2017 Missouri Green Ribbon Schools

Directions and advice for filling out the Nomination Form

Required Information

School Contact Information

School Eligibility and Compliance

School Characteristics

Summary Statement

In the space below, provide a narrative describing your school’s efforts to reduce environmental impact and costs; improve student and staff health; and provide effective environmental and sustainability education. Focus on unique and innovative practices and partnerships, especially things that might not be captured in other parts of the application. (Hint: You should write this after you have completed the form)

DO THIS LAST!

After you have completed the nomination form, write a summary statement that hi-lights the most significant efforts your school has made in each of the three Pillars – environmental sustainability, health and well being, and education. Be sure and include anything that might not have been covered in any of the questions asked.

Cross Cutting Questions

1. Team -Has your school assembled a team of teachers, administrators, staff, students and ( ) Yes ( ) No

interested members of the community, to help the school accomplish green goals?

If yes, please list team members and their (roles):

If you have a school team to work on environmental sustainability, list the members’ first and last names and their role in the school – assistant principal, 5th grade science teacher, head custodian, 4th grade student, PTO representative, etc.

2. Benchmarking - Is your school participating in a local, state or national school program, ( ) Yes ( ) No

such as EPA ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager, EcoSchools, Project Learning Tree, or others,

which asks you to benchmark progress in some fashion in any or all of the Pillars?

If yes, please list program(s) and level(s) achieved

Benchmarking programs provide tools for identifying, recording and tracking the use of resources, the management of waste, and other practices related to environmental sustainability, health and education. If you use one of the programs below, or something similar, list it and indicate which activities or levels have been completed, if relevant.

  • - EPA Energy Star Portfolio Manger
  • - National Wildlife Federation EcoSchools
  • - Project Learning Tree GreenSchools

3. Awards - Has your school, staff or student body received any awards or grants for facilities, ( ) Yes ( ) No

health, or education related to environmental sustainability?

If yes, please list award(s) and year(s) received.

List any awards or grants for facilities, health or education related to the environment and/or sustainability received in the last two years.

  • - MO Environmental Education Association Awards
  • – MO Environmental Education Association Grants
  • - Conservation Federation of Missouri Awards
  • – MO Recycling Association Awards
  • – MO Department of Natural Resources: Outdoor Recreation Legacy Grants
  • – MO Department of Natural Resources: MO State Parks Bus Grant Programs
  • – MO Environmental Education Association: Grants and Award page

4. Goals - List one to three goals your school is planning on attempting over the next year.

1.
2.
3.

Pillar I: Reduced Environmental Impact and Costs

ENERGY

1. Energy STAR - Do you track resource use in ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager? ( ) Yes ( ) No

If yes, what is your score? / If score is above a 75, have you applied for and received ENERGY STAR certification? ( ) Yes ( ) No Year:

Energy Star is an online tool for tracking energy use in any kind of building. The starter kit collects these data – property name, address, total gross floor area, irrigated area, year built, occupancy, number of buildings, 12 months consecutive months of energy data, and for schools that want to calculate a score – gross floor area, whether the building is a high school, weekend operation, number of computers, cooking facilities, walk in refrigerator/freezer units, % that can be heated and cooled. These data are then used to calculate a score.

  • – Energy STAR: visit this site to download a worksheet and set up an account

2. Energy - Has your school reduced its total non-transportation energy use ( ) Yes ( ) No

from an initial baseline?

Baseline Year: / Energy (kBtu/student):
Ending Year: / Energy (kBtu/student):
Reduced kBtu: Baseline Energy – EndingEnergy = kBtu / student
%Reduction: Reduced Energy /BaselineEnergy= % kBtu / student
Percentage Reduction per Year: % Energy/ (Ending Year – Baseline Year) = % kBtu / student / year
How are these reductions documented (i.e. ENERGY STAR, utility bills, school district reports)?

Select a baseline year for evaluating the reduction in energy use (you can do this after looking at your energy bills) and an ending year (this should be within the last two years, 2015 or 2016). You can get the amount of energy your school uses from your utility bills. If it is not in kBtu (thousand British thermal units), you will need to convert to kBtu (see the conversion link below). Then you will need to divide this amount by the number of students in each year to get a per student energy use for each year. This will get you to kBtu/student/year for the baseline and ending year. From there you can calculate the reduction, the percentage reduction and then the average reduction per year. To document the reductions, just explain the source you used for the energy use information.

