Representatives from the 2021 U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools, District Sustainability Awardees, and Postsecondary Sustainability Awardees will be honored in a ceremony Tuesday at the Education Department headquarters in Washington.

U.S. Deputy Secretary of Education Cindy Marten will deliver remarks at the event along with other department, White House and environmental organization officials. (Please note that, due to COVID restrictions, the ceremony will only be available to the public through livestream on the Education Department’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/ED.gov.)

The schools were recognized for their innovative efforts to reduce environmental impact and costs, promote better health, and ensure effective environmental education. Officials from the schools will receive sustainably crafted plaques in recognition of their achievements.

The honorees were named from a pool of candidates nominated by 20 states and were announced in April. The selectees include 24 public schools, including five charter schools and one magnet school, as well as three non-public schools. More than half of the honorees are in communities where more than 40 percent of the student body are eligible for free and reduced lunch.

A list of all selected schools, districts, and postsecondary institutions and summaries of each of the 40 honorees can be found here. More information on the federal recognition award can be found here. Sustainability resources for all schools to meet the award criteria can be found here.