federal judges in countless ways. Initially, we

noted the diversity of the schools applying. The schools include 66 public institutions, including 8

charter schools, and 12 private schools. Among them are 43 elementary, 31 middle, and 26 high

schools, with several of the 78 schools enrolling various configurations of primary and secondary

grades. Perhaps most of all, we were struck by the number of schools attended by underserved

students.

As we soon learned, schools serving disadvantaged students – including schools that were 100 percent

American Indian, two-thirds Hispanic, or 98 percent African American, as well as schools with

populations with high numbers of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch -- have used efforts to

reduce their environmental impact, improve students’ health, and provide effective environmental

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literacy. In addition, these schools used their “greening” efforts as a springboard for school innovation

and academic improvement.

That these so-called ‘disadvantaged’ schools were masters of stretching limited resources further

should not have surprised us. Green schools, after all, are all about creating an education built to last;

in simple terms, a sustainable education, which requires, nearly by definition, ingenuity and

resourcefulness. And what type of school might better understand conservation? So, when we saw

schools providing better education to traditionally underserved students, we realized that our nation’s

green schools are a great tool to advance equal access to quality education for all students.

What follows are some highlights of the winners of the first ED-GRS recognition award. They are by no

means exhaustive accounts of schools’ strengths, but rather a few highlights that caught federal

reviewers’ attention, anecdotes that may be instructive to other schools, and instances of incredible

innovation.

Trailblazers in many ways already, they lead as shining examples for all schools to follow in their efforts

to go green. They are the first ever U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools, winners of

the first federal award to recognize comprehensive achievement in the areas of environmental impact,

health, and education. We are immensely proud of and inspired by them, and confident that you will be

as well.

Andrea Suarez Falken

Director

U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools

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Winners at a Glance

78 Schools being honored

50% Underserved student populations

66 Public schools (including 8 charter schools)

12 Private schools

27 LEED registered or certified constructions

3 Collaborative for High Performance Schools certified constructions

17 EPA Energy Star Schools

11 EPA Indoor Quality Tools for Schools

2 Department of Energy Wind for Schools Participants

70 Schools with on-site gardens

19 National Wildlife Federation Eco-Schools

1000s Hours of community service and pounds of donated student grown harvest

100s Corporate, foundation and community partners

100% Environmentally literate graduates

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Alabama

Munford Elementary School, Munford, AL

The first school in the southeast modeled after a forest

Munford Elementary integrates forestry, conservation, and environmental education themes throughout

the curriculum, with interactive exhibits to convey environmental elements. The exhibits were

sponsored through successful partnerships with the Alabama Forestry Commission, Natural Resource

Conservation Services, U.S. Forest Service, Georgia Pacific, and other local organizations, which

collectively donated over $275,000 for the museum-type displays. These exhibits were correlated with

state science, social studies, and math standards, and include themes such as trees, recycling, animal

tracks, water quality, soil profiles, and careers in natural resources. A $30,000 U.S. Forest Service

Kids in the Woods grant added a 125-seat amphitheater to the school. This structure, located on the

nature trail, is frequently used for speakers, ceremonies, and workshops. The school has received

grants totaling over $23,000, awarded by Talladega Education Foundation, Legacy, Alabama

Association for Curriculum Development, Rural Conservation and Development, and CBS One

Classroom at a Time. In the last three years, the 5

th

-grade students have scored 90 percent, 99

percent, and 97 percent on the Alabama science assessment. In 2006, Munford began a partnership

with 21st Century Community Learning Centers (CCLC). As a 21st CCLC, it initiated annual Science

Camps, a three-week summer enrichment program, which provides opportunities for students to be

outside working in the butterfly garden and the greenhouse, planting tomatoes in raised beds, or taking

extended environmental field trips. Students participate in the Junior Master Gardener Program, an

innovative 4-H youth gardening project. Students are able to carry healthy gardening experiences to

their homes and communities.

Winterboro High School, Talladega, AL

Historic Appalachia meets 21

st

-century community learning center

Built in 1936 by local craftsmen and on the state register of historic places, Winterboro High is the

community hub not only for its current students/families, but also for generations of graduates and

community members. The original masonry is constructed from rocks hauled to the location from the

fields and the foothills of the Appalachian mountains. Located on 40 acres of land, the campus is an

open, natural habitat that is highly conducive to outdoor studies and wholesome physical activities. The

school provides a 21st Century Community Learning Center, known as the CCLC, which focuses on a

plethora of outdoor fitness and science studies after-school and summer camps. A lagoon wastewater

system provides a unique environmental learning venue. The curriculum features project-based

learning, which is heavy on real-life science, technology, and math applications. The students also

have many opportunities to participate in problem-solving activities related to environmentally friendly

structures, greenhouse-based science, and the value of healthy lifestyles. Outdoor classroom areas

allow science classes opportunities to participate in projects such as Neanderthal toolmaking, rocket

launching, gardening, composting, and developing competitive robots to solve imaginary

bioenvironmental hazards.

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Arizona

The STAR School, Flagstaff, AZ

The nation’s first off-grid solar- and wind-powered school

The STAR (Service To All Relations) School is an elementary charter school located in rural northern

Arizona, bordering Navajo Nation. The school serves a population that is entirely Native American.

STAR School was established in 2001 as the first charter school in the country to be completely off the

power grid, generating 100 percent of its own power, largely through solar and wind generation – an

impressive distinction. The solar power inverters used to power the school provide a minute-by-minute

calculation of the pounds of greenhouse gas pollution that have not been emitted into the atmosphere,

through the school’s use of solar generation rather than coal-fired power plants. While the school was

constructed to use renewable energy by geographic necessity, it integrates sustainability and wellness

into every aspect of teaching. The approach to education and sustainability at STAR School aims to

provide a platform from which the student can step in to the world of environmental challenges,

empowered to contribute to a more sustainable future. STAR School promotes self-reliance, alternative

building methods, and energy sources such as solar power. The school also hosts workshops about

sustainable living, technology, and the arts. Sustainability education is used to complement and

reinforce the oldest Navajo traditions throughout the school. Students maintain a garden using Navajo

practices and serve their traditionally prepared, organic harvests in the school cafeteria. The school

partners with Northern Arizona University to gather data on the school’s air, water, and soil quality, and

to provide student mentoring in engineering and sciences. Each student is expected to complete an

individual or group project during the middle-school years that: 1) meets identifiable national STEM

standards, 2) investigates and provides possible solutions to environmental and sustainability

challenges chosen by the student, and 3) provides service to the community that meets the STAR

School service-learning rubrics.

Roadrunner Elementary School, Phoenix, AZ

Behavioral changes and retrofits win a coveted corporate gift

Roadrunner is a school with 1970s construction that used behavioral changes and retrofits to reduce

energy consumption by 35.2 percent. It improved its ENERGY STAR rating from 48 to 87 in just three

years. For these exemplary sustainability efforts, Roadrunner was awarded a new LEED Platinum

building called “The Safari” by corporate donors. The school serves over 65 percent Hispanic students

and half English language learners. The school partners with DeVry University for teacher STEM

training and mentors to students. Other partners include Alliance Bank, Kraft Foods, Armstrong Tile,

and Glidden Paint for financial, nutrition, and engineering training, as well as in-kind gifts related to the

new construction. The school’s outdoor facilities include a vegetable garden, rain garden, outdoor

wildlife habitats, and an outdoor classroom.

Arkansas

Acorn School, Mena, AR

Eco outpost in the Ozarks

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Located in rural southwestern Arkansas, Acorn sits on a 15-acre campus that includes a vegetable

garden and greenhouse. In the forest adjoining the campus, students discovered an endangered tree

species, the Ozark Chinquapin, and worked to build community awareness to protect the species. The

school places an emphasis on outdoor, project-based, and hands-on learning, as well as physical

fitness and nutrition. The school also has a number of community partnerships that benefit the

environmental programming, including a partnership with the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission

that involves student teams that monitor local water quality. This 1928-built school proves that any

school can be a green school. It implements all Environmental Protection Agency environmental health

recommendations, including integrated pest management practices and contaminant control protocols.

Students themselves requested and completed an application to be nominated for ED-GRS from the

Arkansas state education agency.

Bureau of Indian Education

Circle of Nations-Wahpeton Indian School, ND

Students help design a state of the art dormitory and preserve their oldest American Indian traditions

Circle of Nations is a boarding school that incorporates Native American gardening and service learning

at every grade level. A 2012 Healthier US Challenge Gold Award winner, the school recently installed

a native plants medicine wheel garden, and includes a National Wildlife Federation Certified Schoolyard

Habitat. Area businesses and national sponsors have donated garden supplies, plants, seeds,

equipment, and tools, which included the construction and operation of a kitchen garden onsite.

Students were involved closely in designing a new dormitory in meetings with architects. The efficient

design and operation of the new building not only has drawn much attention to the school, but it also

has saved over $233,000 in only three years of operation. In older buildings on campus, windows,

roofing, and other design features also were retrofitted to conserve energy. The school’s Strategic

Instruction Model connects nutrition with math, reading, science, physical activity, arts education,

culture, parents, and community. It also promotes physical fitness and eating more vegetables and fruit

instead of high-calorie, low-nutrition meals or snacks. The school’s partners include the North Dakota

Department of Agriculture and the National Gardening Association. Students also got involved with

their local community by adopting a wounded eagle and an orphan monkey at a local zoo, creating and

auctioning artwork to support the adoptions, and inviting the animals to a traditional ceremony.

California

Longfellow Elementary School, Long Beach, CA

Disseminating green practices to all area schools

Longfellow earned an ENERGY STAR 2011 award with a perfect score of 100. Every Wednesday, the

school’s Green team hosts Walk to School Wednesdays for its community members. For those who

don’t live close enough to walk the full distance, they are encouraged to drive to a nearby point and

walk the remainder of the route with fellow classmates. The school awards prizes that promote

sustainable living to classes with the most walkers, such as reusable lunch containers. Not satisfied

with greening just one school, Longfellow partnered with a local middle school, forming a green schools

coalition to disseminate good practices to other area schools. Longfellow’s community partners include

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Lowe’s, local public relations firms, the local department of the environment, local businesses and

community colleges, and a number of sponsors that helped to fund the school’s garden and tree

planting. Every teacher at the school engages in professional development in environmental and

sustainability, and 100 percent of physical education takes place outdoors.

Environmental Charter High School, Lawndale, CA

An oasis of STEM learning, environmental stewardship, and civic engagement amid concrete

The Environmental Charter School has a recycling rate of over 85 percent. It is Collaborative for High

Performance Schools certified, and working toward its LEED Existing Buildings certification. The

school’s environmental philosophy permeates the campus and the curriculum. The school produces

more than 2 percent of its energy on-site, powering, among other things, its greenhouse. Students take

outdoors overnight trips, and spend 25 percent of their class time outdoors in a recycled-concrete urban

outdoor amphitheater, or tending to raised gardens, chicken and rabbit coops, and green walls.

Students worked with permaculture experts to create a natural stream that now runs through the center

of the urban campus. A group of students successfully presented a proposal to change food vendors to

one that supports the school’s mission, with locally grown food, low-waste compostable packaging, and

healthier food. In chemistry classes, students made their own biodiesel fuel. A student-run bicycle

repair shop encourages students and staff to ride rather than drive. The students also invite their

community into their lessons, hosting composting workshops and campus tours, and engaging in

projects to restore the L.A. watershed.

