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The U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools Program and How Can You Help

by
Bill Whorton

As you may have heard, it was an exciting summer at the U.S. Department of Education. With the assistance of a large federal family, the U.S. Department of Education developed pilot year criteria and award mechanisms for the U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools recognition award program. Green Ribbon Schools is the first comprehensive and coordinated federal policy related to the environment, health and education in schools. The approach integrates environmental learning with maximizing the positive environmental and health impacts of schools.

Green Ribbon Schools is a voluntary program that recognizes schools in participating states that strive toward variety of existing standards, implementing or employing numerous complementary programs and resources. Like the Blue Ribbon Schools Program, Green Ribbon Schools is a recognition award, not a grant. Recognition awards incent change by communicating high standards and recognizing the most exemplary schools or individuals according to specified criteria. This recognition award program encourages state education authorities and school communities to:

  1. Inform themselves about energy and resource conservation measures that provide opportunities for cost savings and job creation;
  2. Support environmental and behavioral changes to promote health and productivity among all school occupants; and
  3. Use environmental education to ensure interdisciplinary learning about the key relationships between the environment and humans, reinforce STEM content knowledge and thinking skills, and develop students’ civic engagement skills.

These areas make up the three “Pillars” of the Green Ribbon Schools recognition award: Environmental Impact and Energy Efficiency; Healthy School Environments; and Environmental and Sustainability Education. These “Pillars” are described in more depth in the Criteria for U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools.

How Can I Help Support The Green Ribbon Schools Recognition Program?

The Green Ribbon recognition award is a voluntary program and your state’s decision to participate in the pilot year could be influenced by public support for the program in your state. The essential task now is to inform schools and state education authorities of the Green Ribbon recognition award and of the many existing programs, standards and initiatives that can support their efforts toward high achievement in the three ‘Pillars’ the award identifies. Education officials will need federal, state and local government, non-profit and for-profit private sector support and expertise in their efforts to meet the aims Green Ribbon Schools lays out. —this means you!

As many of you know, school administrators have a great many competing priorities at this time. At least some of the work of conveying Green Ribbon Schools as a backdrop for a variety of existing resources that can serve to advance education officials’ current goals to cut costs, provide a well-rounded education, increase STEM skills and engagement, foster health and wellness and ensure students’ preparedness for the 21st century economy, will be advanced by resource providers and technical experts, including teachers.

The onus is upon all of us to help school officials see that, in reality, Green Ribbon is nothing new. It merely puts together the disparate pieces of the environmental, health, education, facilities and economic puzzle to help schools consider these issues comprehensively, and recognize those schools that do so in an exemplary manner. With your help, our nation’s schools can make strides in each of these areas to provide a holistically sustainable education for our students.