Representatives from the 2023 U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools, District Sustainability Awardees, and Postsecondary Sustainability Awardees will be honored in a ceremony Tuesday, Aug. 8 in Washington, D.C.

The awardees will be recognized for their innovative efforts to reduce environmental impacts and costs, promote better health, and ensure effective sustainability and environmental education. Representatives from the awardees will receive sustainably crafted plaques and banners in recognition of their achievements. The event will be sponsored by the Spencer Foundation.

Across the country, 26 schools, 11 districts, and four postsecondary institutions will be honored for their innovative efforts to reduce environmental impact and utility costs, improve health and wellness, and ensure effective sustainability education. In addition, Alexandria Roe, vice president for capital planning and budget for the University of Wisconsin System, will be recognized for her efforts to advance school sustainability.

The honorees were named in April from a pool of candidates nominated by 18 states. The list of all selected schools, districts, colleges, and universities, as well as their nomination packages, can be found here. A report with highlights on the honorees can be found here. More information on the federal recognition award, including the “Three Pillars” of the award, can be found here. Resources for all schools to move toward the Three Pillars can be found here.

During the recognition ceremony, Deputy Education Secretary Cindy Marten also will announce the 2023 Green Strides Tour “Schools for Climate Solutions.” The Green Strides Tour, which will take place in California this September, provides an opportunity for the Department to bring additional attention to honorees’ achievements in whole school sustainability, so that other schools may learn from them.

To further bolster school infrastructure, the Department is accepting applications until Aug. 18 for the Supporting America’s School Infrastructure (SASI) grant, which will address sustainable school practices. This state capacity building program will bolster several of the lowest capacity states in school facilities to support their highest-need school districts. Grant announcements for both the SASI and the National Center on School Infrastructure are anticipated in the fall.

In addition, this year the Department engaged the non- and for-profit private sector by leading an infrastructure and sustainability challenge, encouraging partners to make commitments to supporting healthy, sustainable, equitable school infrastructure, environmental education, and environmental justice and climate goals in schools.

More than 30 organizations submitted their bold actions as commitments, with pledges ranging from workers unions to the for-profit private sector, to regional and national non-profit organizations, to individual school districts. Some of the national, state, and local commitments received by the Department can be viewed here.

Commitments are part of the ED Infrastructure and Sustainability initiative that promote equitable access to healthy, safe, sustainable, 21st-century school facilities, and environmental sustainability education through several communication and outreach strategies. Learn more about the initiative, resources that are available for all, and keep up to date with national school sustainability news.

The event also comes one year after the signing of President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, which is the largest investment in climate action in our history.