School District Wins Award For 'Green' Operations

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The Cherokee County School District has been named the top school system of its size in the state by Georgia’s 2015 Green Ribbon Schools Program.

The program is sponsored by the Georgia Department of Education in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Education’s National Green Ribbon School District program.

One school system can be selected as the winner for each size division (small, medium and large) in Georgia’s Program, and Cherokee is the winner for medium districts. The large district winner was selected to compete at the national level.

Lt. Governor Cagle commended Cherokee County and the other honored school districts and schools on the floor of the State Senate, and the Senate approved a resolution honoring the district.

This is the second year that the Cherokee County School District has been named the winner for medium districts.

“The Cherokee County School District thinks “green” in all aspects of its operations, as environmental awareness and responsibility benefits the physical health and safety of students and staff, the financial health of the system and the overall health of our entire community and its resources,” said Superintendent of Schools Dr. Frank R. Petruzielo. “The core of CCSD’s mission statement is ‘to enable all students to become contributing citizens who can communicate effectively, gather and use information, make responsible decisions, utilize technology effectively and adapt to the challenges of the future. Environmental and personal physical health and wellness leads to overall more successful students and staff, and environmental awareness and stewardship is key to teaching students responsible decision-making and good citizenship.”

The program honors schools and school districts where staff, students, officials and communities have worked together to produce progress in three pillars of green school activity: 1. optimal efficiency in energy, water, and waste management; 2. healthy students and school environment; and 3. environmental education.

The Georgia competition is organized through a partnership involving the Georgia Department of Education, Cagle, the U.S. Green Building Council of Georgia, Georgia EPD, the Clean Air Campaign and the Turner Foundation.

Cherokee County School District policies encourage stewardship of all resources and innovation to meet that goal, with environmental and sustainability education beginning for all students at the elementary school level, with these opportunities increasing as students progress to higher grades.

Significant accomplishments in this regard for CCSD include:

• All CCSD new construction includes required energy and water conservation features such as: long-lasting, low-maintenance construction materials; high-efficiency T-8 and T-5 fluorescent lighting and lighting controls for non-use times including occupancy sensor in appropriate areas; low-flow bathroom fixtures including toilets with low-volume flush valves and waterless urinals; four-pipe HVAC systems with variable speed drive pumps; energy recovery units; energy management controls throughout the facility; reflective metal roof systems; pedal valves for water control in the kitchen area; and, a computer shutdown system of utilities for after-hours, non-use times.
• All CCSD facilities have been retrofitted with energy-efficient technology including automated energy management systems, and all meet ASHRAE (American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers) standards, with a joint goal of decreasing greenhouse emissions and reducing operational costs per square foot.
• CCSD has been a Clean Air Campaign partner for five years and is committed to continuous implementation of practices to improve air quality including an idle-reduction policy with no idling permitted for CCSD buses in loading/unloading zones and idling by parent carpool drivers in these zones discouraged.
• Through a Fiscal Year 2011 grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, CCSD has retrofitted all of its school buses purchased prior to 2007 with the latest exhaust-reduction devices including diesel oxidation catalyst mufflers. Additionally, 60 percent of school buses are equipped with diesel particulate filters, and all diesel fuel purchased is an ultra-low sulfur “clean diesel” blend.
• CCSD promotes district-wide initiatives include efforts to “reduce, reuse, recycle and rethink” such as the conversion to online systems across departments and facilities – for everything from acceptance of employment applications to sharing informational fliers with parents -- to reduce paper use.
• The development of district-wide hazardous waste disposal/removal, chemical inventory controls and pickup programs and integrated pesticide management; the use of low- to zero-hazard chemicals including “green” cleaning supplies; and the removal of mercury from all schools including lighting fixtures containing the substance.
• Participation by all CCSD schools in school-based recycling programs (including, but not limited to: white paper, newspapers, magazines, phone books, cardboard, aluminum, plastic, glass, printer ink cartridges, electronics, cell phones) and the District-wide recycling of cardboard and other products.
• Strong participation by CCSD schools in new State health and wellness initiatives such as Fitnessgram and the SHAPE (Student Health and Physical Education) Program, with 23 of CCSD schools being named to the Governor’s SHAPE Honor Roll (only a small percentage of schools statewide earned the recognition; CCSD’s total increased from 19 the previous school year and 16 in the program’s inaugural year).
• Through written, systemic Board-approved Partnership Agreements, the school district works with community partners such as the American Heart Association, Clean Air Campaign, Cherokee County Water and Sewerage Authority, Georgia Native Plant Society, Upper Etowah River Alliance and YMCA of Cherokee County to promote among students, staff, parents and other stakeholders various behaviors that reduce environmental impact and improve health, wellness and environmental awareness.
• STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) Academies at four of the school district’s elementary schools have been expanded to additional grades after launching in 2012-13 to further increase the focus on these topics including units covering subjects such as energy and ecology. STEM units also are offered at all middle schools, as well as increased course offerings in these subjects in all high schools including Advanced Placement Environmental Science at two additional campuses.

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