The Center for Green Schools at the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) announced March 4 the recipients of its Green Apple Day of Service Awards, which recognizes outstanding K-12 sustainability service learning projects and leaders. This year’s projects included the electrification of a school bus fleet in China, a convening of students in Qatar to discuss and propose environmental solutions, and a fashion show in Virginia featuring re-used and recycled materials. The awards were presented at the Green Schools Conference and Expo in Portland.
Now in its third year, the Green Apple Day of Service Awards received dozens of nominations from projects all over the world that have inspired their schools to cultivate a greater sense of environmental and community stewardship. The honorees reflect the global commitment to the green schools movement.
Awards were presented across three categories: depth of student and community transformation (Deep Impact); creativity in application (Creative Approach); and scale of community engagement (Broad Engagement). This year’s three recipients are:
- Net Impact ISB Living Labs | Bus Fleet Electrification (Beijing, China) – Deep Impact Project: Three students from the International School of Beijing’s (ISB) Net Impact club explored the impacts of the school’s diesel-powered bus fleet, conducting research and developing a case for cleaner emissions standards for school buses. Their work ultimately led the school to convert 27 of its 54 buses from diesel to electric, and made a plan to convert the remaining buses to electric by 2030.
- Garbage to Glam: Connecting the Dots (Virginia Beach, Virginia) – Creative Approach: Colonial High School’s first “Garbage to Glam” project challenged students to think about consumption, recycling, waste and reuse differently, given the recent shifts in how waste can be recycled in the U.S. Their actions included conducting pre- and post-project surveys about attitudes and awareness of consumption and recycling, conducting a waste audit, and culminated in designing and creating outfits and accessories for the “Lynnhaven Trashion Show.” A former Miss Virginia was also invited to the school to talk about confidence on the runway and encourage students to use their talent to make a difference.
- Qatar Eco-Schools Congress (Doha, Qatar) – Broad Engagement Project: Qatar Eco-Schools Congress 2019 is the first event in Doha to engage students from different schools to exchange ideas and experiences, promote sustainability and discuss lessons learned for future improvement. The Congress offered a platform for students to propose solutions for vital environmental issues that impact them, as well as a practical exercise packaging leftover waste for composting for a Zero Food Waste Event.
“The actions of community volunteers to join together with students and teachers to showcase sustainability leadership continues to inspire us,” said Anisa Heming, director, Center for Green Schools at USGBC. “The diverse group of Green Apple Day of Service projects that we honor this year represents dedicated teams that have worked together to raise the volume in their communities and prepare the next generation of sustainability leaders.”
Green Apple Day of Service celebrates the central role that schools play in preparing our children for a healthy and sustainable future. In the years since its founding, it has grown into an international movement of nearly a million volunteers in 80 countries. Green Apple projects give schools, individuals, companies and organizations the opportunity to transform all our schools into greener, healthier places to learn.
This year’s recipients were recognized during the Green Schools Awards Luncheon sponsored by Arc on March 2 at the 10th annual Green Schools Conference and Expo.