Green Awards

Green Ribbon Award to AB Schools

On April 22, 2013, the Acton-Boxborough Regional School District was awarded the U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools Award (ED-GRS). The ED-GRS award honors schools that are exemplary in reducing environmental impact and costs; improving the health and wellness of students and staff; and providing effective environmental and sustainability education, which incorporates STEM, civic skills and green career pathways. 

ABRSD is one of only fourteen school districts in the US to receive this "first-ever" honor. This is the first year that school districts are being recognized through this prestigious US Department of Education (DOE) awards program, begun in 2012. Please view the ABRSD application. Read the press from Boston.com: First-ever national sustainability award to A-B Schools

The recognition award is part of a larger U.S. Department of Education (ED) effort to identify and disseminate knowledge about practices that are proven to result in improved student engagement, higher academic achievement and graduation rates, and workforce preparedness, as well as a government wide goal of increasing energy independence and economic security.

Green Ribbon

International Green Flag Award to ABRHS

logoIn 2012, ABRHS was awarded the international Green Flag award, the 4th school in the US to receive this honor. The Green Flag framework has been adopted in 50 countries around the world with 50,000 schools participating at various levels, and has recently been adopted in the US with the National Wildlife Federation serving as the Eco-Schools USA host. Three student teams (Resource Force/Power Down, Recycling Club and Envirothon) cooperated to complete the rigorous requirements for earning the award, including audits and major projects in energy, solid waste and water. Read about our Green Flag projects: 

In addition, the Power Down Project at ABRHS received a national award from the National Energy Education Development Project (NEED) and the Secretary's Award for Excellence in Energy and Environmental Education from the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs. Press coverage included the Boston Globe, several national posts on National Wildlife Federation (NWF) blogs and the Acton Beacon

Power Down Receives National & State Awards

The National Energy Education Development Project (NEED) recognized the Power Down Project with the 2012 National Senior Level "Rookie of the Year" title and flew 10 students and chaperones to Washington, DC to receive the award. Read their story in the NEED Annual Report. In addition, the Power Down Project at ABRHS received the 2012 Secretary's Award for Excellence in Energy and Environmental Education from the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs

 


K-12 School District Award from MassRecycle

AB won a statewide first place award for our progress with recyclables and compostables and the reduction of solid waste. MassRecycle has recognized us with its K-12 School District Award. Read the details in the MassRecycle Awards Memo, dated December 2, 2013, the Mass Recycle Website or the Acton Patch Story. This recognition honors the hard work of many people throughout the district including:

  • Students who powered the recycling activities across all of our buildings, initiated the collection of compostables at the HS, and will soon initiate the collection of compostables and recyclables in the cafeteria at Merriam and McCarthy-Towne Elementary Schools
  • Faculty advisors who provided structure for these student efforts
  • Kitchen staff who have initiated the collection of recyclables in all of our kitchens with compostables collection in some as well
  • Everyone striving to reduce, reuse and recycle in our schools, and
  • Our hard-working custodians who make it all happen day in and day out!

In moving forward on capturing compostables, AB schools are demonstrating statewide leadership. We are also acting in concert with a statewide policy trend, as Mass DEP plans to enact a ban excluding food scraps from solid waste collection as of July 1, 2014. Big congratulations to one and all!

Mass Recycle

Award

ABRHS Recycling

ABRHS Recycling
Green Awards
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