Alameda School Receives Distinguished Award

ALAMEDA, CA — Edison Elementary School has been named a US Department of Education Green Ribbon School. Just 39 schools, 11 districts, and five post-secondary institutions across the country were chosen for the national recognition.

Edison received a similar award from the state.

“Every day at Edison, there are numerous efforts at raising environmental awareness issues among our students,” says Edison Principal Greg Sahakian. “This occurs within classrooms, during the lunch period, and through school programs, events, assemblies, and field trips. It is part of the culture of the school, and has been for a long time. I am proud to be a part of such a caring community, one that brings the ideas of sustainability, responsibility, and service to forefront of our students’ minds. The Go Green program at Edison School has been years in the making, and I am so glad to see it get the recognition it deserves, as well as all the people that make it happen; our families, our staff and most importantly, our students.”

A ceremony is scheduled to be held in Washington, D.C. on Aug. 4.

“The state and federal recognition of Edison’s environmental efforts is a welcome bit of good news at this time,” says Superintendent Pasquale Scuderi. “This kind of student engagement and staff and community commitment results in real-life learning experiences for kids while also serving the best interests of the public and, more importantly, the planet.”

Edison was singled out for being a leader in improving environmental policies at the district, city, regional, and national level, including:

• Lobbying AUSD for fresh salad bars
• Helping to initiate and now model AUSD’s Go Green recycling and compost program
• Leading outreach efforts for the county’s Reusable Bag Ordinance
• Leading outreach efforts for the installation of three-stream recycling bins in Alameda’s downtown areas
• Leading outreach efforts for Alameda’s “Straws on Request” and compostable foodware ordinance for restaurants
• Developing and maintaining a school garden with a butterfly habitat, fruit trees, herbs, and vegetables that is used for teaching about environmental science, sustainable agriculture, gardening, composting, cooking, and nutrition
• Giving excess produce from Edison’s school garden to food programs
• Encouraging students to use alternative transportation to get to school, including walking rolling, and 2% carpooling, as well as establishing a “no idling policy” for vehicles anywhere around campus to lower local air pollution
• Integration of environmental education and sustainability concepts across the curriculum, including in art and music
• The formation of a “Green Otters” student group focused on raising awareness around plastic pollution, fundraising for endangered animals, planting trees, and teaching peers about why eating too much meat is not healthy for people or the planet
• The 5th-grade science retreat at Nature Bridge, a 2-day/3-night science retreat in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area offering an inclusive, hands-on learning experience in the Marin Headlands.