Environmental Literacy & Sustainability
The Santa Clara County Office of Education believes that the more we understand our connection to the environment, the more the possibilities to influence how those connections impact our health and our planet. Collectively, our small, individual actions add up to a big difference. Environmental education offers countless opportunities to improve lives, protect the environment, and prepare all Americans to address critical environmental challenges ahead. The Environmental Literacy and Facilities teams at the SCCOE will support Santa Clara County schools in local prioritization of environmental literacy and integrating environmental sustainability and climate-resilient practices across a school's campus, curriculum, community, and culture.
Check out our 3rd Annual Environmental Literacy Summit resources page
Congratulations to the 2 local 2023-2024 California Green Ribbon Award Winners
Mountain View Whisman & Santa Clara Unified School Districts
Check out their stories below
Santa Clara Unified School District
Bronze Level Honoree
The district has been working on a multi-year effort to respond to the SCUSD Board of Trustees’ requested actions through their Climate Change and Sustainability Resolution and Water Conservation Resolution.
In fall 2019, SCUSD convened a group of high school students to create and present a climate change resolution to the Board of Trustees. Over the subsequent months, and despite the disruption of a worldwide pandemic and distance learning, the student-led group formed three subcommittees to work on sections of the resolution, work began to align the proposed actions of the resolution with the district’s new strategic vision and plan, and teachers joined the students to offer insights to proposed facts and actions highlighted in the resolution.
The Board of Trustees adopted the resolution in spring 2022. In adopting the resolution, the board called for the formation of the district’s first Environmental Literacy and Sustainability Committee with students, teachers, administrators, and staff as members to develop indicators of progress in key areas, including the use of water, power, fossil fuels, recycling, and waste management, and to create a plan to identify recommended actions to be implemented.
In fall 2023, the district and committee began work with its environmental technical assistance partner, Ten Strands, to utilize information from an environmental and climate action baseline assessment (completed in spring 2023) and data from the campus sustainability dashboard, and early implementation of projects from the draft environmental and climate action plan, to submit a California Green Ribbon Application.
The district is proud of its progress, the work of the committee, and the Green Ribbon recognition.
Mountain View-Whisman Gold Level Honoree
More information about the 2 local 2022-2023 California Green Ribbon Award Winners
Silver Level Honoree, Fremont Union High School District in Santa Clara County!
Fremont Union School District (FUHSD) has embarked on a campaign to convert natural grass fields to artificial turf to reduce maintenance and water consumption. The district also mitigates waste by collecting paper/cardboard products, e-waste, metal, and batteries for recycling. FUHSD has installed water bottle filling stations, which dramatically decreased the number of plastic water bottles used at schools across the district. FUHSD currently generates 40% of its power needs through solar arrays at each of the five schools and the District Office. To support student nutrition, the Nutrition Services department provides plant-forward recipes such as roasted vegetable sandwiches, rice bowls with locally sourced vegetables, and fresh salads. Student environmental clubs in the district partner with community organizations and host community events to raise awareness. For example, students organized a community event, “Earth Deconstructed,” in partnership with The Tech Museum of Innovation and National Geographic to bring awareness to climate change through an innovative multidisciplinary project.
#CAGreenRibbon and #EDGreenRibbon Green Achiever, Bellarmine College Preparatory in San Jose, California!
Almost half of the 22 acres of the Bellarmine campus are devoted to green space. The central quad is a large, tree-lined, and park-like space with ample trees and seating areas. The plantings around the classrooms and school buildings are nearly half converted to xeriscape and low water ornamentals that are pollinator friendly. An annual Wellness Week has been instituted for faculty and staff where they are encouraged to work on their fitness and nutrition through a series of educational programs. One of the Jesuits leads those interested in a healthy hike around the neighborhood each Wednesday after school. The Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM), Maker Lab, Robotics Team, and Theater Technology programs at Bellarmine have developed exciting and highly integrated programs that have achieved international success while maintaining an eye on creating a more sustainable environment on campus. The STEM and Maker Lab programs, combine state-of-the-art technologies with design principles that emphasize efficiency and the three R’s (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle) as core engineering goals.
Bellarmine also won the National Green Ribbon Award-Congrats!
Climate- Resilient California Schools: A Call to Action
Illustration by Keith Negley, featured in the Article