Three Pennsylvania schools were recognized for their environmental sustainability initiatives by the U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools Program.

Awardees show progress in the following areas: reducing environmental impacts, such as waste, water, greenhouse gases, and transportation; improving health and wellness with consideration to air quality, lighting, thermal comfort, school nutrition, and outdoor physical activity; and offering effective environmental and sustainability education that emphasizes hands-on, real-world learning, civic engagement, STEM connections, and green career preparation.

The schools recognized in Pennsylvania are the Hillendale Elementary School in Chadds Ford; California Area School District in Washington County; and West Chester University.

Hillendale Elementary School

Hillendale Elementary School is a bustling kindergarten through fifth grade school. In 2013, it piloted a stormwater management project on the campus, planting over 600 trees and thousands of native plants, creating a woodland path, establishing a pollinator meadow, constructing a trail that links these elements together, and filling these spaces with environmental education signage.

Hillendale reduces environmental impact and costs by tracking energy data through the ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager portal and working with the district’s sustainability committee on more sustainable lighting, HVAC equipment, and procurement.

Hillendale offers a wide variety of curricular and extracurricular wellness activities and opportunities for both students and faculty, including clubs, wellness days, and fitness challenges.

During the 2022-23 school year, staff embarked on a multiyear commitment to learning best practices in teaching about and within nature in their outdoor classrooms, in

partnership with Stroud Water Research Center.

The school has three formal and several additional outdoor classroom spaces utilized daily by the school community.

Both indoors and outdoors, Hillendale’s staff provides students with interdisciplinary environmental and sustainability learning opportunities embedded into the kindergarten through fifth grade curriculum.

The unique campus and homegrown curricula help students learn about varied ecosystems.

Hillendale partners with many local organizations to provide environmental and sustainability education programming, such as field trips, and to improve the campus’ environment with cleanups and restoration projects.

California Area School District

California Area School District (CASD) coordinates activities within the district and with local partners that reduce environmental impact, energy use, and food waste; conserve water; introduce sustainable transportation; and increase recycling.

CASD uses a multi-tiered system of progressive educational approaches to teach strategies to reduce environmental impact.

Strategies used throughout the district include a five-phase program to reach 100% of K-12 students with recycling instruction, a farm-to-school collaboration, and edible gardens.

CASD is also incorporating artificial intelligence to solve global/local problems, purchasing solar-powered transportation for campus use, and incorporating outdoor, year-round play with water- saving design.

The Moonshot Project, a grant-funded and district- facilitated program, works to provide students with nutrition and improved access to healthy foods in and out of school.

Using the on-site chickens for eggs, honey from the district apiary, and its aquaponics facility for healthy greens and fish, the Moonshot Project pairs the expertise of a paraeducator and cafeteria staff with the healthy eating educational needs of students.

Through the life skills program, students receive instruction on safe practices in the kitchen and learn cooking skills.

CASD focuses on the health and wellness of students and staff through their dog therapy program, goat-scaping project, and outdoor fitness after school and during summer school.

The Chill Project created two rooms to serve all students and employees to be used for reducing stress. CASD installed permeable surfaces in outdoor child play spaces, which reestablished a more natural hydraulic balance and reduced runoff.

Post-COVID improvements in air quality, use of outdoor learning spaces, remediation of any moisture, and a clear cleaning and maintenance schedule were developed as part of the Return to School Plan and are now consistent procedures in all day-to-day operations.

West Chester University

West Chester University (WCU) has commitments to environmental, social, and economic sustainability and outlines the strategies it takes to achieve these in both its Climate Action Plan and its Strategic Plan.

Since 2010, WCU has cut energy costs by millions of dollars, lowered per capita carbon emissions by more than a third, and significantly reduced the environmental impacts of its campus operations.

WCU has large geo-exchange heating and cooling systems that allow energy efficient, low carbon temperature control in over 40% of campus building space.

The campus also features ground and roof solar arrays, and WCU purchases renewable energy credits.

All new design and construction on campus is required to meet LEED Silver building standards.

WCU piloted pre-consumer food scraps composting programs with its dining services department, composting 37 tons of food scraps in the most recent year.

Dining services works with student organizations and the university’s Sustainability Council to reduce food waste, compost food scraps, and limit the use of single-use, non-compostable containers and utensils.

Custodial services purchases janitorial paper products from certified sustainable paper sources and over half of cleaning products from green certified products vendors.

Staff responsible for building and grounds maintenance collaborate with faculty and students to realize the idea of the campus as a “living laboratory and creative canvas” by giving tours of facilities, such as the university’s geothermal pumphouse; outdoor areas, which include four organic gardens; and the 125-acre Gordon Natural Area.

More than three-quarters of WCU’s academic departments offer courses focused on environmental, social, and economic sustainability, with 195 individual courses offered that explicitly focus on or include such concepts.

Two academic minor programs, open to students from any discipline and college at the university, dive into sustainability and draw from class options across the campus to address environmental, humanitarian, and economic challenges through classroom activities and applied projects that emphasize broad, interdisciplinary knowledge, leadership, and tools.

The Brandywine Project for Sustainability Education conducts workshops and offers stipends to faculty members who are committed to effectively integrating sustainability concepts into course syllabi.

Click Here for more on all 2023 Green Ribbon Schools.

For more information, visit the U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools webpage.

Also visit the Commonwealth’s Pathways to Green Schools program webpage for more information on school sustainability initiatives.

(Photos: Hillendale Elementary School partners with Stroud Water Research Center in outdoor classroom project;  California Area School District students have access to electric scooters; West Chester University student volunteers paint the garden tool shed as part of an Art+Design Project.)

NewsClip:

-- Observer-Reporter: California Area School District In Washington County Recognized As Top Sustainability School

Related Article - Green Ribbon Schools:

-- Education, DEP, DCNR Honor Green Ribbon Schools For Environmental Sustainability Efforts In PA; Nominations Open [2022]

NewsClips:

-- Observer-Reporter: California Area School District In Washington County Recognized As Top Sustainability School

-- Reading Eagle: Retired High School Biology Teacher Reflects On 53 Years Of Earth Days

-- TribLive: Greensburg Salem, Derry, Norwin Top Westmoreland Envirothon Competition

-- Warren Times: Warren Conservation District Envirothon Held At Chapman State Park

-- The Sentinel: Cumberland Valley Students Take Part In Conodoguinet Creek Bioblitz

-- Scranton Times: Luzerne County Educator Starts 15th Year Of Hiking Series

-- Stroud Water Research Center Partner Walt Moore, Chester County, Named PA Distinguished Dairy Producer

-- Philadelphia Water Dept. Recognizes Stormwater Pioneers For Best Stormwater Management On Private Property

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[Posted: April 22, 2023]

4/24/2023