Highlights from the 2014 Honorees

Florida

Broward County Public Schools, Florida

Broward County Public Schools (BCPS) is the fifth largest school district in the country, with more than 260,000 students and staff, and won the Florida Green Schools District Award for the second time in four years. BCPS is driven by its commitment to environmental stewardship, including the Environmental Stewardship Policy 7014, which spans the entire hierarchy of the district.

BCPS has environmental initiatives at the district level that encompass different departments, such as transportation, facilities and construction, environmental conservation and utility management, information and technology, food and nutrition services, STEM and instructional resources. Across 307 schools, the district has edible gardens, wildlife habitats, energy initiatives, classroom recycling, and integrated environmental curriculum.

The Energy Tools for Schools plan requires a team-oriented process with direct involvement of staff and students. Techniques from the program have contributed to a reduction of energy savings each. BCPS reduced energy costs of more than $34 million, and recently saved more than $11 million in energy costs. From 2010 to 2013, BCPS has saved 219,649,498 gallons of water through outdoor irrigation evaluations. During 2013 school year, BCPS saved $323,132 in reduced potable water and energy. The Broward recycling program collected 1,000 tons of recyclables that were diverted from landfills, with a cost savings of $1,200,000. This success is a true testament to teamwork throughout the county.

Environmental initiatives at BCPS schools include 54 butterfly gardens and 38 edible schoolyards. These numbers are increasing, with an additional 220 teachers participating in professional development from Florida Agriculture in the Classroom and an additional 70 teachers participating in professional development in NatureScape and NWF Habitat Stewardship.

Environmental stewardship continues to grow in the district with new initiatives such as Engineering Projects in Community Service, Project Learning Tree, Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE), Learning in Florida Environments, community gardens, and the continuation of the P3 Eco-Challenge. BCPS was awarded an $11.9 million federal grant to create and expand six elementary magnet schools that specialize in STEM districtwide environmental initiatives.

Schools across the district use Schooldude, a conservation management tool that tracks facility water use, energy usage, and conservation; and EPA’s Indoor Air Quality Tools for Schools. The district is the first in the country to have achieved NWF District-wide Certification. There also are 149 NWF certified school yard wildlife habitats in BCPS. Other partnerships include the Great American Cleanup (21 schools, 3,845 participants, and 1,982 pounds of litter collected spring 2013); Earth Day and Green Apple Day of Service across the county; the Keep America Beautiful Recycle Bowl national recycling competition; Project Perch, with provides webcam interaction with burrowing owls; and an indoor and outdoor water audit program, in partnership with Broward County Natural Resources Planning and Management Division and the Environmental Education Council of Broward County.

There are 115 active Alliance for a Healthier Generation schools among BCPS. Each school has a Healthier Generation Team that consists of a variety of staff members from the faculty, administration, clerical staff, and the cafeteria. Many of the school teams meet bi-weekly to implement and promote health and wellness activities. The Healthy Schools Program encourages schools to follow the Six Steps to a Healthier School and implement seven different wellness categories to create a framework that sets specifications to make each school healthier. There are 128 Fuel Up to Play 60 schools in Broward County, each of which supports the Healthier Generation program with healthy eating and physical education. Fuel Up to Play 60 has a strong emphasis on eating breakfast and exercise. BCPS won the 2013 US Department of Agriculture Best Practice Award in the category of “Increasing Consumption of Fruits and Vegetables.”

Students, 64 percent of whom are eligible for free- and reduced-price lunch, have applied STEM skills and knowledge to create habitats for local flora and fauna by designing and building garden space and nest boxes for various migrating and native birds. Recent units published by the STEM and Instructional Resources Department for kindergarten through fifth-grade students have kindergartners designing a sustainable edible garden; first-graders building a butterfly garden optimized for diversity; third-graders using their habitat to design solutions for survival in the wild; and fourth-graders becoming stakeholders investigating and defending their position regarding the hypothetical building of a train through the Everglades. Additionally, all fourth-graders learn about the historical issues involved in Florida’s treatment of the environment with a unit using the story of the bird feather industry and its decimation of the native bird population. Many BCPS schools bring green architecture and engineering into many of the environmental initiatives. Over 60 percent of BCPS schools use their outdoor learning space to teach STEM content, knowledge, and thinking skills. There are over 50 schools that have transformed their schoolyard into outdoor learning environments.

Through environmental partnerships, BCPS programs have proven successful in encouraging schools to implement their own Go Green plans to reduce environmental impact and cost, all while providing effective sustainability education.