TTUSD Wins the Gold as a Green Ribbon School District

April 18, 2017

TRUCKEE, Calif. – TTUSD was recently recognized at the Gold level as a Green Ribbon School District by the U.S. Department of Education. This huge honor was accomplished through a tremendous multi-layered process underway throughout the school district. To earn this distinction, TTUSD demonstrated exemplary achievement in the U.S. Department of Education’s three key areas (“Pillars”):

Pillar 1: Reduce environmental impact and costs
Pillar 2: Improve the health and wellness of schools, students, and staff
Pillar 3: Provide effective environmental education that teaches many disciplines and is especially good at effectively incorporating science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education, civic skills, and green career pathways.

TTUSD was recognized for managing their facilities wisely by saving energy, conserving water, and reducing their impact on the environment. They were also acknowledged for providing innovative educational programming that teaches students about nature and the importance of clean air and water while demonstrating the value of preserving the environment for future generations.

The district began their sustainability program back in 2008 while undergoing significant budget cuts as a means to save money and reduce layoffs. Their facilities department teamed up with Sierra Watershed Education Partnerships (SWEP) to bring true cost savings to the school district while including and empowering students to make improvements to their school’s energy, waste and water usage. Students helped evaluate energy usage throughout the district through energy audits. Once they identified areas for improvement and implemented them, they conducted post-audits. Students were able to experience first-hand the positive impact their improvements made. The Truckee Donner Public Utility District (TDPUD) valued the benefit of this experiential learning and began providing programming support, LED lights, and other measures to the school district. TTUSD has been able to save more than $400,000 per year in electricity and gas through greater efficiency and rebates from both Liberty Utilities and TDPUD.

TTUSD built upon their conservation program to include recycling and waste reduction at all of their facilities. The Town of Truckee partnered with the district and provided recycling containers, blue bags, and signage. The Town also provided significant grant funding to support the Sustainability Clubs and provide “smart bins” and other important recycling and collection containers.

TTUSD provides environmental education in addition to empowering students to take care of their environment. For example, when the Shane McConkey Foundation donated funds to TTUSD’s Food Services to purchase reusable, washable lunch trays to reduce lunch waste, students performed lunch waste audits to measure their outcomes. Club members then mentored other students on campus how to reduce waste for the school, at home, and within their community.

Staff across the district, from the classroom to the offices, cafeterias, custodial, and beyond, reinforce the conservation efforts and serve as role models for environmental stewardship.

“The Green Ribbon Award is a huge honor and recognizes the strong partnership and work of many organizations and individuals in our district and our community,” shared Rob Leri, TTUSD’s Superintendent Chief Learning Officer. “Through their leadership, initiative, hard work and dedication, we are able to make improvements each year in our sustainability efforts. And everyone wins - it’s better for our environment, we save money and precious resources and in turn can dedicate more resources to instruction.”

The district receives a great deal of support and collaboration from many other partners including TTUSD’s custodial staff, TTUSD’s maintenance staff, school site partners, Tahoe Truckee Community Foundation, Northstar California Epic Promise, Tahoe Truckee Sierra Disposal, CHOICES, Placer County, and Sierra Cost Management.

“This collaborative effort and its environmental benefits are all ribbon worthy, but the gold of this award sits within how our students, the community stewards, will carry this experience into the future,” shared Missy Mohler, SWEP’s Executive Director.

TTUSD plans to build on their accomplishments and will continue to encourage and model environmental stewardship throughout their district. For more information about the school district’s Sustainability Programs visit www.ttusd.org.

# # #

Contact:

Kelli Twomey, Coordinator of Parent & Community Relations

ktwomey@ttusd.org, (530) 420-7280