Four Schools, One District, and One College from MN Among U.S. Dept of Ed Green Ribbon Schools

Secretary of Education Names 2015 U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools and District and Postsecondary Sustainability Awardees Nominated by Minnesota Department of Education and the Minnesota Office of Higher Education

 

Managing Director of the White House Council on Environmental Quality Christy Goldfuss joined U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan to announce that 4 schools, 1 district, and1college from Minnesota are among the 2015 U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools.

They are:

• City of Lakes Waldorf School, Minneapolis, MN
• Harambee Community Cultures/Environmental Science School, Maplewood, MN
• Redtail Ridge Elementary School, Savage, MN
• Rockford Middle School-Center for Environmental Studies, Rockford, MN
• University of Minnesota-Morris, Morris, MN
• West St Paul-Mendota Heights-Eagan School District 197, Mendota Heights, MN

These schools are honored for their accomplishments in the three pillars of the award program:

1. Reducing environmental impact
2. Improving health and wellness
3. Providing effective environmental education

In total, across the country, 58 schools and 14 districts were honored for their exemplary efforts to reduce environmental impact and utility costs, promote better health, and ensure effective environmental education, including civics and green career pathways. In addition, 9 colleges and universities were honored for the Postsecondary Sustainability Award. Duncan and Goldfuss made the announcement at the U.S. Department of Education, in Washington, DC.

These honorees are compelling examples of the ways schools can help children build real-world skillsets, cut school costs, and provide healthy learning environments, Duncan said. U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools are an inspiration and deserve the spotlight for embodying strong examples of innovative learning and civic engagement. We also are thrilled to add institutions of higher education to the list of honorees this year for the first time in the awards history.

Schools are selected by an application process that requires the schools to document their accomplishments in each of the three pillars. The Minnesota Department of Education and the Minnesota Office of Higher Education use panels of experts to evaluate the applications and determine state finalists. The applications are evaluated by a national panel to select the awardees.The list of all selected schools, districts, colleges, and universities, as well as their nomination packages, can be found here. A report with highlights on the 81 honorees can be found here.

More information on the federal recognition award can be found here. Resources for all schools to move toward the three Pillars can be found here. Information about the Minnesota application process is available here.