ED-GRS District Nominating Authority Application
Thank you for your interest in completing the Massachusetts application for nomination to U.S. Department of
Education Green Ribbon Schools (ED-GRS). In order to complete this application, you will need to collect data
about your school's facility, health and safety policies; food service; and environmental and sustainability
curriculum.
ED-GRS recognizes schools taking a comprehensive approach to greening their school. A comprehensive
approach incorporates environmental learning with improving environmental and health impacts. Becoming a
U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon School is a two-step process. The first step is to complete and
submit this form to be selected as a nominee by Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary
Education (ESE). The second step of the process requires signatures for the nominee package that will be sent
to the U.S. Department of Education (ED).
ED selects honorees from those presented by states and other eligible nominating authorities nationwide.
Selection will be based on documentation of the applicant's high achievement in the three ED-GRS Pillars:
Pillar I: Reduce environmental impact and costs.
Pillar II: Improve the health and wellness of students and staff.
Pillar III: Provide effective environmental and sustainability education, incorporating STEM, civic skills and
green career pathways.
Schools demonstrating exemplary achievement in all three Pillars will receive highest rankings. It is important
to document concrete achievement.
It will help you to assemble a team to complete the application. This team might include: a facilities manager,
physical education director, food services director, curriculum director, finance department representatives,
teachers and students. You should consult the ESE Green Ribbon Schools page for Massachusetts specific
resources and the ED-GRS resources page for standards, programs and grants related to each Pillar, Element
and question. This is an excellent clearinghouse of resources for all schools, not just those who apply. ESE
encourages schools to reach out to the contacts provided if you are not able to provide documentation in certain
areas. They are willing to assist you in compiling and accessing this information.
The questions in this application will help you demonstrate your high achievement in these Pillars as well as
provide space for you to include pertinent documentation. Applicants should be as comprehensive as possible.
If the application does not touch upon a program or initiative that your school is participating in, please include
further information. Please be advised applications must be under 20 pages. Massachusetts provided an
appendix section for schools to submit additional documentation for the state level review (maximum of 5
pages). Applications are due to ESE by Monday, January 4, 2016. Applications may be sent electronically
to Lauren Greene at lgreene@doe.mass.edu (781-338-3107)
Note that if selected for nomination to ED-GRS, the district superintendent must be prepared to certify that each
of the statements below concerning both the individual schools and overall district’s eligibility and compliance
with the following requirements is true.
1. The district has some configuration of multiple schools that include one or more of grades K-12.
2. The district has been evaluated and selected from among districts within the Nominating Authority’s
jurisdiction as highest achieving in the three ED-GRS Pillars: 1) reduced environmental impact and costs; 2)
improved health and wellness; and 3) effective environmental and sustainability education.
3. Schools within the nominated public school district are not refusing the U.S. Department of Education
Office of Civil Rights (OCR) access to information necessary to investigate a civil rights complaint or to
conduct a district-wide compliance review.
4. OCR has not issued a violation letter of findings to the public school district concluding that any public
schools within the nominated district have violated one or more of the civil rights statutes. A violation letter
of findings will not be considered outstanding if OCR has accepted a corrective action plan to remedy the
violation.
5. The U.S. Department of Justice does not have a pending suit alleging that schools within the public school
district or the district as a whole have violated one or more of the civil rights statutes or the Constitution’s
equal protection clause.
6. There are no findings of violations of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act in a U.S. Department
of Education monitoring report that apply to the schools within the district or the overall public school
district in question; or, if there are such findings, the state or public school district has corrected, or agreed
to correct, the findings.
7. All schools in the district meet all applicable federal, state, local and tribal health, environmental and safety
requirements in law, regulations and policy and are willing to undergo EPA on-site verification.
District Contact Information
District Name: ____________________________________________
Street Address: ______________________________________________City: __________________________________
State: _______ Zip: _______________
Website (if applicable): _______________________________Facebook page (if applicable): ______________________
Superintendent Name: ____________________________________________
Superintendent Email Address: _____________________________________
Phone Number:_________________________________
Lead Applicant Name (if different): ____________________________________________
Lead Applicant Email: __________________________________ Phone Number:________________________________
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Number of Schools at each level and enrollment
How would you describe your district?
___Elementary (PK - 5 ) enrollment- _________
( ) Urban
___ K-8
enrollment- _________
( ) Suburban
___Middle (6 - 8 )
enrollment-__________
( ) Rural
___High (9 - 12)
enrollment-__________
District Name
__________________
( ) Largest 50 Districts in
the country
Total Enrolled:
_________________
Does your district serve 40% or more students
from disadvantaged households?
