Integrating conservation efforts into daily cafeteria operations can result in a financial savings for schools.

Is your food service program looking to "go green"? Integrating conservation efforts into daily operations can result in a financial savings for your school by decreasing food waste and reducing energy and water usage.

The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services has put together a list of resources to help school nutrition departments locate green school award programs, sources of funding for green school efforts, and other resources for sustainable schools.

Award and Recognition Programs

Florida Green School Awards

The Florida Green School Awards are sponsored by the Florida Green School Network. For six years the program recognized the efforts of K-12 students, teachers, schools and school districts that strengthen health, efficiency and academic achievement. Starting in 2014-2015, while continuing to recognize leadership in these areas, the program shifted its focus to the school district level rather than individual schools and projects and now features a simplified application. School districts receive a score based on their reported data and on the percentage of schools submitting a Green School Profile under that district.

Green Ribbon Schools Program

The Green Ribbon Schools Program is a national initiative sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education. Each state commissioner of education is able to nominate up to four schools that have shown significant progress in achieving success in the program's three pillars: environmental impact and energy efficiency; healthy school environments; and environmental and sustainability education.

For more information about the national initiative, visit the U.S. Department of Education's Green Ribbon Schools website. To be eligible for consideration for the national award, districts and/or schools must complete an application for a Florida Green School District or Green School Profile at the Florida Green School Awards website.

LEED Green Building Rating System

The LEED Green Building Rating System is an internationally recognized certification program that recognizes best-in-class green building strategies and practices. To receive LEED certification, building projects must satisfy prerequisites and earn points to achieve different levels of certification.

Palm Beach Green Schools Recognition Program

Palm Beach Green Schools Recognition Program recognizes public and private schools that encourage cultures of sustainability within their school environments.

All public and private K-12 schools in Martin and Palm Beach counties are eligible.

Over $10,000 in cash prizes are awarded to the top Green Schools.

Other incentives include certificates, award banners, media recognition, an invitation to the Green School Awards ceremony, and "green seed money" for special school projects.

Green Schools Resource List

• ENERGY STAR Score for K-12 Schools Districts [ Adobe PDF Document ]:  A rating tool used to provide an assessment of the energy performance of the school.
• Financing Energy Updates for K-12 School Districts [ Adobe PDF Document ]: Guide focusing on clean energy financing options for school administrators, facility managers and other K-12 school decision makers who are considering investments in high performance school projects.
• Florida Green School Network: Partnership between the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, Florida Department of Education, Florida Department of Health, and Sustainable Florida that acts as a central clearinghouse for the green school movement in the state of Florida; designed to recognize and support green school initiatives at the school and district level.
• Food Waste Reduction Efforts at the USDA [ 3.2 MB ] : The USDA Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services offers initiatives to help reduce food waste and loss.
• Green Education Foundation: Curriculum and resources for K-12 students and teachers focused on real-world applied learning models that connect science, technology and math education with the broader human concerns of environmental, economic and social systems.
• Operating and Maintaining EnergySmart Schools [ Adobe PDF Document ]: Web-based training program provided by the U.S. Department of Energy.
• Powering Down [ Adobe PDF Document ]: Toolkit created by the U.S. Green Building Council to address behavior-based energy conservation in K-12 schools.
• Tips for Going Green in School Nutrition Programs [ 39.6 kB ] : Tip sheet for school nutrition professionals with ideas on how they can incorporate more sustainable practices into their food service operations.
• USDA Reducing Food Waste at K-12 Schools: Commit to reducing food loss and waste in your operation. To join the U.S. Food Loss and Waste 2030 Champions complete and submit the 2030 Champions form [ Adobe PDF Document ].

Guidance

• Guidance on the Food Donation Program in Child Nutrition Programs [ 225.8 kB ] (USDA Memo SP 11-2012)
• The Use of Share Tables in Child Nutrition Programs [ 133.3 kB ] (USDA Memo SP 41-2016)