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Recognizing and congratulating Philadelphia’s students, educators and administrators for the School District of Philadelphia’s selection by the United States Department of Education as a 2017 District Sustainability Awardee.
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WHEREAS, In 2011, the United States Department of Education established the “Green Ribbon Schools” Awards to celebrate schools, districts and post-secondary institutions that lead efforts to reduce environmental impact, improve health and wellness, and provide effective environmental and sustainability education; and
WHEREAS, In 2017, the US Department of Education selected the School District of Philadelphia (“School District”) and eight other districts from across the country to receive the District Sustainability Award; and
WHEREAS, The School District established a vision for green schools in its first five-year sustainability plan, called GreenFutures, which aims to reduce energy consumption district wide, increase waste diversion from landfills, increase school green spaces, and create healthy indoor environments and healthy living habits; and
WHEREAS, The School District demonstrated its worthiness for the award by taking environmental and sustainability-conscious actions that have had an impact across all of its schools. The District invested $1 million to install a minimum of three hydration stations in every school it operates and plans to implement full recycling programs at every school within five years; and
WHEREAS, The School District launched its own healthy living initiative called “EAT RIGHT NOW” which provides free nutrition outreach programs and services to all public school students, teachers, staff, administrators, and parents; and
WHEREAS, The School District embraced partnerships and best practices to create environmentally responsible and sustainable schools. The District is a charter member of the Green Schools Alliance District Collaborative, and is home to 19 registered National Wildlife Federation EcoSchools and 8 LEED certified school buildings; and
WHEREAS, The School District constructed large green stormwater infrastructure projects at 31 schools, including surface and subsurface infiltration basins, porous pavements, rain gardens, storage trenches, bioretention swales, green roofs and porous play surfaces; and
WHEREAS, The School District entered into partnerships with numerous organizations, including Fairmount Water Works, the Philadelphia Water Department, the National Wildlife Federation, the Philadelphia Zoo, The Franklin Institute, Keep Philadelphia Beautiful, The Cloud Institute, and the American Lung Association to provide curriculum and professional development to teachers and staff; and
WHEREAS, The United States Department of Education highlighted particularly noteworthy environmental and sustainability achievements by Baldi Middle School, Sayre High School, Lincoln High School, Saul High School, Fox Chase Elementary School and Penn Alexander School; and
WHEREAS, The School District will need to build upon the momentum of these recent successes to create and execute a comprehensive plan that promotes safe, healthy learning environments for each student in our city; and
WHEREAS, Efforts to engage with the School District to tackle public infrastructure challenges in Philadelphia public schools are underway thanks to the Philly Healthy Schools Initiative and coalition members 32BJ SEIU Local 1201, American Federation of State County & Municipal Employees [AFSCME] DC 33 and 47, American Postal Workers Union [APWU], Friends of Neighborhood Education [FONE], Media Mobilizing Project, Parents United for Public Education, PennEnvironment, Philadelphia AFL-CIO, PhilaPOSH, Philly Schools Uniting Neighborhoods [PhillySun], Physicians for Social Responsibility, Public Interest Law Center of Philadelphia, Teamster Local 502 - CASA [Philadelphia School Administrators], The Food Trust, The Philadelphia Federation of Teachers, and Youth United for Change [YUC]; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, That Council does hereby recognize and congratulate Philadelphia’s students, educators and administrators for the School District of Philadelphia’s selection by the United States Department of Education as a 2017 District Sustainability Awardee.
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