Your facilities person should be able to help you with this question.

  • – MO Department of Economic Development : energy cost savings
  • Online Conversion: Energy Units

3. Greenhouse Gases - Can your school demonstrate a reduction in ( ) Yes ( ) No

greenhousegas (GHG) emissions?

Baseline Year: / GHG Emissions (MT CO2e/student):
Ending Year: / GHG Emissions (MT CO2e/student):
Reduced GHG: Baseline GHG – Ending GHG = MTCO2e / student
% Reduction: Reduced GHG / Baseline GHG = % MT CO2e /student
% Reduction per Year: % GHG / (Ending Year – Baseline Year = % MT CO2e / student / year
How were GHG Emissions estimated?
What, if any, offsets were used?

Select a baseline year for evaluating the reduction in GHGs (green house gasesreported in metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalents - MT CO2e) per person over time. You can convert the kBtus from the question 2 into Co2e using one of the US Energy Information Administration website if you know your energy fuel source (natural gas, coal, hydroelectric, etc.). If you don’t know the fuel source use the EPA Power Profiler to see what is typical for your energy provider. Select an ending year (this should be within the last two years, 2015 or 2016). Once you have the data for the baseline and ending year, do the calculations to get the MT CO2e % reduction per year.

To explain how reductions were estimated, just describe the where the energy use information came from and which source you used to convert energy use into GHGs.

Offsets are purchases of carbon credits to offset carbon emissions. Carbon credits are often achieved by tree plantings or something similar.

Your facilities person should be able to help you with this question.

  • – US Energy Information Administration: carbon dioxide coefficients by fuel
  • – US Environmental Protection Agency; GHGs for gasoline, electricity, natural gas
  • – US Environmental Protection Agency - plug in your zip code and energy provider and get the typical emissions per kWh. For example, 1000 kWh in eastern Missouri produces 22,411 lbs. of CO2
  • Carbon Neutral: Carbon Offsetting Explained

4. Renewable Energy – Does your school use a renewable fuel source? ( ) Yes ( ) No

On-site renewable energy generation: % / Type:
Purchased renewable energy: % / Type:
List any federal or state school energy programs, like USDA Fuel for Schools or DOE Wind for Schools in which you participate:

You should be able to use the same information that you gathered for utility bills in question 2 to calculate the percentages of different kinds of energy used in your school. Renewables include biofuels (ethanol or diesel from biomass or biomass), solar, wind, hydroelectric, and geothermal. For purchased renewable energy, your utility may provide this information in the bill or on its website. If, not you can check the EPA power profiler listed below.

Your facilities person should be able to help you with this question.

  • – US Department of Energy: Renewable Energy
  • – MO Division of Energy: Renewable Energy
  • – US Endowment for Forestry: A Look Back at Fuels for Schools and Beyond
  • – US Department of Energy: Wind for Schools Project
  • – Environmental Protection Agency: Power Profiler, plug in your zip code and energy provider and get the typical emissions per kWh. For example, 1000 kWh in eastern Missouri produces 22,411 lbs. of CO2

5.Building - Has your school constructed or renovated building space in the past ten years?( ) Yes ( ) No

New Construction (duplicate if necessary)

New Construction Year: / Total Area of new construction:
Certification Year: / % Area that meets a green building standard:
Certification Standard:

Renovation (duplicate if necessary)

Renovation Year: / Total Area of renovation:
Certification Year: / % Area that meets a green building standard:
Certification Standard:

Check with your facilities person to see if there has been any new construction or renovation of building space within the last ten years. You need to know the total area of construction and/or renovation and the % area that is certified green by some recognized standard.

Your facilities person should be able to help you with this question.