Grand View Elementary, Manhattan Beach, CA

A school that drives community change, one step at a time

Each day, Grand View students begin with an eight-minute exercise routine. Students sell the organic

produce they grow, and parents receive nutrition guidance. On Walk to School Wednesdays, students

are rewarded with hand stamps, and a trophy goes to the class with the most walkers. Last year, the

school spearheaded a Walk to School Parade on Earth Day for all schools in the area, with the mayor,

police, and firefighters joining students on their trek. The school worked with its district to have each

school name a green representative for a monthly district-wide convening on sustainability matters.

The school uses iPads and SMART Boards, as well as chalkboards instead of paper posters. The

school celebrates Trash Free Tuesdays, has both garden composting and worm bins, and has reduced

lunch trash from 30 bags a day to two bags, while serving over 700 students. Students’ science scores

have improved from 33 to 97 percent proficiency.

The Athenian School, Danville, CA

Where environmental stewardship is the guiding light

At this private northern California school, solar panels generate 70 percent of the campus’ energy.

Behavioral changes, conservation activities, and retrofits to existing buildings have allowed the school

to achieve a 48 percent energy reduction, and divert nearly 50 percent of its waste to recycling.

Principles of environmental stewardship guide all aspects of academics, operations, food service,

building, and maintenance policy. Eleventh grade students participate in the Athenian Wilderness

Experience, which is 26 consecutive days of hiking, climbing and camping in Death Valley while using

Leave No Trace practices. Students prepare for this major trek with outdoor activities of shorter, age

-

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appropriate duration by hiking and camping in various state and national parks. Students learn

permaculture garden techniques, produce school bus biodiesel fuel in their science labs, work to

convert a car to electric power, harvest and press olives, construct an aircraft, and design robotics. The

school offers close to 100 percent organic foods, and provides fresh fruit all day as snacks. Faculty

and staff can take a weekly yoga class.

Colorado

Flagstone Elementary School, Castle Rock, CO

Vertical garden and corporate sponsors make STEM learning soar

Flagstone is a rural school, and a site of the Department of Energy’s Wind for Schools Program.

Situated in an older facility, the school implemented a rigorous energy management program using

student teams. Student Helpful Energy Resource Officers (HEROs) collect and monitor data to reduce

consumption, and have managed to reduce the school’s energy use by over a third. They passed out

student-crafted reusable snack bags, and celebrate a regular “lights out lunch.” They compost,

teracycle, and reuse materials in art and science class. Since the school’s foundations make a topsoil

garden impossible, the school worked with a local nursery to develop and fund a vertical garden. The

school also partners with gourmet chefs to improve nutrition, while teachers lead a running club.

Students participate in robotics competitions with financial and engineering expertise from Lockheed

Martin. The school also hosts a summer science program that teaches kids science and technology

through the lens of sustainability.

Denver Green School, Denver, CO

Where successful community partnerships fuel innovation

With solar panels, solar-tubes, and careful energy use monitoring -- including energy audits by third

graders -- this school has reduced its energy use by nearly 50 percent and its water use by half. One in

four faculty members bike or carpool to school. For curriculum, the school partners with the Cloud

Institute for Sustainability Education. The school farm allows students to experience earth science

firsthand, engage in plentiful outdoors physical activity, and learn good nutrition. The adjacent farm

also cuts down on the school’s greenhouse gas emissions impact, as produce consumed at the school

is wheelbarrowed 150 yards, rather than transported by truck, car, or plane. Denver Green School also

partnered with a local bistro for a fundraising dinner, and continues to work closely with Sprout City

Farms and Denver Urban Gardens for its school garden and farm. Initiated under a $300,000 grant

from the Walton Family Foundation, the school also has been the recipient of many thousands of

dollars in financial support and in-kind gifts from Lowe’s, Whole Foods, Wells Fargo Bank and KIND

snack bars.

Wellington Middle School, Wellington, CO

A U.S. Department of Energy Wind for Schools Site

Wellington has demonstrated its ongoing commitment to sustainability by reducing its annual energy

consumption by more than 25 percent compared to its 2004 baseline. Wellington’s energy use rivals

many schools that are LEED certified. The school earned the ENERGY STAR award for four

consecutive years from 2008 — 2011, and currently derives one percent of the energy it consumes

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from on-site renewable energy generation. Wellington was named one of the first schools in the state

to receive recognition as a Wind for Schools site by then-governor Bill Ritter. The school also strives to

minimize water consumption by continuously monitoring the use of water on athletic fields to prevent

waste. Students visit a local dairy, and sewage and water treatment facilities to experience first-hand

the concepts they learn in their classes. The school is the northern Colorado host site for Innovation

Camp, a STEM camp for middle school students. It also partners with Little Shop of Physics, a

Colorado State University community outreach project. Students use the outdoors in daily intramural

and classroom experiences.

D.C.

Stoddert Elementary, NW

The first geothermal powered school in DC

Stoddert Elementary, a public school in northwest Washington D.C., earned LEED Gold certification

and was the first school in Washington to be heated and cooled using geothermal technology

exclusively. The geothermal system installed by the school resulted in a 70 percent reduction in energy

use. Stoddert has a community garden and two green roofs. Both the school and its garden are used

as teaching tools, with students planting, tending, and harvesting under the guidance of a garden

science coordinator. Fifth-grade students give tours of the school’s trees and energy conservation

features to their pre-k “eco-buddies,” so that even the youngest students can identify the different

elements that make the school green. Parents report being more aware of their recycling habits

because their children expect them to recycle with care. The school implements a bicycle safety

program sponsored by the Washington Area Bicyclist Association. All of the school’s cleaning products

are certified green, and the custodial program is certified by ISSA Cleaning Industry Management

Standard. The school also was one of the first in the District to adopt the D.C. Healthy Schools Act

protocols, making it one of the healthiest school sites in the city. Stoddert regularly plays host to

architects, designers, and builder visitors, as well as D.C. Parks and Recreation and U.S. Green

Building Council partners, who help to teach students and staff about the green features of their school.

Sidwell Friends School, NW

The first K-12 LEED Platinum school in the world

Sidwell Friends Middle School uses 60 percent less energy and 93 percent less water than standard

construction. Its green roof helps to reduce the urban heat island effect, and the campus is certified as

wildlife habitat by the National Wildlife Federation. The school participates in a Community Supported

Agriculture cooperative and obtains healthy food and ingredients from local organic vendors. All eighth

graders complete an environmental science course, and sustainability is infused in other courses

throughout the sixth through eighth grades. Students are conducting a long-term study of bee

populations on campus with the help of the U.S. Geological Survey. They have participated in

environmental restoration and conservancy projects in places as far away as Hawaii and Alaska, as

well as down the road at neighboring schools. Eighth-grade environmental science focuses on four

significant environmental issues that will confront students: biodiversity loss, global climate change,

water stress, and human population growth. At the end of the course, each student writes a personal

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code of environmental ethics based on what they have learned, which is included in their middle school

time capsules.

Florida

Learning Gate Community School, Lutz, FL

The first public school to achieve LEED Platinum certification

At Learning Gate, a 10,000 gallon rainwater harvesting system helps put grey water to good use both

indoors and out. Students of all ages participate in the ecological curriculum; kindergarteners initiated a

Waste Free Lunch program, third graders spearhead composting, middle-school students operate the

electrical recycling program, and fourth graders are responsible for ink cartridge recycling. All 800

students spend 30 percent of their day participating in outdoor classes, and participate in free play time

every day after lunch. The Seed to Soup Curriculum® ensures that all students attain an age-

appropriate level of environmental literacy. Students also are required to complete a Junior Master

Gardening program, and through the efforts of students, the school donated over 2200 pounds of

harvest to a local charity last year. All teachers are required to take Project Wild, Project Wet, and

Project Learning Tree courses, and a quarter of the instructors also have completed the Master

Naturalist Program sponsored by the University of Florida. Finally, in 2011, the school hosted a

sustainability fair attended by 100 local businesses, farmers, and artists as well as over 1,000

attendees from the community.

Pine Jog Elementary, West Palm Beach, FL

The first LEED Gold certified school in Florida

Since its inception in 2008, Pine Jog has been committed to becoming a world leader in developing a

culture of sustainability for future generations. This school, where 70 percent of the students are

eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, has won numerous awards for design, construction, and

operations. The school's staff has taken the green-school concept and continued to build upon

sustainability concepts with a level of enthusiasm that is infectious. Students make use of energy and

water consumption information available on touch screens in various locations throughout the

school. The school is one of Florida’s most energy-efficient schools; Pine Jog has reduced energy use

by 25 percent annually, which is enough to pay for one teacher’s salary each year. 140 acres of this

campus, which is shared with Florida Atlantic University, are natural woodlands, featuring multiple

outdoor classrooms and three miles of trails. 93 percent of this LEED Gold facility is built on 10 acres of

land. As part of the United Nation’s Billion Trees Campaign, Pine Jog students planted 1700 trees in

2011. Students manage all aspects of a 4000-plant hydroponic garden, including its business plan.

The campus also houses nine themed gardens, including an urban peach orchard, pond, and beehive,

as well as extensive nature trails. Students created a YouTube Video detailing how water is collected

in cisterns and reused to irrigate gardens. They create artwork and musical instruments from items that

would have gone to the landfill. The school’s Reuse Center allows the community to drop off clothing,

books, and classroom supplies that they don’t need, or find treasures to reuse. The school principal

drives a used, vegetable-oil fueled car, a diesel car, and a solar powered golf cart. Students participate

in the NASA Train Like an Astronaut Program, through which they experience rigorous outdoor physical

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activities that are linked to the curriculum. All teachers are certified in the Florida Fish and Wildlife

Federation's Project Wild Curriculum, and study Richard Louv’s Last Child in the Woods.

Terra Environmental Institute, Miami, FL

The first LEED Gold science magnet high school in the nation

Inspired by global environmental conservation initiatives and STEM national programs, Terra is the first

green LEED Gold science magnet high school in the nation. Students use engineering, medical, and

biological sciences to promote scientific knowledge and conservation techniques in one of three

academies: Environmental Research and Field Studies, Biomedical Research, and Robotics and

Engineering Technology. Students conduct research outdoors in the school’s greenhouse and

composting sites, agricultural grounds, and aquaculture research facilities, all built and maintained by

students. They have partnered with the Dumond Conservancy to design and build a tree-climbing robot

fitted with a camera to monitor endangered species in the Amazon. Students have patented battery

design and robotic devices. Students have contributed to the publishing of scientific data in national

journals. Every student at Terra is required to complete a graduating portfolio that consists of multiple

scientific research projects in environmental topics, including a field experience community internship

and a certification in their area of study. Students enjoy literature under the natural light and trees in

"Reading on the Green" sessions.

Georgia

Arabia Mountain High School, Lithonia, GA

Taking state science standards to the next level

This LEED Silver school purchases 60 percent renewable energy and produces solar, wind, biomass,

and hydro power on-site. Arabia Mountain is an Environmental Protection Agency air quality monitoring

School Flag Program participant and serves only local food. Its partners include organizations such as

the Turner Foundation, the Georgia Power Company, the Georgia Clean Air Campaign, the Arabia

Mountain Heritage Alliance, IKEA, The Nature Conservancy, the Oxford Institute for Environmental

Education, and Arabia Mountain Park. At the 98 percent African American serving magnet school,

every student takes Advanced Placement environmental science. Through an Environment as an

Integrating Context curriculum, students use projects to formulate hypotheses about the environment,

conduct scientific investigations, present their findings to their peers and the local community, and

engage in service learning. The school’s academic achievement rates exceed both the county and

state, and it graduates 98 percent of students enrolled.

