What You Need to Know About the U.S. Department of Education’s Green Ribbon Schools Program

Nathaniel Allen
Center for Green Schools Advocacy Lead
U.S. Green Building Council

In his 2012 Earth Day Proclamation, President Obama outlines the case for green schools and recognizes the U.S. Department of Education’s Green Ribbon Schools program as a driver for improving school sustainability, health and education for 21st century jobs. Earlier this morning, I had the privilege to attend the announcement of the inaugural class of Green Ribbon Schools, made by Education Secretary Arne Duncan, EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson, and White House Council on Environmental Quality Chair Nancy Sutley. The event was held at Stoddert Elementary, a beautiful LEED Gold facility and one of Washington, D.C.’s winning Green Ribbon Schools (it was also the location we chose to launch the Center for Green Schools in September of 2010).

U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan,
Stoddert Principal Marjorie Cuthbert and myself

I have a special place in my heart for Stoddert. While I went to the public school in the next neighborhood over (where my sister currently teaches first grade), I spent a good amount of my youth playing baseball and soccer on Stoddert’s field. Since those days, I’ve seen incredible progress at DCPS. The school system that was once full of facilities in utter disrepair has become, in many ways, a model green district. I was glad that one of the key champions of this effort, D.C. Councilmember Mary Cheh, author of the D.C. Healthy Schools Act, was also standing proud Stoddert this morning. It was incredibly powerful to see the Secretary of Education announcing a monumental moment in the green schools movement – frankly, the biggest thing to happen to date – at Stoddert.