  • - Green Building Alliance: list of certification programs
  • - US Green Building Council – Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification
  • – EnergySTAR recognition program
  • – International Living Future Institute : Living Building Challenge
  • – International Well Building Institute: Well Building Standard

WATER AND GROUNDS

6. Water Use - Can you demonstrate a reduction in your school's total water consumption?( ) Yes ( ) No

Baseline Year: / Water Use (gal / student / year):
Ending Year: / Water Use (gal / student / year):
Reduced Water Use: Baseline Water Use – Ending Water Use = gal / student / year
% Reduction: Reduced Water Use / Baseline Water Use = % gal / student / year
% Reduction per Year: % Water Use / (Ending Year – Baseline Year) = % gal / student / year
%Reduction Domestic Water Use: / % Reduction Irrigation Water Use:
How are these reductions documented (i.e. ENERGY STAR, utility bills, school district reports)?

Select a baseline year for evaluating the reduction in water use (reported in gallons of water per student). Select an ending year (this should be within the last two years, 2015 or 2016). Get the information on your school’s water use from utility bills or school records if your school uses a private well. Calculate the reduction in water use in gal / student and continue with the calculations to get he % reduction per year.

If you can separate the domestic water use (water used inside the building for drinking, cooking and cleaning) from irrigation use, repeat the calculations separately for each use. If not, put NA in the cells for domestic and irrigation water use.

Your facilities person should be able to help you with this question.

  • – Alliance for Water Efficiency: Schools K-12 Introduction

7. Landscaping – Does your school have water efficient or regionally appropriate ( ) Yes ( ) Nolandscaping (WERAL)?

Total Area: / WERAL Area: / % WERAL:
List Water Efficient Plants:
List Regionally Appropriate Plants:
In 50 words or less, describe WERAL Features:

Make a scaled map of your school grounds by pacing and measuring areas or by downloading a picture of your grounds from Google maps. Identify areas that use WERAL (water efficient or regionally appropriate landscaping) techniques. See the description below. Estimate the total area of school grounds and the WERAL areas.

WERALuses plants that tolerate the average climatic conditions of a location to reduce the need for watering. These are often native plants and/or regionally appropriate plants. These are grouped according to water needs and take site conditions (like shade or sun) into account. in addition, the amount of turf grass is usually minimized. and steep slopes are planted with deep-rooted plants to minimize erosion.

List the water efficient plants and the regionally appropriate plants. If your school minimized turf grass or landscaped to reduce erosion, note that in WERAL Features.

Your grounds/landscaping person should be able to help you with this question.

  • - this lists Missouri native plants for landscaping and storm water management
  • – this lists Missouri native plants for attracting wildlife
  • – guidelines for xeriscaping (landscaping to minimize water use)

8. Alternate Water Sources - Does your school use alternate water sources for irrigation? ( ) Yes ( ) No

If yes, in 50 words or less, describe alternate water sources:

This includes “harvesting” rainwater and/or storm water using rain barrels, cisterns, rain gardens or storm water detention basins. While this water is not suitable for human consumption, it is useful for irrigation.

Your facilities or landscaping person should be able to help with this question.

9. Runoff - Does your school try to reduce storm-water runoff and/or reduce impermeable ( ) Yes ( ) No

surfaces?

If yes, in 100 words or less, describe those efforts:

You may be able to identify features that minimize impervious surface and storm water runoff by simply walking around the school’s property and noting structures like depressions, berms, or planted areas that break up the flow of water off the grounds and/or allow it to percolate into the soil.

  • – MO Department of Natural Resources : Storm Water Management Examples
  • – MO Department of Natural Resources: Integrating Water Quality into Municipal Storm Water Management

10. Ecology – Does your school have area(s) set aside for ecologically beneficial (EB) uses? ( ) Yes ( ) No

Total Area: / EB Area: / % EB Area
If yes, in100 words or less, describe the beneficial uses:

Are there areas of your grounds that benefit insects, birds or other wildlife, like an outdoor classroom or even an unmanaged area (that isn’t dominated by honeysuckle or other invasives)? See 7 above for methods to estimate the percent area dedicated to EB (ecologically beneficial) uses.

