Green Ribbon Schools

Green Ribbon Schools

Albert F. Hodapp

Paper presented at the

Kentucky Association for Psychology in the Schools Conference

Louisville, KY

10/11/17

Green Ribbon Schools

In 2011, U. S. Department of Education (2015) established Green Ribbon Schools (GRS). Their data-driven policies support three pillars: (a) reduce environmental costs; (b) improve health and wellness; and (c) provide effective environmental and sustainability education (www2.ed.gov/programs/green-ribbon-schools/awards/html). A PDF file of each Green Ribbon School is available at this web site. Schools emphasize STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) across the curriculum and provide a positive school climate. Some schools add Art to this emphasis, thus creating STEAM.

Berman (2014) quoted Anne Duncan, Education Department Secretary: Each Green Ribbon School is “demonstrating ways schools can simultaneously cut costs, improve health and engage students in hands-on learning.” Elementary schools, middle schools, high schools, colleges, and universities are eligible. Theeducational state authority must nominate schools for the Green Ribbon Award.

To reduce environmental costs, schools document energy efficiency and reduction in water consumption. LED light bulbs and low-flow fixtures are mentioned as well as no-idling zones for vehicles and school buses. Recycling is a standard procedure with eco-friendly posters used as reminders. Green cleaning products and use of pesticides are addressed.

To promote health and wellness, schools focus on healthy eating and lifestyles. Snacks meet nutritional guidelines. Some schools have rain gardens and vegetable gardens. Schools verify amount of physical activity students have weekly. Recess before lunch and training teacher aides on best practices to keep children active during recess reported. Anti-bullying programs are used. The 2016 GRS Hawkeye Community College Waterloo IA is a Blue Zone worksite based on Buettner’s (2008) The Blue Zones: Lessons For Living Longer From The People Who’ve Lived The Longest.

To promote environmental stewardship, students learn from their real-life experiences. At 2015 Green Ribbon School Susan Miller Dorsey Senior High School, Los Angeles, CA, the Restoration Leadership Program teaches students habitat restoration techniques. They conduct six community restoration events annually. Dorsey’s Eco-Club restores Least Tern’s bird habitat by weeding sea rocket, an invasive species that ruins bird’s nesting sites.(

Driving a green wave of change! The 2017 Green Ribbon School, George L Catrambone Elementary School, Long Branch, N.J. has its logo and mascot as the Green Wave. With a student population of 846, 90% are eligible for free and reduced-price lunch and 72% are minority. (www-greenstrides.org/sites/default/files/ webform/NJ%202%20Long%20Branch%20Catrambone%20ES%20Disadv).

Image Elementary School, Vancouver Washington, 2015 Green Ribbon School, stated small consistent efforts will make a collective big difference. This 40-year-old all electric school decreased energy use by 68%. Taking care of our natural resources is a full time, ongoing responsibility for everyone. Students study news articles and videos to learn creative solutions to save or reuse resources. (

Kentucky’s Green Ribbon Schools

From 2011 to 2017, 340 schools and 56 school districts have been designated Green Ribbon Schools (U.S. Department of Education, 2017). From 2011 to 2017, 14 schools in the Blue Grass state have been honored as Green Ribbon Schools driving the green wave of change: (1) 2012: Rosa Parks Elementary (Lexington), Richardsville Elementary School (Bowling Green), Georgetown Middle School (Georgetown); (2) 2013: Cane Run Elementary (Louisville), Northern Elementary School (Georgetown), Locus Trace AgriScience Farm (Lexington); (3) 2014: Wellington Elementary School (Lexington); (4) 2015: Bryan Station Middle School (Lexington), Royal Springs Middle School (Georgetown), Western Kentucky University (Bowling Green); (5) 2016 Eastern Elementary School (Georgetown), Russell Cave Elementary School (Lexington), Berea College (Berea): and (6) 2017 Morton Middle School (Lexington).

Below are some Kentucky’s Green Ribbon Schools’ innovative ideas. All GRS schools must meet the three criteria of reducing environmental costs, promote health and wellness, and provide effective environmental education. GRS reduce environmental costs.