Springdale Park Elementary, Atlanta, GA

A garden tops historic structures

Nestled in the historic Druid Hills, this school is comprised of two restored homes and a newly designed

LEED Gold building. The new construction produces 18 percent on-site renewable energy and features

a roof-top garden that contains over 100 raised plant beds. The students receive lessons on the

school’s many green features from Heery International; attend programming on how to reduce harmful

emissions from the Georgia Clean Air Campaign; receive fresh fruit snacks and garden sponsorship

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from Whole Foods; and enjoy locally harvested produce of the month, a Farm to School Fair and

nutrition instructional materials thanks to partnership with Sodexo.

Savannah Country Day School, Savannah, GA

The first National Wildlife Federation Eco School Green Flag Recipient in the nation

Students at this LEED Silver school have donated hundreds of pounds of vegetables from their gardens

to a local food bank in addition to ensuring local and organic foods in their own meals. With a butterfly

garden, herb garden, fruit garden, brown thumb garden, Monet garden, organic spot, Shakespeare

garden, and Pangaea garden, the all on-site harvest was plentiful. The school is certified by the

National Wildlife Federation as a Schoolyard Habitat and is the first National Wildlife Federation Eco

School Green Flag recipient in nation. At Savannah Country Day, students learn simple machines by

hoisting their science teacher up and down one of the many hundred year old live oaks, Georgia’s state

tree.

Hawaii

Ewa Makai Middle School, Ewa Beach

Hawaii’s first green school

At this newly opened LEED Gold school, all cleaning products, furniture, and computers were

purchased to green certification standards. 60 percent of school waste is composted, using worms and

barrels to produce fertilizer which is used in the school garden. Instead of golf carts, staff employ adult

tricycles for deliveries and administrative purposes. Courtyards and common areas are the site of

collaborative, environmental, service, and project-based learning. Science classes cover aquaponics,

solar cells, solar cars, windmill generators, ecosystems, and robotics. Paperless classrooms make

wide use of iPads, PowerPoints, email, e-books, and laptops. Students give tours of their new school,

deepening their understanding of its green features and practicing public speaking. Staff attend free,

bi-weekly Zumba classes to stay fit.

Hawaii Preparatory Academy, Kamuela, HI

Modeling a Living Building for schools across the nation

With support from a local donor, the Hawaii Preparatory Academy’s Energy Lab was constructed as a

sustainable classroom prototype according to LEED Platinum standards. It became the first school

ever to meet the Living Building Challenge, which requires net zero energy, water, and waste use, as

well as stringent materials requirements. The school produces one quarter of its energy consumption

on-site and purchases one third renewable energy. All furniture is certified to green standards. The

school serves mainly organic and local foods. Students engage in two hours of physical education a

day, four days a week. Students have created a system to monitor energy use and conservation in

their school buildings. They also have worked with a local hotel to gauge energy “footprints,” saving the

hotel utility expenses through operational changes and conservation. The school hosts an annual

national Student Sustainability Conference. A sustainability education coordinator helps to integrate

this learning into science, history, and English. All faculty and staff attend a one-week intensive

sustainability course. They use local scientific and natural resources, such as nearby observatories

and labs, to provide real-life curricula and programs for students. The curriculum links to each of the

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four major environmental challenges students will have to face in 21

st

century: energy, food, water, and

culture. Students spend over 200 minutes a week in science classes.

Illinois

Academy for Global Citizenship, Chicago, IL

Teaching health and nutrition to students and school community

Academy for Global Citizenship features a comprehensive nutrition education program that spans in-

cafeteria education, in-class lessons and daily sustainability and wellness classes. All teachers

participate in sustainability professional development. Students learn about food systems, animals, and

the environment by caring for three schoolyard chickens. Kitchen staff is trained and heavily involved in

educating about the school’s innovative all-organic, from-scratch, and increasingly local breakfast and

lunch program. After breakfast, students begin the day with 12 to 15 minutes of yoga. The school

offers reasonably priced local produce shares, and free health, wellness, and cooking workshops to the

school community. Since the school is located in an industrial area, it uses field trips to farms,

wetlands, nature preserves, and campsites to expose students to nature. Students meet with local

farmers to choose what they grow in the schoolyard garden. Throughout the harvest process, the

school runs workshops with parents to show what students have done in garden and to teach them how

to grow at home, no matter the space available to them. At least 10 home gardens have come out of

this effort. The school facilitated a mother enrolling in Chicago Conservation Corps, who then led

workshops for other parents on green cleaning supplies in the home, and helped two unemployed

mothers start a green-cleaning business. The school has encouraged carpooling by mapping where

students live and sharing data (with parental consent), as well as by establishing a walking school bus

that enables safe walking and bike riding to school. It purchases only renewable wind energy, and

reduced dumpster collection from once a week to once every other week.

Thomas J. Waters Elementary, Chicago, IL

The first LEED in Illinois

This 1911 schoolhouse was reconstructed to meet LEED Silver standards and to become the first

LEED certified school in Illinois. Waters has set up a salad bar and removed all vending machine

beverages with sugar or high fructose syrup. The school was so adept at lunchroom composting that

Chicago Public Schools contracted Waters to teach other schools this practice. All students participate

in cultivating food in the vegetable garden, and are responsible for aspects of waste management. The

Waters Ecology Program is integrated into every subject, including language arts, drama, music, and

art so that each grade has an environmental focus. Teachers form the science committee, working to

unify the science curriculum across disciplines and coordinate thematic units with field trips and

activities. They go on lengthy walks, dig potatoes, gather seeds and leaves, go fishing in Lake

Michigan, and participate in organized runs. Students use data from solar panels, calculate run-off with

asphalt versus the school’s water-permeable surfaces, study river biomes in three seasons, and

measure air, water, and ground temperature. Students testify before the Chicago City Council to make

the scientific case for higher water quality standards for the Chicago River. Every class takes three or

more outdoor ecology-related trips annually. The music teacher works with students after field trips to

create songs reflecting collective experiences, and art classes practice skillful observation of the natural

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world. The eighth-grade gift to the school revolves around ecology. The school partners with Nature

Conservancy, Sierra Club, and Friends of the Parks.

Prairie Crossing Charter School, Grayslake, IL

Training other schools and future teachers in sustainable practices

At Prairie Crossing, students in the 3rd and 4th grades participate in a Lewis and Clark unit that

culminates in a visit to a local homestead in the middle of winter, where students make a shelter, start a

fire, and cook their own food, as the explorers might have done. The school requires that students

place samples of their work in their environmental portfolio at each grade level to monitor progress and

knowledge. The school’s environmental literacy scope and sequence is overseen by an environmental

education specialist and culminates with a final environmental project. Other staff participate in

professional development on topics such as planning an integrated environmental unit, classroom

gardens and nature journaling. Five school buildings meet LEED Gold certification, and the school

generates nearly one quarter of its energy on site through geothermal, wind, and solar panels. Four

1000-gallon cisterns for collecting rainwater and a bevy of rain barrels handle irrigation for all of the

campus landscaping. Through the school ambassadors program, students teach their parents about

the green features of their schools and how those features might work in other places. Students have

traveled to schools in Chicago, Waukegan, and Gumee, among others, to teach younger students

about the benefits of environmental behaviors and ecological concepts. A partnership with a nearby

farm allows students to work and learn experientially about farming practices and health issues. The

school also sponsors environmental service-learning projects that encourage stewardship behaviors,

such as working with adult community volunteers to restore a prairie across the street from the school.

Iowa

Des Moines Central Campus High School, Des Moines, IA

A retrofitted 1918 Ford car factory where students prepare for careers of the future

Des Moines Central Campus serves students from 29 districts and 57 schools, and was originally a

1918 a Ford car factory that has been converted in recent years to a high-efficiency, regional, K-12

school. The renovations have included the installation of double-pane glazed windows in order to

increase the availability of natural light and reduce the need for artificial lighting. High-efficiency water

source heat pumps also were installed in the school, and reduce the need for steam heating. Des

Moines Central Campus has reduced its energy consumption by 28 percent compared to a 2008

baseline, and has reduced its water consumption by 64 percent compared to a 2009 baseline. In this

urban setting, students use sustainability concepts to learn green job skills. Home building students

use recycled materials to turn old bleachers into hardwood flooring. The aviation program works with

the Iowa congressional district to salvage old jets and helicopters as teaching tools. A welding program

recycled over 43,000 pounds of scrap metal in 2011. The teacher academy is working toward

paperless operations with electronic portfolios. The culinary arts program installed a grow cart to

cultivate herbs and salad greens, and their new ENERGY STAR dishwasher reduces energy

consumption. Animal science students use recycled materials to create wildlife habitat sculptures.

Design students study sustainability principles and devise constructions that incorporate LEED criteria.

Horticulture students offer their landscaping services throughout the campus. Technology students’

use of cloud computing reduces energy consumption by over a third. Central Campus’ Iowa Energy

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and Sustainability Academy is a two-year program that teaches sustainability, green technologies,

renewable energy, and conservation. The school nurtures partnerships with University of Northern

Iowa, Siemens, Iowa Department of Natural Resources and the Iowa Energy Department.

Kansas

Eisenhower High School, Goddard, KS

A certified Wildlife Habitat and Monarch way station

At Eisenhower, consultants from local community, county, and state enhance environmental curricula.

These experts, in fields ranging from raptor rehabilitation to hazardous waste to energy conservation to

land management to conservation, engage students with their real-life career choices, which apply

environmental information and sustainability concepts. The use of environmentally relevant iPod

downloads, interactive websites, research facility webcams/webinars, and virtual web labs in the

ecology class have provided an opportunity for students to experience environmental science on a

global scale. Ecology classes complete water, energy, and waste and recycling audits and manage a

recycling program. Special education uses recycling activities as an alternative state assessment.

English classes study Henry David Thoreau and Aldo Leopold, and debate teams use environmental

issues for their competitions. Math classes use recycled materials to create geometric mobiles.

Students participate in wellness sessions focusing on diet and nutrition every third week. The school is

home to a certified Wildlife Habitat and Monarch way station.

Erie High School, Erie, KS

The first LEED school in Kansas

Erie’s success was the result of a successful federal school construction bond initiative for this small

rural community. Thirteen percent of Erie’s consumed energy is derived from purchased renewable

energy, and the high school Green Team promotes environmentally friendly behaviors throughout the

school as well as the community. Skylights, large windows, and lighting occupancy sensors minimize

the use of artificial lighting, and energy-efficient fixtures help prevent energy waste. Low-flow water

fixtures with automatic sensor operation optimize water efficiency. The Green Team also contributed to

water savings by researching and identifying plant species for landscaping that would require no

supplemental watering after the first year of growth. Erie High School uses the environmental

Protection Agency’s Portfolio Manager to track its energy use over time, and in 2012 the school earned

an ENERGY STAR energy performance score of 94. Also, over 95 percent of classroom space

benefits from extensive day lighting. Students and visitors find preferred parking spaces for those who

carpool or drive a fuel-efficient vehicle. Curriculum is delivered through project-based learning that

includes meaningful outdoor experiences. A cattle operation module includes livestock reproduction,

addressing such relevant topics as artificial insemination, embryo transfer, pregnancy checks, and the

maintenance and general care of livestock. Other projects include a lasagna garden, an on-site pond

and a locally accessible river where students study water quality, species substantiation, and erosion

issues. The school’s natural habitat area allows for projects in prairie identification, animal identification

and tracking, native grasses, and xeriscaping. Students complete assignments digitally instead of on

paper, and 90 percent bike, walk, or carpool to school.

