About

The Green Strides School Sustainability Resource Hub is a website that is available for schools to access free resources on healthy, safe, sustainable, 21st learning environments and environmental sustainability education. Resources and webinars on the website are aligned with the three Pillars of the U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools (ED-GRS) recognition award. The Green Strides School Sustainability Resource Hub is made possible through a partnership between the U.S. Department of Education (ED) Infrastructure and Sustainability and The Center for Green Schools at the U.S. Green Building Council.

U.S. Department of Education (ED) Infrastructure and Sustainability

ED is committed to promoting equitable access to healthy, safe, sustainable, 21st century learning environments and environmental sustainability learning. Research has demonstrated that modern, well-maintained facilities with healthy indoor environments yield better student performance and health, higher teacher retention, and reduced absenteeism. They also save school districts money. School infrastructure is an essential element of equitable access to learning resources and high-quality learning environments. Similarly, learning and health outcomes improve with access to hands-on, active, outdoors, real-world, problem-, project-, and place-based environmental sustainability education that connects students to STEM and green career pathways. ED advances school infrastructure and sustainability through multiple initiatives designed to share best practices and connect schools with partnerships and resources. Learn more about ED Infrastructure and Sustainability Programming at ED Infrastructure and Sustainability.

U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools (ED-GRS) and Green Strides School Sustainability Resource Hub

U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools

U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools (ED-GRS) is a public engagement initiative for school sustainability that is structured as a federal recognition award. By highlighting schools, districts, postsecondary institutions, and early learning centers’ cost-saving, health promoting, and performance-enhancing sustainability practices, ED-GRS celebrates these institutions and brings more attention to their work.

Recipients of the award are invited to a ceremony in Washington, D.C. where they receive a plaque; are the subject of media attention; and have their efforts celebrated. Other schools, in turn, learn from their practices. In addition to communicating school sustainability practices, the award uses a small number of honorees each year to share resources that all schools can employ through its Green Strides School Sustainability Resource Hub.

The ED-GRS recognition award is not a certification or benchmarking program, although nominees may use an array of other programs to demonstrate their progress toward the award’s three Pillars. Instead, it is a one-time recognition of an institution’s progress in the award’s three sustainability focused pillars. For this reason, each early learning center, school, district, or postsecondary institution is only eligible to receive the award once and the award is accorded in one year only. The ED-GRS award does not convey federal funding to states, districts, schools, or IHEs.

Green Strides School Sustainability Resource Hub

The Green Strides School Sustainability Resource Hub is a website that is available for schools to access free resources on healthy, safe, sustainable, 21st learning environments and environmental sustainability education. Resources and webinars on the website encompass the three Pillars of the U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools (ED-GRS) recognition award.

Green Strides was founded in 2013 by the U.S. Department of Education to promote the sharing of best practices and resources developed from the honorees of the U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools (ED-GRS). In 2015, ED partnered with the Center for Green Schools at the U.S. Green Building Council to offer a more dynamic and user-friendly web portal. This partnership has allowed for the Green Strides School Resource Hub to grow and be a national resource for school sustainability. 

Center for Green Schools at the U.S. Green Building Council

At the Center for Green Schools, we believe that all students deserve to attend sustainable schools that enhance their health and wellness, prepare them for green careers, and support a thriving planet. Since 2010, the Center has been the driving force behind the green school movement by leading a wide array of initiatives through which we accelerate action, including in communications, advocacy, network-building, training, and the development of tools and platforms, such as the Green Strides School Sustainability Resource Hub.

The Center for Green Schools, a division of the U.S. Green Building Council, is a proud supporter of ED-GRS and believes the award program is inextricably tied to the success of healthy, safe, and sustainable schools and 21st century learning. The criteria are high-level and comprehensive, yet the structure flexible and inclusive, incentivizing change and new collaboration at federal, state, district, and school levels. The Center has worked to build support for ED-GRS in myriad ways, from advocating for its creation to honoring awardees at the annual celebratory reception to hosting the improved Green Strides Resource Hub.