Green Apple Winners Drive Green Schools Movement


At the second annual Green Apple Awards luncheon, the Collaborative for High Performance Schools (CHPS) recognized leaders in the high performance school field.

The Green Apple Awards, held during the Greentools for Healthy Schools Conference Sept. 11 and 12 in Sacramento, were awarded in the categories of climate change, high performance school policy, and existing schools. Four outstanding programs were honored for their contributions to the green school movement.

“These exceptional leaders are creating healthier, more engaging, more environmentally friendly learning environments nationwide, and CHPS is delighted to honor their work,” said Charles Eley, executive director of CHPS. “We look forward to further collaborations with the award winners to ensure a new generation of green schools is built.”

State Architect David Thorman was on hand to present the winners in the Climate Change Category. He said, “I was happy to present the Green Apple Awards for the Climate Change Category. The winners deserve to be recognized because they have not only implemented programs that benefit themselves, but have created workable models for others to follow as we all strive for greener, healthier schools throughout California.”

The Natomas Unified School District received a Green Apple Award for excellence in reducing the district’s impact on climate change. In 2006, the Natomas Unified School District was designated a “Climate Action Leader” by the CA Climate Action Registry, making them the only K-12 School district in CA to receive this designation.

The most recent school in the district, the H. Allen Hight Learning Center, is a CHPS designed elementary and middle school that will open its doors this fall. The buildings of this school showcase the latest in high performance school design, including the first green roof on a public school in Northern California.

Other Green Apple Awards winners include Chevron Energy Solutions, The Department of Pesticide Regulation’s (DPR) California Schools Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Program, and Northeast Energy Efficiency Partnership (NEEP) High Performance Schools Exchange.

Speak Your Mind