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Brookwood Elementary, Leawood, KS

Highly integrated environmental education

At Brookwood, educators integrate environmental education into the curriculum throughout all grade

levels – in all subject areas, from language arts to sciences. Educators and students have access to

the wide variety of environmental fiction and non-fiction books in the library. At the beginning of every

year, all educators are engaged in a school-wide green professional development opportunity. This

year, the annual family Math and Science night was environmental education themed, incorporating

green community members and opportunities for hands-on environmental experiences. The school

holds numerous other school-wide environmentally-focused assemblies and presentations. The

Brookwood PTA raised money to install energy efficient hand dryers in the school restrooms in the

school, and promotes zero waste classroom parties by encouraging reusable plates and napkins with

recyclable drink options. A local artist is assembling reused materials into a large indoor sculpture and

engaging students in hands-on workshops where they work with reused metal. The school recycled

over 30 pounds of crayons last year. It also collects inkjet and toner cartridges, cell phones, laptops,

and batteries.

Kentucky

Rosa Parks Elementary, Lexington, KY

Reaching toward community-driven sustainability objectives

The Rosa Parks school improvement plan includes sustainability objectives; parents and staff meet

monthly to discuss how to best attain those energy-saving goals. They’ve installed rain barrels and

walking trails, and planted trees in coordination with the University of Kentucky Landscape Architecture

Department. Rosa Parks is one of two sustainability pilot schools for Fayette County Public Schools,

and uses the environmental Protection Agency’s Portfolio Manager to track its energy reduction

progress, including a reduction of more than 70 percent in GHG emissions. Additionally, Rosa Parks

conducts annual audits of facility and irrigation systems to prevent water leaks and identify

opportunities for water savings. Rosa Parks earned the ENERGY STAR award in 2011, and has

reduced its energy consumption by more than 40 percent compared to a 2009 baseline. As part of an

air quality improvement campaign, students conducted tests, created signage, wrote student news

articles and advertisements. Students care for trout in the classroom to learn about and improve water

quality. The school has partnered with Kentucky American Water Company to hold an annual school

science fair. Lunches are prepared and color coded according to USDA’s My Plate so that students

can make choices in every food group. Teachers ask, “Do you have all your colors on your tray?”

Georgetown Middle School, Georgetown, KY

Using shared energy conservation efforts to learn STEM

Located in a 54-year-old building, Georgetown Middle School is part of Scott County Schools and was

constructed in 1958 in Georgetown, Ky. As part of its energy conservation efforts, Georgetown Middle

established a Student Energy Team, which has held educational programs for students at two

neighboring elementary schools. Compared to its 2010 baseline, Georgetown Middle has reduced its

annual greenhouse gas emissions by 20 percent. The school also has installed an underground

retention system to help prevent runoff and improve the quality of the school’s water supply.

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Georgetown Middle earned the ENERGY STAR award in 2011 and 2012 with performance scores of

76 and 88, respectively. Also, teachers participate in the Kentucky chapter of the National Energy

Education Development workshops. Sixth grade students conducted a creek study using GPS to

create maps. The energy team has held workshops on energy topics for feeder elementary schools.

Students have improved their state science test scores by 15 percent. The school has partnered with

the local soil conservation organization to sponsor a student writing contest. It participates in USDA’s

HealthierUS School Challenge and holds an annual Greek Olympics.

Richardsville Elementary, Bowling Green, KY

The first net-zero school in the nation

Richardsville Elementary holds the distinct honor of being the first net zero school building in the nation.

In addition to being LEED Gold certified and scoring 100 on the Environmental Protection Agency’s

ENERGY STAR portfolio, the school generates renewable energy on-site through solar panels and a

geothermal system. Among the school’s features are sinks in the bathrooms that are hands free and

run with photovoltaic cells, and a rain water collection system on the roof of the building that pipes

water to the rain garden, which has eliminated the need for an irrigation system. Additionally,

Richardsville’s cafeteria does not have fryers, a practice that decreases energy consumption while

increasing the nutrition of every meal served. The school’s student Energy Team leads schoolwide

recycling efforts, in addition to giving energy tips, completing energy audits, leading tours of the

building, and holding schoolwide and community events that focus on energy conservation and

sustainability. The school participates in Farm to School and the HealthierUS Schools Challenge

programs. Teachers participate in professional development workshops through National Energy

Education Development. The school’s Dr. Seuss Family Fun Night includes nutrition- and energy-

related activities. Students also learn about energy conservation and sustainability through an energy

conservation curriculum plan developed around National Energy Education Development materials.

Environmental responsibility is integrated throughout the school in learning murals and themed

hallways, focusing on solar, geothermal, recycling, and water conservation.

Maryland

Dunloggin Middle School, Ellicott City, MD

Caretakers of the Chesapeake

Stream restoration and wetland construction has served as Dunloggin’s 7

th

-grade student service-

learning project since 2005. Through the continued maintenance of a wetland area near the streams,

students help to create a natural habitat for wildlife, as well as provide a buffer to absorb excessive

nutrient runoff from local fields before it enters the stream and eventually reaches the Chesapeake Bay.

The project is intensive and ongoing, engaging students in environmentally friendly activities throughout

the school year. Students also have created and regularly maintain nature trails through the area,

perform water-quality testing on the streams and wetland area to determine the health of the water, and

take population samplings of various organisms. Students are required to write an argumentative piece

either supporting or refuting the possibility of using alternative/renewable sources of energy in the

future after they learn about and generate electricity to operate models. Students compare and

contrast the power and efficiency that can be realized from wind-, solar-, and water-powered machines,

21

as opposed to non-renewable sources. The school replaced its old boiler system with a more energy-

efficient model. Its soap dispensers, toilet paper, and paper towels all are green standard certified,

chlorine free, and made with 100 percent wind-generated electricity.

Francis Scott Key Middle School, Silver Spring, MD

Learning critical thinking, STEM and writing weighing the evidence of global change

Francis Scott Key is a LEED Gold facility, featuring geothermal heating and cooling and solar panels.

Its roof provides information to students and staff on the energy produced at the school for monitoring

and data manipulation. In their exploration of solar energy, students have the opportunity to build a

solar collector, gather data, and consider why solar energy often is promoted as an alternative to fossil

fuels. Student service learning projects are performed at each grade in middle school. At grade six,

those projects are environmental, and many students also choose environmentally focused action as

their grade eight service project. The 300-student eighth-grade class participated in a local

greenscaping project. In both grades six and eight, students consider the evidence of global change

over time through research and data analysis. Students learn about bias and think critically about

sources as they explore information related to global warming. All grade six students are involved in a

multi-day residential environmental program focused on the ecology of the local watershed. Students

learn to use scientific equipment and technology to collect data about the watershed. They complete a

stream water survey and forest buffer assessment, and then analyze data and make conclusions about

the health of the local watershed. Students discuss the decisions they make every day that affect the

local watershed.

Folger McKinsey Elementary School, Severna Park, MD

Learning by raising terrapins, eels and bay grasses

Folger McKinsey holds a Tasting of the Rainbow event each month, providing students with the

opportunity to try new fresh fruits and vegetables. Its outdoor courtyard features a butterfly garden,

raised flower beds, a science lab, reading area, stage, "explora-torium" to dig and witness nature, and a

water-feature emulating the sea-level fen uniquely characteristic of this region. The accompanying

curriculum plan encompasses science, language arts, music, art, and math. Through annual

environmental field trips and use of the schoolyard at all grade levels, along with a strong partnerships

with a local outdoor education center, Folger students engage in active lessons, allowing them to make

practical applications to the environment. In addition to each grade level focusing on a specific issue,

projects such as growing bay grasses and raising terrapins and eels make environmental literacy

tangible and real at Folger. Fifth grade students have scored between 92 and 95 percent proficient or

advanced on state science assessments in recent years. The school partners with Northrup Grumman

and the Naval Academy for its STEM initiatives, including the school-wide annual environmental

science fair.

Lucy School, Middletown, MD

LEED Platinum pride

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The Lucy School is the only LEED Platinum school facility in Maryland. It also is on the National

Register of Historic Places. The 17-acre campus includes a pond, waterfall, wetlands, forest, and

rolling hills. The school purchases wind-generated energy and produces a whopping 43 percent of its

energy on-site with solar installations. A roof garden accumulates and filters rainwater for toilet

flushing. Teachers drink from reusable thermoses instead of water bottles. The school provides

discounted tuition for families who carpool. Even the three-year-olds are very careful to conserve

during hand washing, and are reminded by a song that they sing when it is time to wash hands: "Turn

off the water, don't let it run. Save a little water for everyone." The cafeteria serves organic local food,

including hormone-free milk, and is free of sugary snacks. The school maintenance team employs

chemical-free cleaning products. Chemical-based fertilizers and herbicides, as well as smoking and

idling vehicles, are not permitted on school property. All students spend about an hour a day outdoors,

including unstructured playtime. Playgrounds have logs, rocks, and tree stumps to climb over, and tree

"cookies" and pinecones to build with and carry about. Outdoor time also includes exploration walks,

work in the garden, forest play, and visits to designated learning sites. Children are immersed in

hands-on learning projects, keep nature journals, and construct and write a field guide for flora and

fauna found on the campus. They plant, harvest, and maintain an organic garden and greenhouse.

For independent projects, students are assessed according to school-created rubric assessments. All

students who have been in the primary program for at least one full school year score proficient or

better on environmental curriculum assessments.

Michigan

Clarkston High School, Clarkston, MI

Celebrating technology and green energy curriculum

Clarkston High School was built in 1998 as a part of Clarkson Community schools, and the school

received the ENERGY STAR award in 2008. Clarkston’s students, staff, administrators, and

community members all contribute to the district’s energy management program. Due to these

initiatives, Clarkston has reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 27 percent through behavioral

changes, lighting upgrades, energy use policies, installation of occupancy sensors, centralized HVAC

and lighting controls, continual monitoring of utility usage data, and more. Clarkston also has reduced

its water consumption by 55 percent from 2006 to 2010 by installing low-flow water fixtures, scheduling,

and zoning of irrigation. Classes have created and maintain outdoor classrooms and learning trails.

Students participate in spring and fall grounds cleanup days. A green energy curriculum is supplied by

Energy Works Michigan. Clarkston has an arrangement with a local refrigeration design company to

receive scrap and waste insulation so that grades six through 12 can conduct aerodynamic analysis.

The English language arts department reviews papers using track changes to reduce copies made.

CSMTech is a program where science and math infused with technology is celebrated. Science and

math are taught with real- world applications and integrated throughout the curriculum. These career

and technical education courses embedded with green and sustainability education.

Detroit Edison Public Service Academy, Detroit, MI

Urban school, global view

This school has obtained grants to erect a wind turbine, solar pavilion, and weather station, as well as

plant trees. It obtained a multi-year STEM service-learning grant, and hosted a 2011 STEM service

23

professional development conference. The school planted an urban garden with support from Lowe’s

and Daimler Chrysler. Some students are involved in a program called Young Explorers at Ecotek Lab.

They have created bioplastic and biofuel, visited a wind farm in Pigeon, Michigan, assisted the U.S.

Coast Guard with the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, traveled to Cape Town, South Africa to work

with the South African Weather Service and the GLOBE Program on climate change, and presented

their work on environmental science and sustainability at the United Nations in New York City. The

science club is developing a car driven by biofuel. The Engineering Society of Detroit introduced

students to Future City Competitions, where students build models of sustainable cities of the future,

using only recycled materials and robotics. The Academy’s first Earth Day event included a student led

demonstration of a hydrogen fuel cell vehicle from General Motors, as well as a variety of fuel efficient

vehicles.

