Nazareth Middle School 1 of 4 Pa. Green Ribbon Winners

Nazareth Area Middle School, well-known for its use of solar energy, has a message for Kermit the Frog: Don’t fret, it’s EASY being green.

The proof: Gov. Tom Corbett announced Monday that the middle school is one of four schools in Pennsylvania—and among 78 schools and districts nationwide—selected by the U.S. Department of Education for the national 2013 Green Ribbon Schools award.

Also selected for the award was Broughal Middle School in Bethlehem.

According to a news release from Corbett’s office, the schools are recognized for working to reduce environmental impact and costs, improve the health and wellness of students and staff, and provide effective environmental and sustainability education.

The middle school’s award was announced at Monday night's school board meeting by Isabel Resende, assistant to the superintendent.

And there to accept the board’s accolades were middle school principal Robert Kern and Lewis Lengyel, the district’s supervisor of operations and facilities.

Lengyel acknowleged that the school’s solar energy project “pushed us over the edge” when it came to the green ribbon.

When the middle school was nominated for the award in February, Patch.com reported that the school has an array of solar panels on its roof and that the operation supplies between 60 and 80 percent of the building’s energy needs.

Lengyel joked Monday night about a challenging awards application – 70-some pages long. And Kern, who appeared to be wearing an Earth Day tie, pointed to how the school has incorporated environmental subjects into the science curriculum.

The administrators said the awards ceremony is June 3 in Washington, D.C.

State Rep. Joe Emrick, who represents Nazareth, also offered praise.

"They are being recognized for working to reduce environmental impact and costs, improving the health and wellness of students and staff, and providing effective environmental and sustainability education," Emrick said.

The February Patch story also explained that the middle school, which opened in 2009, was designed to achieve a silver rating – but actually received Gold Certification – under the guidelines of the U.S. Green Building Council, Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design.

Last June, the middle school received an award from the Delaware Valley Green Building Council, a group dedicated to fostering environmentally friendly building practices, according to www.dvgbc.org.

Other “green” features at the middle school, according to the story, include:

• Walking trails and numerous athletic fields.
• An elaborate system of storm water drainage and retention areas, and water-efficient landscaping that requires no irrigation.
• Low-flow plumbing fixtures and faucets.
• During construction, 75 percent of all construction waste was recycled and diverted from disposal.

In addition to the middle school and Broughal, the other winning schools are the Albert M. Greenfield Elementary School at 22nd and Chestnut streets in downtown Philadelphia and the Westtown School in West Chester.

Also, the Lower Merion School District in Montgomery County was awarded the first-ever District Sustainability Award for applying energy conservation initiatives across multiple school buildings, the news release said.

The February Patch story also said the four green-ribbon schools were named 2013 Pennsylvania Pathways Schools and will received a financial incentive to further their work on achieving the goals of the Green Ribbon Schools program.