Orange County Public Schools celebrates 14 schools for their efforts to conserve energy and water, reduce waste, improve health and well-being, enhance school grounds and incorporate sustainability into the curriculum.
One of the growing movements in this crop of applicants demonstrated the value of rescuing food. Rather than throwing away unopened food, various schools placed collection bins in convenient places for students to share their unwanted items. This was a win-win initiative. The bins of collected items kept unnecessary waste out of the landfills and fed another student’s craving for that item. At the end of the week schools donated items to local food pantries.
The Top 3 winners of the seventh annual Green Schools Recognition Program:
Audubon Park School - $5,000
Blankner School - $3,000
Westpointe Elementary - $1,000
(The Energy Rebate Program funds these awards.)
Judge Choice Awards granted the winners $750. The five sustainability winners are:
Energy Conservation, from Lightyear Technologies - Blankner School
Water Conservation, from OUC, The Reliable One - Arbor Ridge School
Waste Reduction, from City of Orlando - Blankner School
Innovation, from Universal Orlando Resorts - Cypress Creek HS
School Gardens, from 4Rivers/4Roots Foundation - Westpointe ES
Campus Beautification, Keep Orlando Beautiful - Cypress Creek HS
The following schools also earned incentive awards for their energy and/or water efficiency: Arbor Ridge School, Audubon Park School, Bay Lake ES, Blankner School, Cypress Creek HS, Dream Lake ES, Maxey ES, Meadow Woods ES, Sunridge ES, Tildenville ES, Wedgefield School, Westpointe ES, Wyndham Lakes ES and Zellwood ES.
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