Minnesota

Garlough Environmental Magnet School, West Saint Paul

Outdoor learning stations and an environmental literacy graduation requirement

Garlough students have gone on to start composting and recycling programs in their middle school.

The entire school “walks from school” to the school buses on a path through the woods every other

Friday, and participates in Safe Routes to School. Six classrooms are equipped with treadmills and 80

under-desk peddlers are distributed throughout classrooms for students who need to move even as

they are seated. The school is a Silver USDA HealthierUS Schools Challenge winner, and maintains

organic gardens and a fresh salad bar. A major environmental theme is woven into the curriculum each

year and students visit an on-site nature center daily. The campus includes Outdoor Wonder Learning

Stations aligned to state academic standards with interdisciplinary lessons at these stations designed

for every grade level, under such themes as chipmunk park, rain garden, bird sanctuary, tree walk,

outdoor weather station, butterfly gardens, vernal pond, and tulip garden. A naturalist takes all students

out every week and the school has implemented a fourth-grade environmental literacy requirement.

The staff meets every month to integrate environmental and nature-based concepts into the school’s

curriculum.

Kennedy Community School, Saint Joseph, MN

A U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Schoolyard Habitat

This LEED Gold certified school purchases 96 percent renewable energy, generating the remainder

through on-site geothermal production. The school has an energy use tracker website for monitoring

consumption, diverts 58 percent of its waste from landfills and has reduced its irrigation and indoor

water use by 25 percent. The school van has been converted to run on recycled cooking oil. Kennedy

participates in the Safe Routes to School Program, the HealthierUS School Challenge, and the Farm to

School program, and is a recipient of a U.S. Department of Education Carol M. White Physical

Education Program grant. Forty of Kennedy’s 72 acres are certified U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Schoolyard Habitats, and include an outdoor classroom and reading garden. Students are designing a

walking trail through the restored prairie habitat. Ninety percent of seventh- and eighth-graders score

at the proficient level or above on school-wide assessments in environmental and sustainability

concepts. A STEM club operates at various levels, with groups facilitated by university professors and

students. All staff are trained in recycling by TriCounty Waste Management and the school’s designers

24

on green school features. Most staff also receive U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service training in the prairie

habitat. One hundred percent of the school’s sixth- to eighth graders completed a community service

project focused on environmental and sustainability topics.

North Shore Community School, Duluth, MN

Hormone-free milk from local dairies and student tapped maple trees

This charter school in rural north Minnesota is a 50 year old facility, yet it received a score of 77 in the

ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager. The school uses washable utensils and trays, and diverts 51

percent of solid waste from landfills through reuse and recycling efforts. Fourth grade students

conducted a water audit that led to the installation of a high efficiency hand washing station, reducing

water consumption to approximately one quarter of prior daily usage. Ninety percent of campus-

generated food waste is composted through a vermiculture system. All of the school’s paper supply is

post-consumer material, and all used colored paper is recycled into student-made paper. The school

consolidated six and a half bus routes into five, resulting in a significant decrease in mileage. This

Farm to School participant serves certified hormone-free milk from local dairies. The school

greenhouse supplies up to 20 pounds of mixed greens each year to the cafeteria. Each spring,

students tap maple trees on campus to enjoy homemade syrup during breakfast in school. The

curriculum includes nutrition at all grade levels, and students participate in a minimum of 170 minutes of

physical activity and/or outdoor learning each week. A year-long environmental theme is used as an

integrating context for the curriculum and school field trips. Every student attends an additional

Environmental Education course once a week, led by the environmental educator on staff. Ninety

percent of all staff participate in environmental and sustainability training several times annually.

Teachers develop two to three Environment as Integrating Context lessons each month. From raising

mealworm beetles in first grade to the science and social studies teachers collaborating on the effects

of aerated and non-aerated worm tea, classrooms are geared toward environmental and sustainability

concept integration.

Missouri

Crossroads College Prep, Saint Louis, MO

The only LEED Platinum School in Missouri

At this urban college preparatory school serving nearly 50 percent minority students, you’ll find the only

LEED Platinum school building in Missouri. The facility has the largest photovoltaic cell in the region,

allowing the school to generate 20 percent of its energy on-site. Crossroads has reduced its energy

use by 15 percent, and purchases 18 percent renewable energy. Students learn from composting, a

bioretention pond and a native garden that serve as outdoor classrooms. All 2011 graduates went on

to enroll in college, with 42 percent of them pursuing a STEM field. Students analyze, clean, and

reclaim a local creek. 210 students contributed over 4,000 hours of community service in the Saint

Louis metropolitan area by participating in the school’s civic engagement program, which partners with

16 nonprofits that focus on environmental issues. Their service activities included growing organic

food, recycling and reusing bikes, restoring native habitats, removing invasive species, and

constructing rain gardens. The school partners with the National Audubon Society’s Rivervision

program to expose students to river and bird species. All students study LEED building features and 38

percent of students enroll in Advanced Placement environmental science.

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The College School, Saint Louis, MO

Finding simple solutions to save energy

The College School found that it could reduce the lighting in each classroom by 33 percent by simply

disconnecting one light bulb in each fixture. This was easy, cost nothing, and made students aware of

a simple mechanism to reduce energy use, one that is four times more effective than the school’s wind

turbine and solar array combined. The school began restoration projects to reduce rainwater runoff

with a permeable parking lot, and then installed native plants on campus. The College School then

moved to restoring a local park and surrounding areas in cooperation with the community. Students led

and partially funded a wind turbine project. All students take environmental issues and ecology courses

for a minimum of 160 hours. They tend a greenhouse, a vegetable garden, and learn from a

demonstration green roof. Half of the food served is local, and Tuesday’s cafeteria menu features a

locally grown soup and salad lunch. Students take part in wilderness adventure outings using Leave

No Trace methods. The La Barque Creek Campus is the school’s 28-acre environmental education

site located 30 minutes from St. Louis. It provides students with opportunities to learn about and

interact with nature in joyful, meaningful and creative ways, and to engage the broader community.

Nebraska

Lothrop Science and Technology Magnet, Omaha, NE

Where all community service projects focus on the environment

This pre-k through fourth grade magnet school reduced its greenhouse gas emissions by over one third

in one year by changing to energy efficient bulbs, training in water use reduction, and planting native

species of vegetation. Its curriculum features a consistent, daily focus on reduction, reuse, and

recycling, and science standards include relationships between living things and environment. The

school hosted a vermicomposting assembly with a speaker on the science behind this practice and

taught the public how to compost on Earth Day. Students learn about erosion, soil pollution, and

pesticides. The school engaged in a landscaping project to help the neighborhood understand how to

reduce exposure to soil lead caused by drainage and lead-based paint. The school collects juice boxes

from six other schools to use as sunflower planters and recycles crayons. Even the youngest students

are fascinated by alternative energy, and all note wind turbines while on field trips. In the student

managed garden, children turn over soil and add compost. All civic engagement projects at the school

focus on the environment. Students work to resolve community problems, build outdoor classrooms,

mentor other schools to develop environmental programs, and experiment with alternative pest control

procedures. The school employs Project Wet and Project Wild curricula. Students produced a play on

reducing lead exposure. They dig up dandelions and look at roots under microscope, make salsa and

other foods with garden produce, manipulate variables in an experiment to simulate the greenhouse

effect, study the foods they eat at lunch and breakfast to learn good nutrition, and keep nature journals

using recycled paper.

Miller Park Elementary, Omaha, NE

Using sustainability to keep kids and community safer and healthier

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This pre-k- to sixth-grade school is located in one of the highest poverty areas in city of Omaha.

Students, staff, and green team members all were actively involved in preparation of the school’s

application to Nebraska for the ED-GRS nomination. Parents at the school have a 100 percent

attendance rate at conferences and student attendance is at 93 percent or higher daily. Miller Park

reduced its greenhouse gas emissions by 72 percent and its water use by 19 percent, earning the

highest ENERGY STAR rating for any Omaha public school. To achieve these gains, it re-lamped

entire school, regulated temperature setbacks and installed geothermal. The schools earned the

ENERGY STAR award 2010 and 2012, with scores of 89 and 92. At every grade level, students use

environmental education, health, and sustainability topics to develop an aptitude for the critical STEM

subjects, preparing them for jobs of the future. Head Start attendees learn the basics of recycling and

composting. Fourth graders completing a food unit take a field trip to a nearby culinary institute to learn

how science is used in the industry. The school invested in nine 20-unit mobile learning laptop carts for

each grade level. The school offers a GED program for parents and community members, dental

screenings and sealants, and mental health lessons. The school also partners with the local police

department for gang intervention services.

New Jersey

Bernard High School, Bernardsville, NJ

An annual battle of the bands supports environmental initiatives

Bernard High achieved a 16 percent energy use reduction in three years through behavioral changes

and low cost retrofits, including adjustments to lighting, controls, ice storage, vending, and the kitchen

hood exhaust. Located in a district with an energy savings contract and pay for performance

agreement, the school reduced its greenhouse gas emissions by more than 12 percent. It calculates its

annual savings in water and sewer utility at $28,150. An active Green Team spearheads gardening,

composting, and local restoration projects. The green team organizes an annual battle of the bands to

raise awareness around environmental issues. The school purchases fresh local produce through the

Jersey Fresh program, and obtained a $300,000 Safe Routes to School Grant to build a sidewalk

connecting the high school with feeder middle and elementary schools. It recycles at over 30 percent,

and partners with its borough to hold community-wide electronics recycling day. Four environmental

science classes are offered, including Advanced Placement environmental science. Each year, the

school gives an award to its top environmental science scholar and an annual scholarship for pursuit of

a college course of study relating to outdoors and/or environmental fields.

Midtown Community Elementary, Neptune, NJ

The largest public school in North America to achieve LEED Platinum

This Pre-K through fifth grade elementary school not only is the largest public school in North America

to achieve LEED Platinum certification, but also is home to a diverse student population. The school is

truly integrated in its community with in-house spaces for an intergenerational tutoring center, a senior

center, a parent resource center, and a police sub-station. The school itself was constructed on a site

that allows for a reduction in light pollution and heat island effect while managing storm water. The

school’s bioswales capture and filter the rainwater runoff from the parking area and other locations.

Geothermal wells, which make heat by using the Earth’s natural temperature to heat the schools, also

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are located in the front of the building. All of these building features, along with the light shelves, which

allow the sun’s rays to go under the sun shades and the solar panels mounted on the roof of the

cafeteria, work to maintain a 60 percent reduction in energy usage. Not only do the students study in

this LEED Platinum building, but the building is used as a “living textbook” and an educational resource.

For example, since 90 percent of the school space has daylight and open views, students use solar

cells, which work by turning the sun’s rays into electricity, to measure energy usage and determine the

relationships between wattage and voltage in the science and math classes. Additionally, the school

has a rooftop garden and a native plant arboretum natural area that frequently are used as outdoor

classrooms and educational spaces for staff and students.

