2023 Green Ribbon School Nomination
During the 2021 - 2022 school year, Tamarack applied to the Green and Healthy Schools Wisconsin program. We received recognition as a “Seedling” school.
This school year, we once again applied and were pleasantly surprised to hear that we are receiving “Sugar Maple” recognition. In addition, Tamarack is one of only five, K-12 Wisconsin Institutions being nominated to the US Department of Education’s Green Ribbon Schools program.
“U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools (ED-GRS) is a public engagement initiative structured as a federal recognition award for school sustainability. It is intended to promote state and local collaboration regarding school facilities, health, and environmental education. By highlighting schools, districts, and postsecondary institutions’ cost-saving, health promoting, and performance-enhancing sustainability practices, ED-GRS celebrates these schools and brings more attention to their work. The schools are invited to a fall ceremony in Washington, D.C. where they receive a sustainable plaque; are the subject of media attention; and have their efforts celebrated. Other schools, in turn, learn about and adopt their practices.”
Pulled from the https://www2.ed.gov/programs/green-ribbon-schools/factsheet.pdf
As part of our application to the Green and Healthy School Wisconsin program we had to state how we work within their three pillars:
Pillar I: Your Efforts to Reduce Environmental Impact and Costs
Pillar 2: Your Efforts to Improve the Health and Wellness of Students and Staff
Pillar 3: Your Efforts to Ensure Effective Environmental and Sustainability Education
Tamarack may be the only school to ever be nominated from Wisconsin that doesn't own its own building. However, as a Waldorf school, we have built into our curriculum and organizational ethos that we care for the environment and community. We may be limited with what we can do, but we have lofty dreams about what we will do when we own our own building. We hope that we are approved by the Green Ribbon Schools program but we were assured that if we aren’t approved this year that we can apply again.
What are some of the benefits of being nominated as Green Ribbon School?
July: Ceremony in Washington D.C. with speakers and awards presentation with live stream option
September: Invitation at the State of Education Address
November: State awards ceremony in La Crosse at the Midwest Environmental Education Conference
We hope to hear in mid-April on weather or not our nomination is confirmed-stay tuned!
Update: We were awarded the 2023 Green Ribbon School Award. Watch Miguel Cardona, Secretary of Education for the U.S., announce the award winners here.
We were featured on CBS58 on March 8th, see the clip here and on Dan Small’s Outdoor Radio Podcast. Here is a link to the interview with him. Our segment starts at 28:45.
Want to help us further our efforts on making as many environmentally friendly impacts on our school as possible? Join our “Green Team” by contacting Dorothy Kulke at dorothy.kulke@tamarackwaldorf.org.