Now it's even easier for this school to be green. Boston Latin School has just been announced the recipient of Global Green USA's 2nd Annual Green School Makeover Compeition presented by Pureology--meaning it will receive a $75K grant for green upgrades. The school aims to create a sustainable school garden, make improvements that will reduce energy usage throughout the school and reduce the amount of plastic water bottles on the campus.
Boston Latin School was selected from more than 450 entries from around the country, each of which submitted a student-created proposal outlining green initiatives and achievements to date, while proposing what the student body would do if they won the competition.
“We’re humbled by the record number of submissions we received from schools this year,” said Matt Petersen, President and CEO of Global Green USA, a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping the places, people and planet in need. “It’s inspiring to see how eco-conscious the kids are.”
A panel of judges reviewed and considered each of the entries received from a record number of K-12 public, private and charter schools across the country, then selected 10 finalists. The top schools from this group then received a site visit from Global Green USA staff. Finalists included:
· Waters Elementary, a public elementary in Chicago, IL, with a successful ecology program;
· PS89 The Liberty School, a public school in NY dedicated to reducing landfill waste and conserving energy;
· Lawndale High in CA, a public school that hopes to add a community garden and recycling program;
· Northwest PA Collegiate Academy in Erie, PA, a public high school that plans to create a model for their inner-city district through a student ‘green team;’
· Our Lady of the Lake in Ashland, WI, a private elementary school that proposed expanding its environmental sciences curriculum;
· West Elementary School in Long Beach, NY, a school that was devastated by hurricane Sandy and wants to rebuild green;
· University Heights High in Bronx, NY, a public high school that plans to expand its urban farm;
· Henry C. Lea School in Philadelphia, PA, a public school with plans to transform its play space into a green and healthy environment and add solar energy; and,
· Granada Center/El Monte Union High in CA, a public high school that wants to ensure the health of its special needs students through green upgrades.
“Global Green USA’s 2013 Green Makeover Competition has been one of our most publicized and successful green school initiatives to date,” noted Petersen. “In 2011, we received more than 200 entries and selected the Texas School for the Deaf (TSD) in Austin, Texas.
Global Green USA launched its 2nd Green School Makeover Competition, presented by Pureology, last January, offering a $75,000 cash prize, a $5,000 Office Depot gift card, and technical assistance from Global Green USA’s team of green schools/green building experts. The nine other finalist schools will also receive Office Depot cards ranging from $1,000 to $2,500. For more information, visit globalgreen.org/gsmctop10 and globalgreen.org/articles/aboutus/13.
To follow the progress of Boston Latin School’s green makeover, please visit Pureology’s Facebook page. Pureology will be documenting the renovation process with photos and videos.
