Green Schools
Day by day, and activity by activity, students and staff have grown in their knowledge and appreciation of the role each of us plays in making the world greener. With each flower planted and water runoff recaptured, each bird feeder built and placed outside, each rain garden and butterfly garden dug and planted, our students have become better stewards of the earth—and, not surprisingly, better students.
– Kathleen M. Kelly, acting principal, Catonsville Educational Center at RICA-Baltimore
Nationally recognized, the Maryland Green Schools Award Program (MDGS) allows schools and their communities to evaluate their efforts in environmental sustainability. Participating schools empower youth to make changes to reduce environmental impact, encourage sustainability and foster environmental literacy.
Maryland Green Schools benefit from the instructional support and partnership of Green Centers and Green Leaders. Green Schools have access to an extensive network of partners in their community and statewide resources. To learn more about the program, visit the Program Overview page , or see the links provided below.
Maryland Green Schools plays a key role in helping schools meet the Maryland State Department of Education’s environmental literacy standards established through the Governor’s Partnership for Children in Nature. The program is a method of improving environmental literacy for students and a tool for catalyzing change within the community as envisioned in Maryland Children’s Outdoor Bill of Rights, “Spending time outdoors is also the best way to develop a connection to nature and the foundation on which to build an environmental stewardship ethic”.