Alder Avenue Middle School, Egg Harbor Township, NJ

Signature environmental education curriculum and outdoor classrooms

Reducing their carbon footprint by creating a healthy, energy-efficient school environment reinforced

with sound environmental and sustainable education practices has been an on-going initiative

embraced by all grade levels at Alder Avenue Middle School. Since 2000, Alder Avenue has been

taking students out of the traditional classroom setting and introducing them to tangible outdoor

learning excursions with the creation of their Catawba Project. The Catawba Project curriculum is

packed with differentiated instruction curriculum that incorporates core content standards and appeals

to all students despite their learning levels. It also is infused with character-building service-learning

initiatives designed to partner middle school students with township leaders, environmentalists, parents,

and community members to work together to help solve real environmental problems. This middle

school also seeks to blend the Catawba Project curriculum with the nationally recognized Energy

Education program. A recent energy audit showed that Alder Avenue had an energy reduction of 26.65

percent in the first eight months of implementing the Energy Education program. In addition to

outstanding environmental education initiatives, a solar-powered system was installed, which

contributes to the school’s 15 percent on-site renewable energy generation. The school has an outdoor

classroom site that features a small tree farm, an organic garden, a pond with a solar-powered pump,

native plants, and bird houses built by students, and which also collects surface water runoff from the

asphalt parking area and diverts it to a bog, which is used to water the organic garden and tree farm.

The Willow School

One of the first schools in the nation to adopt sustainability as an integrated concept

This small, independent, coeducational day school for students in kindergarten through eighth grade is

committed to fostering academic excellence, a passion for learning, and the development of an ethical

approach to all relationships—including humanity’s relationship to the natural world, of which it is both a

constituent part and chief steward. Several national organizations have cited the school’s integrated

commitment both to sustainable building design and to a K-8 curriculum informed by sustainability as a

replicable model for reforming elementary and secondary education, both private and public. The

National Geographic’s “Green Guide” ranked Willow as the nation’s second greenest school for its

progressive integration of sustainable design initiatives into the campus and the curriculum. The school

building’s site orientation and layout plan, along with upper insulated walls and ceilings, high-

performance windows, high-efficiency heating and cooling systems, and innovative day lighting

strategies that include automatic photocell-based daylight dimming controls for interior light systems, all

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provide maximum energy performance. The Barn, a multi-use building, is certified LEED Platinum and

consumes 70 percent less energy compared to an identical building constructed to building code.

Photovoltaic on-site renewable energy generation provides 37 percent of the building’s electricity

requirements. Also, the school has many water reduction techniques, such as using collected rainwater

to flush all toilets, low-flow water faucets and fixtures, and native/drought resistant landscaping that

requires no irrigation.

New York

Hampton Bays Middle School, Hampton Bays, NY

First LEED Silver certified and New York State Collaborative for High Performance Schools-certified

school building in New York State

Since this school’s opening in 2008, minimizing the school’s carbon footprint and maintaining energy

and cost efficiency have been top priorities along with ensuring that all students receive a first-class

education. The school is the first LEED Silver certified building in the state of New York, and contains

many energy-saving features like a dual heating system that consumes oil or natural gas depending on

which resource is most cost-efficient at the time, and waterless urinals and sensors in all restroom

sinks, which account for nearly 100,000 gallons of water in savings each school year. In addition to

sustainable design, Hampton Bays Middle School’s integrated health and nutrition efforts have led to a

direct positive correlation to improved health and performance for its students and staff. Through

MyNutriKids.com, parents have access to their child’s food choices in the cafeteria, and the school’s

“Guest Chef” program features healthy entrees prepared by local chefs using fresh, locally grown

ingredients. Also, all students participate in a sustainability curriculum and college and career planning

units for “green collar” careers in family and consumer sciences and technology. All students sign the

school’s “Green Pledge,” and the EARTH club shares a weekly “green minute,” highlighting current

sustainability initiatives. Many of the school’s clubs participate in the ongoing partnership with Cornell

University Cooperative Extension to promote interdisciplinary and intergenerational engagement in the

Good Ground Community School Garden, a space that is shared with the elementary school and

community members, who rent beds to grow flowers and vegetables. In the coming fall, Hampton Bays

intends to use the food from this garden in the school cafeteria.

Sleepy Hollow Middle School, Sleepy Hollow, NY

Students and staff unite to minimize environmental impact

Sleepy Hollow Middle School serves grades six through eight, with a diverse group of students. The

school provides its students with a safe, supportive, and nurturing environment that fosters the social,

emotional, and academic growth of each child. More notably, this middle school has implemented a

sustainability curriculum, created an award-winning Environmental Action Club, and focused many of its

efforts on minimizing the school’s impact on nature. The school has four outdoor gardens that are used

for education and for growing food to be used in the cafeteria. Students are instructed in gardening

techniques like crop rotation, composting, and rain catch that are healthy for the environment. All

teachers are trained in a sustainability curriculum, which focuses on education and opportunities for

students to learn about how their actions affect the planet and its fragile ecosystem. All students

additionally take a “Green Pledge.” Thus, the National Wildlife Federation has awarded Sleepy Hollow

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Middle School with the bronze and silver Eco-School awards, and the school is on track to receive the

“Green Flag” award. This school’s Environmental Action Club has created bird habitats, assisted in

local cleanups, and conducted a full-scale eco-school audit that includes all energy, waste, school

grounds, and global dimensions.

Bethlehem Central Middle School, Delmar, NY

Counting conservation efforts

Bethlehem Central Middle School is committed to equipping students with the knowledge and skills

necessary for overcoming obstacles in their future. This school emphasizes that the choices humans

make every day affect the overall health of the planet, and constantly ask students to be conscious of

what they consume, whether energy, food, or water. Bethlehem Central Middle School also seeks to

provide the infrastructure for students to make good, environmentally conscious decisions. During the

morning announcements on Tuesdays and Thursdays, students from each homeroom are asked to

empty their blue paper recycling buckets into large totes that are located in central points of the

building. Teams of students are in charge of weighing these totes and logging the data. At the end of

the month, the school TV station announces the amount of paper the school recycled and the

environmental benefits of these savings, including number of trees saved, gallons of water conserved,

and amount of pollution avoided. In addition to the school’s recycling efforts, Bethlehem Central

underwent renovations in 2006 and subsequently measured a 35 percent reduction in greenhouse gas

emissions between 2009 and 2010. A comprehensive control system monitors the energy production of

the school’s two-kilowatt solar array, which is installed on the school library and helps to power the

school facilities. Bethlehem Central minimizes its water use by using grey water for irrigation before

potable water, and by conducting annual audits to prevent or eliminate leaks. Bethlehem Central

earned the ENERGY STAR award in 2010 with an energy performance score of 78. Also, an organic

school garden, with over 1,500 square feet of raised beds, can be found on campus, supplying fresh

produce to the school’s cafeteria.

North Carolina

Evergreen Charter School, Asheville, NC

Understanding the Nature of Children

This kindergarten through eighth grade public charter school has made environmental responsibility a

key component of their mission and is now reflected in the school’s community outreach, facilities, and

culture. The students score 30 percent above the state average on science tests. This school also has

an adventure component, and teachers lead their students on several outdoor challenges like mountain

biking and rafting every year. On average, 96 percent of Evergreen’s graduates participate in a four-day

Outward Bound course with a focus on health and leadership. Staff address environmental and

sustainability issues in their blog “The Nature of Children.” The adventure physical education program

includes rock climbing, white water rafting, camping and backpacking. The 8th grade final project

consists of researching and defending a position on hydrofracking. Local Appalachian history and

culture are woven throughout the curriculum. Richard Louv’s Last Child in the Woods is required staff

reading. Most community service projects are environmentally focused and classes average 200 field

experiences per year. The school site includes rain gardens, native plantings, a strawbale and cob

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playhouse, a hoop house for winter vegetables, fruit bushes, apple trees, and vegetable garden. The

school uses recycled and chlorine-free toilet paper and eco-friendly cleaning products. Students use

cloth towels in classrooms and bring cloth napkins and utensils from home. Further, the school’s

facility, which was built in the 1960s, has been retrofitted so that it exceeds some LEED standards.

Some of the campus retrofits include replacing incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs;

installing green bathrooms with low flush toilets, waterless urinals, and electric eye sinks; installing two

photovoltaic solar panel systems that offset energy usage, and adding a monitoring tool on the school’s

website so that students, staff, and members of the community can see the energy and cost savings

and the carbon dioxide levels avoided. The school owns and operates two biodiesel buses for off-

campus field trips, and the fuel is obtained from a local company that obtains recycled cooking oils from

over 400 local restaurants.

American Hebrew Academy, Greensboro, NC

Home to one of the world’s largest closed loop geothermal heating and cooling systems

While the American Hebrew Academy features organic architecture and the campus’s 26 buildings are

integrated into the 100-acre natural landscape, one of the school’s most impressive green components

lies under the surface. Five hundred feet beneath the school’s soccer stadium and track is one of the

world’s largest closed loop geothermal heating and cooling systems. Compared with conventional

heating and cooling methods, the Academy sees 40 percent savings annually, and the energy savings

attributed to current systems operations are estimated to pay for the added capital installation cost by

the spring of 2013. Additionally, the geothermal pump house serves as a living classroom where

students can learn about geothermal energy and earth science. Students also gain real life experience

through a science research internship course, which places them in research labs at the University of

North Carolina at Greensboro, where they investigate topics such as optimal sustainable grasses for

cattle feeding and dealing with disease vectors. The school infuses the Judaic concept of ‘healing the

earth’ into curriculum, offering such courses as Eco-Judaism. Finally, because 80 percent of the

Academy’s students are residential and are each served 20 meals per week, in 2007, the school made

the decision to switch to using locally grown produce, thereby reducing transportation costs and seeing

an increase in quality of the cafeteria’s fruits and vegetables. The school’s garden, fed by compost

created from kitchen waste, also supplies food for the cafeteria and the local food bank.

Ohio

Loveland High School, Loveland, OH

A HealthierUS Schools Challenge Bronze serving all-organic food

Loveland High School has worked closely with the Loveland School District to create comprehensive

programs that have been implemented to reduce the district’s overall environmental impact. In order to

reduce GHG emissions, the district created and implemented an energy improvement plan that was the

first of its kind in Ohio. This plan allowed for many energy-efficient upgrades in Loveland High School,

like the installation of motion and infrared sensors on lighting fixtures and changing light bulbs, which

resulted in savings in the first year of $350,000. Loveland High School, a 72-acre campus that includes

15 acres of woods, prairie, and a rain garden, also has achieved a 59 percent water reduction with the

installation of low-flow faucets. All buses have been retrofitted with catalytic converters through use of

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an Environmental Protection Agency grant. Students compost kitchen waste and petitioned to ban the

sale of water bottles. Students and staff use reusable water containers to reduce the waste of water. As

for the school’s overall nutrition, the school serves all-organic and 30 percent local foods, achieving a

HealthierUS School Challenge Bronze award. Students have called local McDonald's and Circle K gas

stations to ask that they stop using Styrofoam cups. Students also called the local Best Buy to inquire

what they do with the old television sets that are collected by Best Buy as part of a community service

projects. Students found that Best Buy collects the televisions for parts, and throws the unused portion

in the trash. Students asked that Best Buy take the collected televisions to 2TRG, a local e-recycling

facility, and educated the managers on the ills of throwing televisions and other e-waste away.

North Adams Elementary, Seaman, OH

Solar Energy Star

This elementary school is located 60 miles east of Cincinnati in the Appalachian region of Ohio, North

Adams continues to be a leader in environmental sustainability and to promote these practices among

their staff, students, and community. The school building’s design includes many sustainable features

including a geothermal HVAC system, daylight harvesting, and variable room lighting. In 2011, this

school began using solar energy by adding over 1,250 solar panels to the building’s rooftop. As a

result, North Adams Elementary produces 30 percent of its energy on-site with renewable sources.

