America’s First ‘Green Flag’ Flies Over Sustainable Savannah School

Editor's Note:  Kudos to the Savannah Country Day School for this great accomplishment.  Click here if you want information on how to make your school and Ed-School.

Savannah Country Day School in Georgia was named the nation’s first Green Flag Eco-School in a ceremony yesterday (April 28), signifying exceptional achievement in ‘greening’ school grounds, operations and curricula. The school achieved this honor through a combination of excellence by “green” management of its facilities and grounds, providing opportunities for outdoor education and by integrating environmental learning throughout its curricula.

The Eco-Schools USA program, which is hosted by National Wildlife Federation, counts nearly 500 schools and some 205,000 students among its participants, but none has achieved the program’s highest honor, the Green Flag, until now.

“The Green Flag is special – and only awarded to those schools who have demonstrated a commitment to environmental sustainability and increasing environmental literacy for its students, faculty, and wider school community,” said Laura Hickey, Senior Director of Eco-Schools USA, on hand for the official flag-raising.

Also in attendance for the event were the City of Savannah’s Mayor Pro Tem, Edna Jackson, and Environmental Affairs Officer Laura Walker. Jackson congratulated the school and thanked cheering students and staff for helping to make Savannah a “Green City.”

To win the first Green Flag, Savannah Country Day School, which completed a Silver LEED-certified lower school building in 2008, tackled a variety of sustainability projects, including lunchroom recycling and composting programs, a well-tended vegetable garden, environmental current events coursework and school-supported ‘outdoor classroom time.’ This was in keeping with Eco-Schools USA’s uniquely holistic approach—‘greening’ the school building, the school grounds and the student curriculum and experience.

Hickey’s official certification tour of the school included a visit to the previously-certified NWF Schoolyard Habitat and a demonstration of cistern use and garden upkeep by a student Eco-Action Team, but 'green living isn't limited to a select group---or grade---of students at Savannah Country Day.

In kindergarten, students tend to a natural herb garden, moving on to a fruit orchard in first grade. Second-graders study monarch butterfly eggs, and third-graders take care of a full organic vegetable garden. The entire school supports composting of pre-consumer waste and participates in a "green hour" program allowing children to be outside every week for instruction time (in addition to recess).


Among the more unique elements of sustainable life at Savannah Country Day School is lunchtime, which goes well beyond the usual tater-tots and milk cartons: produce from the school garden is regularly prepared and served to students in the dining hall, with dishes containing it identified with a "From Here" label. The school chef often creates a display of garden vegetables to entice youngsters to try them, and local food vendors are celebrated with "Meet the Farmer" signage. All kitchen scraps and food waste are added to the school's compost pile. The school's dining program is managed by SAGE Dining Services.

Many schools have implemented the Eco-Schools USA program, some earning Bronze- and Silver-level awards for their progress (Georgia alone boasts 14 Eco-Schools). The heretofore unclaimed Green Flag requires a rigorous combination of environmental audits, curriculum reinvention and internal and external monitoring.

The program is designed to help schools in a variety of ways, including saving money, reducing waste and improving student academic performance and environmental awareness (more benefits listed here). Once a school has registered and implemented the Seven Steps of the program, it can apply for an Eco-Schools award. A school is considered to be a permanent Eco-School once it has gained its fourth Green Flag.

The Eco-Schools program is an international network of 38,000 K-12 schools in 51 countries, started in 1994 by the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE) with support by the European Commission. It was named by the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) as a model initiative for Education for Sustainable Development in 2003. NWF was named the stateside host in 2008, thus formally launching Eco-Schools USA.

The award came just days after the U.S. Department of Education announced the creation of the Green Ribbon Schools program, which will similarly recognize schools that have taken great strides in greening their curricula, buildings, school grounds and overall building operations. That program, which is to be modeled on the nearly 30-year-old Blue Ribbon Schools program that recognizes schools whose student bodies have displayed high academic achievement or improvement, will help establish guidelines for overall sustainability in American schools. NWF and other organizations had pushed for the implementation of that program for the past year.

