Dear County and District Superintendents, Charter School Administrators, and Principals:

California Green Ribbon Schools Recognition Program Request for Applications 2019–20

The California Department of Education (CDE) is pleased to announce application availability for the seventh cycle of our California Green Ribbon Schools (CA-GRS) recognition program. The purpose of this program is to honor excellence in whole-school sustainability while spotlighting replicable best practices.

Green schools engage kids to understand and act on environmental issues in high-quality learning environments that support the whole child. Our CA-GRS program highlights promising practices at the intersection of sustainability, health, and environmental literacy from across the state. Honorees seek to make systemic change at their sites to conserve resources, promote health and wellness programs, and anchor environmental principles and concepts across the curriculum.

Since the CA-GRS recognition program began in 2014, the CDE has recognized 63 public schools and 23 school districts for helping California to lead the way in sustainability and environmental literacy. CA-GRS honorees reflect the diversity of our school system and demonstrate the myriad ways to apply a place-based approach to school greening.

Eligible award recipients include school districts, county offices of education, kindergarten through grade twelve public and private schools, and early education centers. Interested parties may request an electronic application and review program information on the Green Ribbon Schools Award Program web page at https://www.cde.ca.gov/ls/fa/sf/greenribbonprog.asp. While CA-GRS awards are not limited in number, five honorees will earn a nomination for additional recognition by the Secretary of Education as U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools and District Sustainability Award winners.

If you have any questions regarding this subject, please contact the California Green Ribbon Schools team by e-mail at greenribbonschools@cde.ca.gov.

Sincerely,

Tony Thurmond

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2019-04322