• 2012 Richardsville Elementary School, Bowling Green, is the first Net Zero school building in USA. Geothermal heating and cooling, solar tubes for lighting, Energy Star appliances, solar panels, rainwater collection system for watering rain garden’s native plants, themed hallways with learning murals, school-wide recycling and composting, and four hybrid buses are some of the highlights implemented by this Green Ribbon School. (
• 2014 Wellington Elementary School, Lexington, was named Kentucky’s Green and Healthy School in 2011. School features solar panels, thermal hot water system, permeable pavers, rain garden, native plant landscaping, and outdoor classroom. Compared to comparable elementary school, Wellington had 54.9% less Greenhouse Gas Emissions and used 56.5% less energy. Partnered with KY NEED to educate families about various light bulbs. Wellington’s goal is to educate students on how personal choices can improve human and ecosystem health at school and the community. Wellington has a Japanese garden so students can become one with nature (www2.ed.gov/programs/green-ribbon-schools/2014-schools/ky-wellington-elementary-school.pdf).

Green Ribbon Schools promote health and wellness.

• 2017 Morton Middle School, Lexington. Took 11 years to create a “Green Community.” Morton teamed up with A Healthy Generation. Boys and girls clubs learn self-help skills, communication skills and peer mentoring. School raises chickens and students take home the eggs. Students mentor elementary students on how to take care of a trout farm at their school. Morton’s 7th and 8th graders learn to write grants, such as for a butterfly garden. Seventh graders write an argumentative paper for their choice for the most efficient alternative energy for the future. Morton was the first school in Fayette County to have a no-idling campaign (
• 2016 Russell Cave Elementary School, Lexington. Students receive 120 minutes of physical education per week. Families receive a calendar monthlywith daily fitness challenges and students get recognized for completingactivities. Staff meetings have physical activity breaks. On Wellness Wednesday, extra movement breaks are planned. School kitchen uses Green Seal Certified Pots and Pans. School garden foods are sent home with students. On Green Apple Service Day, students work with volunteers to learn the value of community involvement. (www2.ed.gov/programs/green-ribbon-schools/2016-schools/ky-russell-cave.pdf).

Green Ribbon Schools promote environmental stewardship.

• 2015 Royal Springs Middle School Lexington. Language arts teachers select novels that address environmental issues. Examples listed were Silent Spring, and Where the Red Fern Grows. Students are taught to write argumentative essays on environmental issues. Arts and humanities classes esteem nature for its inspirational value. School-wide Word-of-the-Day program features environmental words. In 8th grade science, students complete You Make A Difference writing project on using resources. (
• 2013 Cane Run Environmental Magnet School, Louisville. The school’s motto is: Teaching With The Future In Mind. With 95% of the student population living below the poverty level, students and staff work to reduce their carbon footprint. Theysign personal pledges on little green paper apples. School has a vegetable garden and a large Three Sisters Native American garden where they grow corn, beans, and pumpkins as part of environmental studies. Students prepare meals for senior citizens and explain how they planted, grew, harvested, and cook the food. Students in third-to-fifth grades show high levels of interest in careers in science, technology, and environment, a significant difference when students wanted to be in sports and movie stars.(www2.ed.gov/programs/green-ribbon-schools/2013-schools=ky-cane-run.pdf).

Summary

Green Ribbon Schools represent teaching with the Green Future in Mind. Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) are embedded in the curriculum with hands-on learning experiences.

School psychologists could explore the web site (www2.ed.gov/programs/green-ribbon-schools/awards.html) for more information and advocate practical ideas their schools could implement. Lexington’s Morton Middle Schooltook 11 years to reach their goals. As stated by Vancouver, WA Image School, small consistent efforts will make a collective big difference and taking care of our natural resources is a full time, ongoing responsibility for everyone. Saving The Earth Matters (STEM).