“American schools already led the way on innovation,” said Kevin Coyle, Vice President for Education and Training at NWF. “Now, in addition to revamping their buildings and grounds, they are increasingly setting a high standard for sustainability education and becoming truly green.”

By Max Greenberg
National Wildlife Federation

Source:  National Wildlife Federation

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160 high school students attend ‘Vet School for a Day’ at UGA College of Veterinary Medicine

Some 280 people, including 160 high school students from throughout Georgia, visited the University of Georgia campus on Wednesday to attend the sixth annual Vet School for a Day, held at the College of Veterinary Medicine.

The day began with a keynote address from Dr. Nina Marano (DVM ’84), who is chief of the Quarantine and Border Health Services Branch for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Preparedness, Detection, and Control of Infectious Diseases. The division is charged with preventing and controlling the introduction of communicable diseases into U.S. borders. Marano, who also practices companion animal medicine, told students about the wide variety of careers available to people who attain a veterinary degree, and emphasized the important role veterinarians play in protecting public health by helping to maintain a healthy food supply and by monitoring diseases in wildlife.

In addition, the students toured the college’s Veterinary Teaching Hospital, lunched with a panel of veterinary students to learn about their interests in veterinary medicine, and heard from a panel of faculty and staff who represented the many specialties in veterinary medicine. Students also learned about the high standards for admission to the college, and what they should study to be prepared for veterinary school.

“This event has grown exponentially since we first started it, from a group of 30 students and high school counselors to almost 300,” said Dr. K. Paige Carmichael, the college’s associate dean for academic affairs. “There were many great questions asked and the overwhelming feedback was that this had been a wonderful experience. The college welcomes the opportunity to showcase our profession to interested high school students and looks forward to seeing many of these bright young minds come through our doors in four years time.”

“Vet School for a Day” is sponsored by the David Forehand Foundation, created in memory of alumnus Dr. David Forehand (DVM ’76). Next year’s event will be held in September; the date will be announced in the spring.

The UGA College of Veterinary Medicine, founded in 1946, is dedicated to training future veterinarians, to conducting research related to animal diseases, and to providing veterinary services for animals and their owners. Research efforts are aimed at enhancing the quality of life for animals and people, improving the productivity of poultry and livestock, and preserving a healthy interface between wildlife and people in the environment they share. The college enrolls 102 students each fall out of more than 550 who apply. For more information, see http://www.vet.uga.edu/.

The current UGA College of Veterinary Medicine Teaching Hospital, built in 1979, serves more than 18,000 patients per year in one of the smallest teaching hospitals in the United States. The college is currently working to raise $15 million toward building a new Veterinary Medical Learning Center, which will include a new teaching hospital as well as classrooms and laboratories that will allow for the education of more veterinarians. The goal is to increase enrollment to 150 when the Veterinary Medical Learning Center is built. http://www.vet.uga.edu/giving/campaign.php.

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Registration begins Aug. 11 for UGA's 'Vet School for a Day'

Registration opens Aug. 11 for the University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine’s sixth annual Vet School for a Day.The program will be held Sept. 29.It brings high school students from throughout Georgia to the university’s Athens campus to learn more about careers in veterinary medicine.

The program is held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., and includes a tour of the teaching hospital, a panel discussion by faculty veterinarians in a variety of specialties, and the opportunity for the high school students to meet veterinary student leaders. Students also will learn about the high standards for admission to the college, and what they need to study to be prepared for veterinary school.

“Through this program, we hope to encourage students interested in science to pursue one of the variety of careers available in veterinary medicine, especially in underserved areas such as food animal medicine,” said Paige Carmichael, associate dean for academic affairs.

All students must be accompanied by an adult chaperone (parent, counselor or teacher).Students attend for free, but to help offset the cost for food there is a $15 per person fee for each chaperone; the fee is payable on the day of the event.School guidance counselors will be notified by email once registration opens.

“Vet School for a Day” is sponsored by the David Forehand Foundation, created in memory of alumnus Dr. David Forehand (DVM, class of 1976).More information about the event can be found at http://www.vet.uga.edu/academic/events/vs4ad.php.

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