  • - Conservation Federation of Missouri: Certified Wildlife Habitat
  • – Audubon Society: Plants for Birds
  • – Monarch Watch: Monarch Waystation

WASTE

11. Solid Waste – Has your school diverted some of its solid waste from a landfill( ) Yes ( ) No

through recycling and composting, and/or has it implemented practices to reduce

waste at the source (source reduction)?

cu yds waste diverted: % / mos. / yrs. covered :
In 50 words or less, describe how you arrived at your % estimate:
avg monthly cu yd. waste / student: / mos. / yrs. covered:
In 50 words or less, describe any efforts at source reduction:

Depending on how your trash service tracks your garbage and recycling, you may be able to get a total for each for the whole year. If not, for garbage (G) you would need to get the dimensions of your dumpsters in cubic yards (cu yd.), the number of times a month your dumpster Is emptied (n) and how full the dumpster is (% full) when it is emptied. Depending on how your recycling (R) is collected, you may be able to use the same formula. If it is measured by weight, you can use the link to the Volume to Weight Conversion Chart listed below to estimate volume. If your compost is picked up, you should be able to get volume or weight from the pick up service. If you compost on-site at the school, you will need to figure out a way to track compost volume over time.

Once you have the data for where your waste goes, you can calculate your diversion rate (DR) by following the example below: A school with a 10 yard dumpster (which holds 10 cu yd.) for garbage that is picked up 4x a month Sep – May, 2x month Jun – Aug, a 10 yard dumpster for recycling that is picked up on call, and an onsite composting program. (a gallon of compost = .00576 cu yd.). Calculate total G, R and C over the period for which you have data. Plug that into the DR = ((R + C) / (G + R + C)) x 100 formula to get the total diversion rate over that period. If you would like to know how you did month to month for your own purposes, you can calculate that as well (see figures in gray)

2016 / G = cu yd. x n x % / R = cu yd. x n x % / C gal = .006 cu yd. / DR = ((R + C)) / (G + R + C)) x 100
Jan / 10 x 4 x .5 = 20 cu yd. / 10 x 0 x .2 = 0 cu yd. / 4 gal = .024 cu yd. / ((0 + .024) / (20 +0 +.024)) x 100 = .12%
Feb / 10 x 4 x .7 = 28 cu yd. / 10 x 1 x .5 = 5 cu yd. / 30 gal = .18 cu yd. / ((5 + .18) / (28 + 5 + .18)) x100 = 20.57%
Mar / 10 x 4 x .8 = 32 cu yd. / 10 x 0 x .3 = 0 cu yd. / 40 gal = .32 cu yd. / ((0 + .32) / (32 + ) + .23)) x 100 = .74%
Apr / 10 x 4 x .6 = 24 cu yd. / 10 x 1 x 1 = 10 cu yd. / 100 gall = .6 cu yd. / ((10 + .6) / (24 + 10 +.6)) x 100 = 27.46%
May / 10 x 4 x .8 = 32 cu yd. / 10 x 0 x .7 = 0 cu yd. / 40 gal = .6 cu yd. / ((0 + .6) / (32 + 0 + .6)) x 100 = .74%
Jun / 10 x 2 x .4 = 8 cu yd. / 10 x 1 x 1 = 10 cu yd. / 0 gal = 0 cu yd. / ((10 + 0) / ( 8 + 10 + )) x 100 = 52.91%
Total / 140 / 24 / 1.28 / ((24 + 1.28) / (140 +24 + 1.28) = 15.29%

mos. / yrs. covered: Jan 2016 – Jun 2016

  • – Recylemania: Volume to Weight Conversion Chart
  • – CalRecyle: School Waste Composition

To describe how you arrived at your estimate, describe the raw data you started with and summarize operations you performed on it.

You will also need to figure out waste generated per student:

Average Monthly Waste= (140 + 24 + 1.28) / 6 months = 27.55 cu yd.(data from the table above)

Waste / Students = 27.55 cu yd. / 100 students = .28 cu yd. per student per month

mos. / yrs. covered: Jan 2016 – Jun 2016

Finally, you will need to identify any steps you are taking to reduce waste as it is produced. For example, reducing the amount of paper by using double-sided printing, or going to trayless service to reduce the amount that is thrown away.

  • – find contractors, vendors and drop off locations for recycling, reuse and disposal in Missouri

12. Hazardous Waste - Does your school have a program for tracking, managing, and safely ( ) Yes ( ) No