In October 2011, the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) announced that it would participate in the pilot year of Green Ribbon Schools, which was created by the U.S. Department of Education (USDE) to recognize those schools that have achieved or made considerable progress toward energy efficient buildings, healthy students and school environment and the environmental literacy of all graduates.

The Green Ribbon Schools Application is now available on the PDE web site and at the Pathways to Green Schools’ web site.   Interested public and private schools throughout the Commonwealth will submit their application for consideration to PDE.   The deadline to apply is Thursday, February 23, 2012.

Once all applications are received and reviewed, the department will nominate up to four schools to the USDE to be designated as Pennsylvania’s Green Ribbon School.   From those nominated by each state, it is expected that up to 50 awards will be presented by USDE.

All public and private schools that have configuration of K-12 are eligible to apply, including charter schools, career and technical centers, and those educational schools operated by intermediate units.   All applicants must meet college- and career-ready standards, be in compliance with federal civil rights laws and all federal, state and local health and safety standards and regulations.

To access the Green Ribbon Schools Application, visit www.pathwaystogreenschools.org.

To learn more about the Green Ribbon Schools program, visit the USDE’s web site
at http://www2.ed.gov/programs/green-ribbon-schools/index.html.