2024 U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools Honorees from Maryland Announced

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John White, 410-767-0486
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2024 U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools Honorees from Maryland Announced

Award Honors Schools, Districts, and Postsecondary Institutions for Reducing Environmental Impact and Costs, Improving Health and Wellness, Offering Effective Sustainability Education

BALTIMORE (April 26, 2024) – The Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) congratulates the Maryland 2024 U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools (ED-GRS) announced today. The U.S. Department of Education announced the 2024 U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools, District Sustainability Awardees, and Postsecondary Sustainability Awardees, and two schools from Maryland are among the 2024 ED-GRS: Lutherville Laboratory of Baltimore County Public Schools and the Waldorf School of Baltimore, an independent school.

“Congratulations to this year’s honorees,” said Maryland’s Interim State Superintendent of Schools Dr. Carey M. Wright. “Lutherville Laboratory and Waldorf School of Baltimore exemplify using best practices to reduce environmental impacts and to cultivate students’ environmental literacy. Through interdisciplinary environmental issue investigation and student action, frequent outdoor learning experiences, and creating school environments that prioritize student and staff health and wellness, these schools are on the leading edge of sustainability and providing comprehensive, multi-disciplinary Environmental Literacy Programs.”

Across the country, 41 schools, 10 districts, three postsecondary institutions, and one early learning center are being honored for their innovative efforts to reduce environmental impact and utility costs, improve health and wellness, and ensure effective sustainability education. The honorees were named from a pool of candidates nominated by 24 states.

Details on Maryland’s 2024 U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools Honorees are below. For more information, consult the list of all selected schools, districts, colleges, and universities, as well as their nomination packages and read a report with highlights on the honorees.

Maryland’s 2024 U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools Honorees:

Lutherville Laboratory, Baltimore County Public Schools
Lutherville Laboratory, a certified Maryland Green School since 2004, credits its green practices as central to students’ learning, school programming, and school identity. They have led tree planting on campus to help consume 462 pounds of carbon dioxide per year, reduced waste by over 78% through recycling and composting programs and their campus features a monarch meadow, outdoor classroom, 4000 square foot learning garden and storm water retention pond. Their facilities underwent improvements through an Energy Performance Contract initiated in 2015 and 2017 which allowed for building upgrades, low leakage dampers, and Demand Response Program resulting in $13,000 in energy cost avoidance. Interdisciplinary, project-based learning occurs at every grade level to ensure student understanding of the environment and its intersection with human systems; these projects include prototyping devices to generate and store energy and investigating local and regional environmental issues such as erosion, and stream health. Lutherville Laboratory has developed many partnerships to provide meaningful field experiences, mental health counseling and mentorship, and support for students experiencing food insecurity.

Waldorf School of Baltimore, Independent

The Waldorf School of Baltimore (WSB) nurtures children from preschool through grade eight with a holistic approach to education that extends far beyond the conventional. Students at every age and stage of development not only acquire knowledge but also develop a deep-rooted sense of responsibility for the planet, fostering a generation of mindful individuals poised to shape a more sustainable future. Their campus features two rain gardens, three native fruit tree groves, seven raised vegetable garden beds, a pollinator garden, a dye garden, an herb garden, a sensory garden, a chicken coop, and multiple outdoor gazebos/pavilions designed to facilitate outdoor classroom instruction. They implement sustainable practices such as a robust composting and recycling program that diverts 350 pounds of organic waste and recycles an estimated 4000 pounds each year. WSB prioritizes outdoor learning and physical activity and offers Baltimore City’s only exclusively outdoor Kindergarten program. Students participate in multidisciplinary environmental and sustainable education at every grade in engaging projects such as tending and harvesting plants from the school’s garden to dye wool for their fiber arts class as a vehicle for understanding the environmental impact of the fast fashion industry.

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