Research supports the emphasis on the environment and school gardens. According to Kaplan & Kaplan’s (1989) Attention Restoration Theory (ART), natural environments are rich in soft ‘fascinating’ stimuli like cardinals and sunrises. These stimuli modestly hold attention, allow for reflection, reduce mental fatigue and improve concentration. Urban environments, high in hard ‘fascinating’ stimuli, require directed attention.

A walk in the park significantly improved concentration in students with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) (Faber Taylor & Kuo, 2009). Preschoolers playing outdoors in green environments improved their attention span (Mårtensson, Boldemann, Söderström, Blennow, Englund, & Grahm, 2009). High-quality outdoors environments at day care centers were linked with normal weight, longer night sleep, and better well-being (Söderström, Boldemann, Sahlin, Mårtensson, Raustorp, & Blennow, 2013).

Garden-based learning for secondary students with behavior disorders improved academic and social skills and reduced drop-out rates. Parents perceived youngsters as more responsible and more self-confident (Ruiz-Gallardo, Verde, & Valdés, 2013).

School psychologists could consider reading eco-friendly children’s books to youngsters for Earth Day.Every day is Earth Day. Shore’s (2016) This Is The Earth is an excellent choice. See Hodapp (2016a) for more eco-friendly children’s books. Additional resources are: (a)Charner, K. (Ed.). (2010). Learn every day about our green Earth:100 best ideas from teachers;and (b) Helmer, J. (2008). The green year: 365 small things you can do tomake a big difference.

Reading children’s books to kindergarteners builds rapport and promotes reading. Amy Hest’s (2012) children’s book The Reader is a story of a boy reading to his dog outside on a snowy hill. See Hodapp (2016b) for children’s books that extol reading. Recommend Cunningham & Zibulsky (2014). Book Smart: How to Develop and Support Successful, Motivated Readers. As Hodapp (2014) stated, you have to read this book on parents teaching reading to their youngsters.

References

Berman, S. (2014). Green Ribbon Schools. School Planning &

Management, 53, 44-46.

Buettner, D. (2008). The Blue Zones: Lessons for living longer from

the people who’ve lived the longest. Washington DC: National

Geographic.

Charner, K. (Ed.). (2010). Learn every day about our green Earth:

100 best ideas from teachers. Silver Spring, MD: Gryphon Press.

Cunningham, A. & Zibulsky, J. (2014). Book Smart: How to Develop

and Support Successful, Motivated Readers. NY: Oxford University Press.

Faber Taylor, A. & Kuo, F. (2009). Children with attention deficits

concentrate better after walk in the park. Journal of Attention

Disorders, 12, 402-409

Helmer, J. (2008). The green year: 365 small things you can do to

make a big difference. NY: Alpha Books.

Hodapp, A. (2016a, Winter). Reading makes youngsters smarter

about sustainability. Reading Improvement. 53, Number 4, 175-180.

Hodapp, A. (2016b, Fall). Turn off the television and read. Reading

Improvement. 53, Number 3, 114-120.

Hodapp, A. (2014, September). Helping parent teach reading. (Book

Review: Anne Cunningham & Jamie Zibulsky (2014). Book Smart: How to Develop and Support Successful, Motivated Readers). NASPCommuniqué, 43, p. 37.

Kaplan, R. & Kaplan, S. (1989). TheExperience of Nature: A

Psychological Perspective. NY: Cambridge University Press.

Mårtensson, F., Boldemann, C., Söderström, M., Englund, J., &

Grahn, P. (2009). Outdoor environmental assessment of

attention promoting setting in preschool children. Health Place,

15, 1149-1157.

Ruiz-Gallardo, J. Verde, A. & Valdés, A. (2013). Garden-based

learning: An experience with “at risk” secondary education

students. Journal of Environmental Education, 44, 252-270.

Söderström, M., Boldemann, C., Sahlin, U., Mårtensson, F., Rastorp,

A., & Blennow, M. (2013). The quality of the outdoor environment influences childrens health – a cross-sectional study of preschools. Acta Paediatrica,102, 83-91.

Children’s Books

Hest, A. (2012). The Reader.Las Vegas, NV: Amazon Children’s

Publishing.

Shore, D. (2016). This is the Earth. NY: Harper Collins.