Indiana Department of Education’s Nomination Application for the U.S. Department of Education’s 2025 Green Ribbon Schools Program

Thank you for your interest in completing the Indiana application for nomination to the 2025 U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools (ED-GRS) program. All completed applications are due by 11:45 p.m. ET on Friday, December 6, to be considered for the 2025 award. Unless otherwise noted, all sections and response fields are required. 

We hope you will apply to share the innovative sustainability practices you may have implemented at your school(s) or district. Please contact the Office of Teaching and Learning with any questions.

Timeline:

Date	Milestone
December 6, 2024	Corporations’ and schools’ completed ED-GRS applications are due to IDOE
January 8, 2025	IDOE notifies selected ED-GRS nominees by this date with recommendations from the selection committee by this date
January 24, 2025	Deadline for ED-GRS nominees to submit final applications to IDOE
February 14, 2025	IDOE’s deadline to submit applications on behalf of selected ED-GRS nominees to the U.S. Department of Education (ED)
April 2025	ED announces all national ED-GRS honorees
Summer 2025	ED recognizes all ED-GRS honorees at a ceremony in Washington, D.C.

Applicant Information:

Contact Information for Application Lead (if different from above)

Statistics (Provide percentages relevant to your school or district)

Documentation of Sustainability Achievement

You must address each of the following pillars and all of their corresponding elements found below. Please use the corresponding word count to keep answers short, concise, and focused on how your school or district is demonstrating progress in that area. Note that this award is not a menu of options, all elements must be answered to be considered complete. Clearly identify the applicable pillar at the top of your response and the applicable elements for each pillar. Each institution’s total submission length must not exceed 20 pages.

 

Narrative for Pillar 1: Your Efforts to Reduce Environmental Impact and Costs

Describe your school or district’s efforts to address each of the following elements within Pillar 1: Reduce Environmental Impacts and Costs. Use supporting data and reference participation in pertinent benchmarking programs to demonstrate progress where possible. 

Element: Reduced or eliminated greenhouse gas emissions, using an energy audit or emissions inventory and reduction plan, cost-effective energy efficiency improvements, conservation measures, on-site renewable energy and/or purchase of green power, or other efforts to decarbonize/electrify (200 – 500 word response)

Element: Improved water quality, efficiency, and conservation (200 – 500 word response)

Element: Reduced solid and hazardous waste production through increased recycling and composting, reduced consumption, and improved management, reduction, or elimination of hazardous waste (200 – 500 word response)

Element: Expanded use of alternative transportation, through active promotion of locally available, energy-efficient options and implementation of alternative transportation supportive projects and policies (200 – 500 word response)

Narrative for Pillar 2: Your Efforts to Improve the Health and Wellness of Students and Staff

Describe how your school or district addresses each element within Pillar 2: Improve the Health and Wellness of Students and Staff. Incorporate metrics and include program participation where possible. 

 

Element: High standards of Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child Health, including nutrition and outdoor physical activity; health, counseling, and psychological services for both students and staff; and family and community involvement (200 – 500 word response)

Element: Integrated school environmental health program that considers occupant health and safety in all design, construction, renovation, operations, and maintenance of facilities and grounds, including indoor and outdoor environmental quality; cleaning and maintenance; mold and moisture; chemical and environmental contaminants; air quality and ventilation; and pests and pesticide (200 – 500 word response)

Narrative for Pillar 3: Your Efforts to Ensure Effective Environmental and Sustainability Education

Describe how your school or district addresses each element within Pillar 3: Ensure Effective Environmental and Sustainability Education. This section should describe hands-on, place-, project-, and problem-based authentic learning across the curriculum, not limited to one subject.

Element: Interdisciplinary learning about the key relationships between dynamic environmental, energy, and human systems (200 – 500 word response)

Element: Use of the environment and sustainability to develop STEM content knowledge and thinking skills to prepare graduates for the 21st-century technology-driven economy (200 – 500 word response)

Element: Development of civic engagement knowledge and skills and students' application of such knowledge and skills to address sustainability issues in their community (200 – 500 word response)

Photographs of Sustainability Achievements

Please submit five to 10 high-resolution photographs with brief descriptions including who, what, when, and where. Photos should be candid action shots, not posed or collaged. They should be recent - from within the last three years. By sending these photos, you are giving IDOE and ED permission to use them in newsletters and social media.

Highlights Reports Ready Summary Narrative

Use one 200 – 300-word substantive paragraph to provide an overview narrative describing your school or district’s efforts to reduce environmental impact and costs; improve student and staff health and wellness; and provide effective environmental and sustainability education. This overarching summary should highlight the best of your work in every ED-GRS Pillar and Element. You can view examples of summary narratives in last year’s Highlights Report. The summary that you submit should be what you would like to see appear in a future Highlights Report, if your institution is selected. It may be helpful to pull from your previous three narratives to write the summary.

Nominee Presentation Form

Each applicant must review the appropriate Nominee Presentation Form (see Appendix A), digitally complete the blank fields (including digital signatures), and include the saved version with this application. By signing the Nominee Presentation Form, the applicant certifies compliance with all applicable civil rights, student aid, health, environment, and safety statutory and regulatory requirements. IDOE will review the Nominee Presentation Form and provide certification for selected nominees as appropriate.