North Adams also recently received the LEED for Schools Silver rating, and its first ENERGY STAR

label where the building scored a 97 on ENERGY STAR’s 100-point rating system. Lastly, the campus

consists of 850,000 square feet of land, and the building only uses 11 percent of this space. Over 90

percent of the building’s interior offers views to the outside, where wild turkey and deer often can be

seen grazing in nearby pastures. The schools grounds include an outdoor classroom and a GLOBE

weather station that can help teachers discuss and teach climate and weather with their students.

Oregon

Sunnyside Elementary School, Portland, OR

Environmentally focused indoors and out

Sunnyside Elementary School is a K-8 school in Portland that incorporates environmental education,

place-based experiences, and service learning into its unique curriculum. This school’s environmental

science curriculum encompasses both the classroom and the field, with local foods, green gardening,

food-to-table curriculum, and sustainable practices, both individual and school-wide. The school

grounds have been converted into a rich and thriving garden, which includes a perennial sensory

garden, fruit trees, a pollinator garden, a grain garden, and a native plant garden. A three-person

sustainability team manages the garden and curriculum, which stresses global citizenship and service,

and each grade is responsible for tending a garden. Lastly, students learn sustainable practices as part

of their daily curriculum, with the use and study of on-site solar panels, a water collection cistern and

several rain barrels, a chicken coop, a robust recycling program, a lunchroom composting system with

worm bins, and a garden composting system. The school’s lunchroom has also been converted to

create less waste by only using reusable plates, cups, and utensils.

Willamina Elementary School, Willamina, OR

HealthierUS Schools Challenge honoree and Native American language immersion

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This rural K-6 school, serving one-quarter Native American students, is host to a Chinook Language

Immersion kindergarten program and places sustainability at the forefront of the school’s education

curriculum. All grade levels have integrated environmental and social sustainability into their curricula

through meaningful, real-world study and experiences, such as projects in which students must devise

inventions using recycled materials. Willamina also excels at recycling; a team of student leaders leads

the school in its conservation efforts by collecting all the recycled materials from each classroom and

placing them in the proper containers in the pick-up area. In addition to sustainability, nutrition is

studied in all grades in and out of the classroom. Willamina has established the Fresh Fruit and

Vegetable program, which offers fresh fruits and vegetables to students daily and focuses on a “harvest

of the month” to educate students about new foods. This elementary school has made a commitment to

students exercising, averaging about 270 hours a week of school-sponsored physical activity, much of

it indoors. Due to its excellence in nutrition and physical activity, Willamina is a HealthierUS Schools

Challenge winner.

Gladstone High School, Gladstone, OR

Student-Led Practices

Gladstone High School has implemented an outstanding vision for connecting their students with

sustainable environmental practices. Their students have led the way to the creation of a Green School

Club and have initiated several changes like conducting energy audits, researching information about

placing water bottle filling stations throughout the school, and the adoption of a no-idling policy. The

Green School Club, by conducting energy audits, reduced the school’s power consumption and

electrical costs by $250 per month. These club members also remodeled the school’s courtyard by

using natural materials to build cob structures, a rainwater collection system, and a raised garden. The

school itself also has undergone many changes in recent years that represent sustainable

environmental practices. A 2006 bond funded a full remodel of this high school and incorporated the

use of materials from recycled content. Despite adding 13 percent more square footage to the school,

the school still was able to reduce overall electrical consumption by 9 percent and natural gas

consumption by 3 percent. A 100-kilowatt photovoltaic system has assisted with mitigating the

remaining electrical consumption. A Gladstone teacher took the lead on developing a sustainability

curriculum that then became the model for the district. Courses include: Environmental Leadership,

which focuses on decreasing the environmental footprint of the school and community through project

based learning about sustainability. Ecology Projects is a project based course exploring several

environmental sustainability topics. Renewable Energy is a course that teaches aspects of the various

forms of renewable energy. Culinary Arts explores sustainable and local food and food service. The

leadership class focuses on social sustainability through blood drives, children’s hospital fund raisers,

canned food drives and more. Horticulture teaches students the fundamentals of planting and growing.

Drafting has students exploring energy efficiency in buildings. Computer Technology teaches students

about the environmental and social side of electronics recycling and encourages volunteering at a non

!

profit electronics organization. Environmental Science teaches about maintaining eco!systems through

native habitat restoration. Biology and Advanced Biology teach how resource management affects food

chain sustainability.

Caitlin Gabel School, Portland, OR

First Girls Generation Robotics Competition and a sustainable nutrition theme every year

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Caitlin Gabel School has made a commitment to becoming sustainable by educating its students to

develop the wisdom, vision, and determination to create a sustainable society, modeling sustainable

practices throughout the school building, and inspiring others to make the same commitment to

sustainability. This school seeks to get the entire school and outside community involved in long-term,

sustainable change. Caitlin Gabel was the first organization in its area to make the shift to ultra-low

sulfur diesel fuel for buses, which made this school the first Platinum level participant in the Oregon

Clean Diesel Initiative. This school also has established PLACE (Planning and Leadership Across City

Environments), which is an urban leadership program open to all students in the area. Through this

program, students come to understand how a city operates in areas including equity, infrastructure,

disposal, and sustainability planning. It also has extensive robotics teams and hosted the first Girl’s

Generation Robotics Competition. Through the Caitlin Gabels Service Corp, volunteerism begins in

preschool. The garden is curricular focus of middle school classes in particular and there is a school-

wide garden club. Each year, students have a nutrition theme woven into their curriculum. Nutrition

services is headed by professional chef and features a daily salad bar, vegetarian and gluten-free

options. The school does not sell soda, candy bars or bottled water. Middle school students in modern

languages cook all year long according to cultural themes and the 7

th

grade December food festival is

global in nature. The fifth grade sustainability curricular focus is Pitchfork to Plate, where students

learn and experience how food works, from production to consumers. Caitlin Gabel students plant

trees every year on earth day and the school purchases local paint, contracting services, lamb,

produce, fruits, coffee and beef. The school has hosted Fulbright scholars from Japan who paid a visit

to learn about sustainable development from an exemplary school.

Pennsylvania

Radnor Middle School, Wayne, PA

Only LEED Silver certified school with a green roof in the Delaware Valley

Radnor Middle School has earned the slogan, “the school with a heart in the heart of Wayne,” because

of its dedication to students, community, and the environment. The only LEED Silver certified school in

the Delaware Valley with a green roof, the school stands out as a leader in sustainability. In the

community, the students have worked to set up two community-supported agriculture systems, along

with a Seed to Snack program, and have helped the community recycle paper. They established a

school-wide Big Local Organic Movement and a BLOM blog and tend a year-round vegetable garden,

green house and NWF certified schoolyard habitat The Environment and Ecology curriculum is

embedded throughout grades and the school’s watershed program has been internationally recognized

and a blueprint for environment literacy. The school participates in PA Fish and Wildlife Trout in the

Classroom. A “Green Touch Screen” in the lobby provides visitors with information on the school’s

green features and no-idling signs outdoors protect student health. Radnor has made a significant

reduction in energy use and waste production through green features, a focus on water use, and

recycling. The school district supports environmental efforts through participation in a recycling program

and transportation run on biodiesel.

Thaddeus Stevens Elementary School, Chambersburg, PA

Super Money Savers

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Thaddeus Stevens Elementary School is an example of student leadership and strong community ties.

With an emphasis on green space, the school has a garden, blue bird houses, and a community-use

soccer field. Through conservation, Thaddeus Stevens has kept the equivalent of 404 tons of carbon

dioxide from entering the atmosphere, and earned ENERGY STAR certification three years in a row. As

a result of their strong efforts and willingness to accept environmental recommendations, the school

has saved over $78,400 in 53 months. To protect student health, the building is monitored actively for

air and drinking water quality, and the custodial staff use Green Seal Certified cleaning products.

Winner of the Professional Recyclers Award of Pennsylvania in 2008, and with more than half of

students walking to school, it is clear that the student culture has strong ties to environmental

sustainability.

Food service staff participates in choosemyplace.gov to provide nutrition and exercise

information to students. The school is situated close to neighborhoods, and more than half of the

students walk to school.

A.W. Beattie Career Center, Allison Park, PA

First LEED Gold Career and Technology Center in PA

The A.W. Beattie Career Center reduced energy usage by 7.6 percent, water consumption by 11.1

percent, and solid waste by 21 percent, even as it increased the size of its facilities. Additionally, 87

percent of the 43-acre campus is designated as open space, and includes a storm water control

system. As a career center offering 16 different career fields, the school continually updates curriculum

to provide students with skills that are applicable in the green economy. The definition and awareness

of green jobs has been promoted actively. Each career path is paired with projects and curricula in

environmental stewardship, health, and sustainability. Science students grow herbs and vegetable

seedlings, supplying the culinary program and faculty members. Construction Technologies programs

incorporate developed a green tour and a multimedia presentation available to community members.

The Beattie Restaurant serves homemade food three days a week. In Cosmetology, students study

chemical usage and disposal; in Automotive, they study environmental impacts and regulations in

Automotive. The Carpentry program designed a pavillion to be constructed at a local elementary

school, the various bird and bat houses installed on campus and designed, constructed and donated an

energy efficient model home to the Pennsylvania gaming commission. School-wide competencies

include job readiness and green technology, and students must spend a minimum of 10 hours working

on school LEED features each year in every program. The first LEED Gold certified career and

technology center in Pennsylvania, the building is incorporated into academics, especially through the

school’s Green Technology team.

Springside Chestnut Hill Academy, Philadelphia, PA

Largest non-profit solar project in the region

Springside Chestnut Hill Academy’s legacy goes far beyond the 65-acre campus. Students can

participate based on grade level in one of three eco-clubs all geared toward shaping an awareness of

health, community, and the environment. Wellness and health are emphasized through fitness

programs, an outdoor education program, and a relationship with local produce farmers. Students have

planted hundreds of native species on the expansive campus, which also has three storm water

recharge beds to capture runoff from roofs and pavement. A leader in the community, the school has

constructed one of the largest solar projects in the region and helped the local area recycle 320 tons of

waste. The school also has replaced its paper letters to parents and the community with virtual mail.

Springside Chestnut Hill Academy is devoted to the wellbeing of their students, faculty, and community.

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Rhode Island

Classical High School, Providence, RI

Farms to Schools, Collaborative for High Performance Schools Design Criteria verified

With sustainability and environmental science woven into the curriculum starting in ninth grade,

Classical High School works to achieve its main goal of preparing students for college. The focus on

science manifests itself through the offering of Advanced Placement science classes, a curriculum

including off-campus science instruction, and new science rooms with solar hot water and recovered

energy unit systems. Classical uses the “school as a tool.” Five percent of the school’s energy

consumption is generated on-site, and there is a 500 square foot greenhouse located on the roof to

demonstrate plant growth and scientific processes. Classical has been making great strides in resource

consumption reduction, as well, with a 21 percent reduction in non-transportation energy use and a 21

percent reduction in water consumption. Also to be commended is the school’s commitment to

community service, emphasized through a community service project during students’ junior year.

Nathan Bishop Middle School, Providence, RI

Second in 2011 RI Science Olympiad

The actual school is a tool for learning at Nathan Bishop. The school was constructed originally in 1929,

and renovations were conducted in 2009 according to criteria established by the Collaborative for High

Performance Schools. Nathan Bishop has integrated its energy-management efforts into the science

curriculum by installing kiosks on campus for displaying live energy data and demonstrating

consumption trends in energy and water. Twenty-five percent of the school’s consumed energy is

derived from on-site renewable energy generation, and the school reports a 21 percent reduction in

water use compared to a 2009 baseline. As a result of its sustainability efforts, Nathan Bishop has

reduced its energy consumption by 21 percent compared to the same 2009 baseline, and earned the

ENERGY STAR award in 2011. Part of the Collaborative for High Performance Schools Initiative, there

has been a 21 percent reduction in non-transportation energy use at the school, and 25 percent of the

school’s energy is on-site and renewable. Nathan Bishop also has reached out to a variety of

supporters and community partnerships such as with Brown University, RISD, Jewish Community

Center, Sodexo, Aramark, Lowe’s, and parents’ groups. Students additionally participate in a Farms to

Schools program to increase nutrition awareness and healthful lifestyles.

