Green Ribbon Schools

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Every fall, the United States Department of Education and state Departments of Education host the Green Schools recognition and awards program, which seeks to inspire schools and districts to strive for 21st-century excellence in sustainability practices. The (CA-GRS) and the U.S. Department of Education's recognizes school communities that achieve progress towards sustainability in three pillars:

Pillar I: Reducing environmental impact and costs
Pillar II: Improving the health and wellness of students and staff
Pillar III: Providing effective environmental and sustainability education

In California, nominations for the federal ED-GRS award are made by participating in the program. To reduce repetition, CA-GRS uses the same application as the federal ED-GRS program but recognizes all schools that can demonstrate achievement of the three pillars in a tiered recognition: Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Green Achiever. Applications are now closed for the 2023-24 school year. Schools, districts, and county offices are welcome to apply in the fall each year.

Support Services for Applying to the California Green Ribbon Schools Program

The ��ɫ��TV offers introductory and for the CA Green Ribbon Program annually to help school programs in SMC successfully apply.

Sample technical assistance services include:

Coaching on project management, stakeholder engagement, and application writing
Application review and guidance on best practices
Direct support with project management and stakeholder engagement

Email elsi@smcoe.org to receive FREE technical assistance from the ��ɫ��TV to apply for the California Green Ribbon Awards Program.

Local Leaders in the CA-GRS Program

Read about San Mateo County schools and district that were recognized in previous school years.

Redwood High School (Green Achiever/National Recognition 2023)
Cabrillo Unified School District (Silver Tier Recognition 2023)
(Bronze Tier Recognition 2022)
(Bronze Tier Recognition 2021)
(Silver Tier Recognition 2021)
(Green Achiever/National Recognition 2021)

Project Management Resources

The Green Ribbon Schools Award Program includes components across a schools campus, curriculum, and community engagement. Before starting the application use these resources to provide a general overview to the program to stakeholders. This resource highlight schools and districts in San Mateo County that have achieved recognition - Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Green. Providing this resource will help increase stakeholder buy-in in the application and program.
It is likely that one person will not be able to complete a GR application alone as the program covers all aspects of school operations. These sample documents shows how to effectively delegate and manage the application research and writing.
- Example:
��ɫ��TV recommends that interested parties read through past applications to get a sense of the questions and format. Applications are updated annually, however reading previous years will help stakeholders develop an understanding for the questions and how to structure their answers.
- Blank and Applications - Please note that while the content of the questions remains mostly the same, they may be reordered from year to year and you must request a new application each year from the .
The GRS Application is very comprehensive (up to 45 page documents). Stakeholders will want to summarize their key findings from the application for all stakeholders to use (1 - 2 pages printable documents). This summary can be effectively used to benchmark and assess their schools sustainable operations.
Once the Green Ribbon Application is completed school stakeholders will likely want to present their progress to a school board or at a community meeting. These sample tools can be used by a school leadership team to introduce the key points of the Green Ribbon Schools Award Program.

Julie Hilborn

Coordinator, Environmental Literacy and Sustainability

Email: jhilborn@smcoe.org

Phone: (650) 802-5406

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Support Services for Applying to the California Green Ribbon Schools Program

Local Leaders in the CA-GRS Program

Project Management Resources

Introduction and Overview Resources

Project Management and Launch

Sample Applications

Application Summary Tools

Sample Presentations Upon Completion of Application

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Support Services for Applying to the California Green Ribbon Schools Program

Local Leaders in the CA-GRS Program

Project Management Resources

Introduction and Overview Resources

Project Management and Launch

Sample Applications

Application Summary Tools

Sample Presentations Upon Completion of Application

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