% receiving FRPL________________
% limited English proficient___________
MA Accountability Level
_________
Graduation rate:_____
( ) Yes ( ) No
Other measures_____________________
Attendance rate: ____
Application Outline:
ED-GRS Pillars and Elements
Points
Pillar I: Reduce environmental impact and costs
30 points
Pillar II: Improve the health and wellness of students and staff
30 points
Pillar III: Provide effective environmental and sustainability education,
incorporating STEM, civic skills and green career pathways
Total
40 points
100 points
1. Are any of your schools or the district participating in a local, state or national school program, such as EPA
Energy Star, MA-CHPS, EcoSchools, or others, which asks you to benchmark progress in some fashion in any
or all of the Pillars?
( ) Yes ( ) No Program(s) and level(s) achieved: _________________________________________________
Schools (if applicable):
Does your school participate in any Massachusetts environmental, health, or STEM programs/partnerships?
2. Has your district, schools, staff or student body received any awards for facilities, health or environment?
( ) Yes ( ) No-- Award(s), year(s) and, schools (if applicable):
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3. Has your district constructed or renovated building(s) in the past ten years? ( ) Yes ( ) No
(
) Number of schools
Building Specifications
Building 1:
Building Constructed (year):
Area:
Meets green building standard:
Year certified:
Total area certified:
Renovations:
Year
Green/Efficiency Features (heating, windows, insulation, etc.):
% of building renovated:
Building 2:
Building Constructed (year):
Area:
Meets green building standard:
Year certified:
Total area certified:
Renovations:
Year
Green/Efficiency Features (heating, windows, insulation, etc.):
% of building renovated:
Note: If needed, please add more rows to the table.
Pillar I: Reduced Environmental Impact and Costs
Provide a summary describing how your district is reducing environmental impact and costs associated with
energy use including:
-
Reduced greenhouse gas emissions, using an energy audit or emissions inventory and reduction plan,
cost-effective energy efficiency improvements and on-site renewable energy and/or purchase of green
power;
-
Improved water quality, efficiency, and conservation;
-
Expanded use of regionally appropriate/water-efficient landscaping and the alternate water sources used
for irrigation;
-
Reduced solid waste production, through increased recycling, reduced consumption, and improved
management, reduction, or elimination of hazardous waste streams;
-
Expanded use of alternative transportation to, during, and from school, through active promotion of
locally-available options and implementation of enabling projects and policies.
-
Calculations and inclusion of data from energy portfolio or tracking system is encouraged.
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1. What number of the district’s schools use energy obtained from:
School 1:
Participation in federal or state school energy program:
On-site renewable energy generation:
Type:
Purchased renewable energy:
Type
School 2:
Use of an energy portfolio to track energy consumption
and reduction:
Participation in federal or state school energy program:
On-site renewable energy generation:
Type:
Purchased renewable energy:
Type
Use of an energy portfolio to track energy consumption
and reduction:
Pillar 2: Improve the health and wellness of students and staff
Provide a summary describing how your district is improving the health and wellness of students and staff with
a focus on the areas of:
-
-
Pesticide use, hazardous contaminants, chemical management, asthma management, building moisture
control, airborne contaminants, ventilation systems, indoor environmental quality
-
Is there a district plan or guidelines to measure hazardous waste generated? How is hazardous waste
disposal tracked?
-
Is there a district practice for inspecting and maintaining building ventilation? Describe actions taken
to ensure consistency with state or local codes, or national ventilation standards.
-
Describe actions your school takes to: manages and controls student and staff exposure to chemicals
(including pesticides) routinely used in the school
Nutrition, physical activity, and outdoor education
-
This may include participation in a Farm to-School program, an on-site food garden, cooking class,
gardening club, stress reduction, anti-bullying, or any other unique partnerships.
-
Has the district implemented guidelines for minutes per week of physical education, percentage of
physical education spent outdoors, and health measures integrated into assessments?
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Pillar 3: Effective Environmental and Sustainability Education
Provide a summary describing how your district ensures effective environmental and sustainability education
including:
-
Integration of environmental and sustainability concepts throughout the curriculum and assessments;
-
Interdisciplinary learning about the key relationships between dynamic environmental, energy and
human systems
-
Engagement projects integrating environment and sustainability topics;
-
An environmental or sustainability literacy requirement;
-
Use of the environment and sustainability to develop STEM content knowledge and thinking skills to
prepare graduates for the 21st century technology-driven economy;
-
Development of civic engagement knowledge and skills, and students' application of these to address
sustainability and environmental issues in their community;
-
AP Science, Environmental Science course offerings, enrollment, and exam results;
-
Use of sustainability and the environment as a context for learning green technologies and career
pathways?
-
Teacher professional development in environmental and sustainability education.
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