The Hartford students have been steeped in other sustainability projects, such as helping to install solar panels on the school's rooftop in 2012; partnering with local groups for litter clean-up campaigns; recycling that included removing 20 tons of electronic waste from the school basement; using compost to create a bird habitat; and building numerous community gardens, school administrators said.
The school also offers an environmental science course for college credit through UConn's Early College Experience program.
The Green Ribbon award "is the culmination, but not the conclusion, of years of work from our students and staff to embrace our Engineering and Green Technology" theme, Principal Michael Maziarz said in a statement after last week's announcement.
Greenwich's Parkway Elementary School, Rogers International School in Stamford and the private Greens Farms Academy in Westport were among the 58 eco-friendly schools honored nationally, while the Stamford school system was one of 14 districts to receive the Green Ribbon designation this year.
U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan described the winners as "compelling examples of the ways schools can help children build real-world skillsets, cut school costs and provide healthy learning environments."
The federal Department of Education will host a Green Ribbon Schools award ceremony June 3 in Washington, D.C.
Hartford's Mary Hooker Environmental Sciences Magnet School was an honoree in 2013.
©2015 The Hartford Courant (Hartford, Conn.) Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