Virginia

Fishburn Elementary School, Roanoke, VA

Green Education Foundation, Project Learning Tree inspired curriculum

The mentality and commitment of Fishburn Elementary School is exemplified in their pledge: “No job is

too big, no action too small, for the care of the earth, is the task of us all.” Fishburn fosters the creativity

and growing minds of its students in all aspects of education. Creating incentives to promote healthy

living and rewarding students who participate in community outreach projects are two ways Fishburn

supports students in educational and lifestyle endeavors. Students also are supported in their creative

endeavors through theatre and art projects. Every grade level has their own raised-bed garden, and

students participate in an Earth Hour project each month, allowing them to take on the individual and

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group responsibility of their school’s environmental commitment. Even more unique than Fishburn’s

collection of live animals in the main building is their grove of maple trees which, with the help of the

Department of Forestry, provide maple syrup to the school. The school collects gently worn clothing

and goods and holds an annual environmental fashion show and resale to showcase the items, raising

money for its environmental activities fund. Students collect samples from nearby streams around

World Water Monitoring Day, conducting tests and comparing data. They also developed a purchasing

protocol that eventually became the district standard.

Gereau Center, Rocky Mount, VA

PassivHaus Certified

The wellness of every student is the focus of the Gereau Center. From improving indoor air quality and

purchasing eco-friendly cleaning supplies to synchronizing clocks to eliminate the need for jarring bells,

the health and lifestyle of every student is taken into account. The Gereau gives every student a tree to

plant on Arbor Day and purchases seven percent of their energy from renewable sources. Perhaps

most notable is the Center for Energy Efficient Design, a net zero energy educational and

demonstrative center. The building is a template for residential and educational construction for the

21st Century. Featuring day lighting, solar hot-water heating, wind turbines, earth berming, south

facing solar orientation, thermal mass, geothermal energy, photovoltaics, and rainwater harvesting,

energy use in this building is tracked and maintained online for students to analyze. Students in all

classes use problem-based learning activities emphasizing the use of scientific methods and

development critical thinking skills. Students test model airplanes, rockets, solar-powered cars, and

tetrahedral kites. The Gereau Center has developed a partnership with the science and education

departments at Ferrum College for the purpose of writing curriculum for the Center.

Washington

Tahoma Junior High, Ravensdale, WA

Place-based excellence in environmental education

Tahoma Junior High successfully uses their local geography and surrounding area to integrate

academics and environmental stewardship into hands-on learning and a healthy lifestyle. Students and

faculty take advantage of 37 acres of local trails to increase personal fitness and a commitment to a

healthy lifestyle. A part of the King County Green Schools Program and a participant in “Sounding off t

on the Sound,” a program to connect students with the ecology and environment of a local body of

water, Tahoma uses inquiry-based study to advance students’ understanding of core concepts. With

the leadership of the Green Team, Tahoma now has three rain gardens and a 50 percent recycling

rate.

Camelot Elementary, Auburn, WA

Salmon in the Classroom

With students publishing a school resource conservation newspaper and raising salmon in the

classroom to release in streams, Camelot Elementary, is well deserving of their Certificate of

Achievement for school leadership, which was presented by the Board of Education of Federal Way.

Most notably, through a joint effort of students and staff, the school has made a 50 percent reduction in

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energy use since 2007 by updating systems that use energy, removing personal appliances, and

placing reminder on computers and light switches. The school ran a reusable bottle fundraiser to

eliminate plastic bottles. Green checklists are posted in each classroom and staff and students are

continually educated about ways to decrease energy consumption and waste. It is clear that the school

receives the support of the surrounding community, as the Camelot area recently raised $10,000 to

build a community garden on the school’s grounds. 59 percent of students choose to walk or bike to

school. Camelot implements a nutrition program that incorporates the USDA standards ensuring that

each child has fruits, vegetables, whole wheat breads and low-fat milk at each meal. Camelot also

works with its PTA to send home backpacks of food on the weekends for disadvantaged students.

Secondary Academy for Success, Bothell, WA

One of the first sustainability engineering and design programs in the country

With a 30 percent reduction in energy use from 2008, the Secondary Academy for Success puts ideas

into action in every aspect of their school. In addition to a Green Club, student work on annual

community service projects and twice a year volunteer on a sustainable farm. A participant in the Cool

Schools Challenge, they have a high-performance building and integrate a sustainable engineering and

design program into the curriculum, which supports project-based learning. Throughout the year,

students in the program work on real-world projects to maximize the relevance of the knowledge they

gain from the course. Projects range from the retrofit of a cargo trailer into a green mobile learning lab.

to solar-powered charging stations for electric bikes to local business sustainability assessments. In

addition to the sustainable engineering and design program, the school has launched a dedicated

horticulture class with accompanying new greenhouse and edible garden. Academic advancement and

civic engagement are key to the goals of the Academy, where 100 percent of students participate in

some type of civic engagement, and which won the 2011 Washington State STEM Lighthouse Award.

The Overlake School, Redmond, WA

National Wildlife Federation Schoolyard Habitat

With outdoor walkways between buildings spread over 15 acres and a fresh air ventilation system in

their LEED certified building, The Overlook School readily embraces the integration of academics and

the outside environment. Students are taught to view sustainability as a part of everyday life, and they

have many opportunities to incorporate environmental concepts into their studies, such as through

outdoor education as a graduation requirement, the option of an environmental project during “project

week,” and a wide variety of electives and extracurricular activities based on sustainable practices. A

Green Team has completed energy audits, and subsequent recommendations in energy-efficient

practices have had a significant impact on consumption. Overlake even has taken the particularly

unique step of building an electric car charging station on their campus, leading three families to

purchase electric cars.

West Virginia

Hilltop Elementary, Wheeling, WV

First LEED certified School in West Virginia

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As the first LEED certified school in West Virginia, Hilltop Elementary takes its environmental and

community responsibilities seriously. Through exploration and work with the Green Schools Leadership

Institute, Hilltop has developed a project-based K-5 curriculum incorporating a LEED framework. It

created Sustainable Schools Learning Kits for other area schools through the use of a $54,000 grant

from an anonymous donor to move toward its goal of helping all other schools become more

sustainable. Learning laboratories for sustainability allow students to learn in areas such as

environmental footprint, energy efficiency, indoor environmental quality, materials and resources, water

efficiency, and innovation and design. With a schoolwide community wellness walk in the evening and

community service at every grade level, HIlltop fulfills their vision of being “the epicenter for

sustainability” within its community.

Wyoming County Career and Technical Center, Pineville, WV

Innovation through Practical Application learning

At Wyoming County Career and Technical Center, every program of study incorporates sustainability

concepts into its curriculum and day-to-day practices. The Building Construction program designs and

builds energy efficient modular homes. The Diesel Technology program manufactures biodiesel,

retrofitted, and existing diesel engines, and uses kitchen oil waste from the cooking program as well as

local restaurants for fuel. The Automotive Technology program recycles used oil by giving it to a local

garage to burn for heat, and is developing a hybrid golf cart and all-terrain vehicle that will run on

alternative fuels. The Electrical Technology program retrofitted and donated a golf cart powered with a

small solar panel and batteries. The Electronic Technology program has developed a recycling

program for proper disposal of electronics. The Welding Technology program has built recycling bins

and recycles scrap metal and wiring. The Industrial Equipment Technology program designed and

installed a 42 solar panel system to power their building. The school partners with Bridgemont

Community College to allow students to obtain an associate’s degree in sustainable energy

management.

Wisconsin

Dimensions of Learning Academy, Kenosha, WI

Environmental Protection Agency WasteWise Program

The Dimensions of Learning Academy, constructed in 1911, is committed to improving student health

along with energy efficiency. A Wisconsin Green & Healthy School, a member of the Wisconsin Green

Schools Network, and Wisconsin Association for Environmental Education, the school emphasizes

environmental sustainability along with fitness and nutrition. At each grade level, health education is

taught featuring environmental health, nutrition, and local food production, all complimented by the

social studies curriculum, which includes “buy local” field trips to the farmer's market. A participant of

Fuel Up to Play 60 and Let’s Move, a healthy lifestyle is reinforced at the school, along with learning

based on decision-making, problem solving, inquiry, investigation, invention, and systems analysis.

With a 50 percent recycling rate, a grey water system, lighting retrofits, and a garden, Dimensions of

Learning is progressing toward a complete green design and lifestyle. The school also has undergone

efficiency upgrades, such as the replacement of a boiler purchased in 1952 with an energy-efficient

boiler in 2007, and the replacement of all T-12 lighting fixtures with T-8 lighting. Low-flow water faucets

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installed in the school help avoid the waste of water, and meters are in place to monitor the water

usage of boiler units in order to detect and prevent leaks. The academy has reported a reduction of

more than six percent in annual greenhouse gas emissions compared to 2010, the same year the

school earned the ENERGY STAR award.

Middleton High School, Middleton, WI

ENERGY STAR since 2008 with strong community ties

Middleton High School approaches sustainability from every direction. A commitment to decrease

energy use through solar panels, including to heat the swimming pool, and students engaging in

"behavior modification" to conserve electricity through reduced lighting is are just a few of the ways

students are exposed to energy efficiency, before they go on to tackle projects to design "green" homes

incorporating water saving devices and landscaping. Middleton also has on-site prairie gardens, rain

gardens, and organic gardens that are used to teach about storm water management, management

techniques, and sustainable lifestyles. The local community benefits greatly from the work and

commitment of these students, such as when the local library wanted to have a native garden that did

not rely on energy consuming practices, and the students took on the project. The Ecology Club also

raised $16,000 in the last four years for community service projects ranging from oak savanna

restoration and invasive species removal to prairie planting. A recipient of the Environmental

Excellence Award from Seaworld/Busch Gardens/Fujifilm, Middleton has integrated academic

achievement, civic duty, and environmental sustainability.

Purdy Elementary School, Fort Atkinson, WI

A naturalist in residence provides professional development to all teachers

A part of Wisconsin’s Green & Healthy Schools program, Purdy Elementary achieves success through

student participation and community collaboration. The “Green Team” has led the way in making

sustainable changes to the school and curriculum with such activities as the Naturalist in Residence

program and planting trees. With the support of local funding, Purdy Elementary was able to rehabilitate

a wetlands area, now open to the public and the location of student “Wetland Walks.” The school

currently derives five percent of its energy from on-site renewable sources, including geothermal

heating and cooling, as well a solar panel installation. Behavioral changes to promote energy efficiency

are encouraged by the Green Team, which recognizes classrooms exhibiting the most “green”

behavior. Purdy Elementary also utilizes water-efficient or regionally appropriate plant species for 100

percent of its landscaping needs, and all bathroom faucets installed in the school are automatic in order

to prevent water waste. In 2010, Purdy Elementary School earned the ENERGY STAR award with a

noteworthy energy performance score of 97. Purdy’s additional commitment to health and fitness is

clear through their “walk to school” competitions, participation in the Healthier School Challenge

program, and the “Purdy Pacer Program” that promotes running and walking.

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