ecoliteracy.org

The U.S. Department of Education has celebrated the very first cohort of Green Ribbon Schools—recognized for making the most progress in three areas, or "Pillars": reduced environmental impact, improved health, and effective environmental education.

Representing 29 states and the District of Columbia, the 78 honorees truly run the gamut. They include the nation's first off-grid solar- and wind-powered school in Arizona; a historic Appalachian school in Alabama with projects in both "Neanderthal toolmaking" and "competitive robots"; a Native American boarding school in North Dakota with a wholly integrated nutrition curriculum; and a 1918 Ford car factory-turned-high school in Iowa with programs in home building, aviation, culinary arts, and sustainable design.

The majority are public schools, and half cater to underserved student populations. "That these so-called 'disadvantaged' schools were masters of stretching limited resources further should not have surprised us," noted Green Ribbon Schools Director Andrea Suarez Falken. "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."

How can you help make your school more Green Ribbon-worthy?