Announcing the 2023 Green Strides Tour in Northern and Central California: Schools for Climate Solutions

The 2023 Green Strides Tour in Northern & Central California will stop at nine U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools to celebrate their achievements.

Students at Los Altos High School, a 2021 U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon School, work together to plant trees on their school campus.

Year round, the ED Infrastructure and Sustainability initiative shares innovative practices and resources in the areas of sustainable schools; whole child health; and environmental education through its U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools (ED-GRS). Each fall, we have the pleasure of visiting the school communities of past ED-GRS honorees and highlighting their efforts once more through our annual Green Strides Tour. This year, the Green Strides Tour will head to Northern and Central California with the theme Schools for Climate Solutions.

As climate changes continue to worsen, schools are impacted in a wide variety of ways – from public health emergencies, to severe damage to facilities and operations, and events that force school closures and encumber learning. To address climate change, schools must work to both mitigate the impacts and adapt to the existing changes. While climate change presents a risk to learning, there is an opportunity to connect environmental education to all subject areas, prepare students for college and career pathways in the green economy, and promote youth civic engagement. Finally, by adopting climate solutions, schools serve as an example for others in their communities to take action.

Host sites for this year’s Green Strides Tour are planning engaging activities ranging from tours led by students, featuring local officials and community members, to meals prepared from food grown on campus. The schools featured on this tour have been honored in recent years, and we look forward to learning how their efforts have grown since the time they were recognized.

The tour will take place September 19-21, in Northern and Central California with the following schedule:

Tuesday, September 19

· 8:15 – 9:00 a.m.: Tour Launch Event

· 9:00 – 10:45 a.m.: San Francisco Unified School District; San Francisco

· 11:45 – 1:00 p.m.: Bay Farm School; Alameda

· 1:15 – 2:15 p.m.: Edison Elementary School; Alameda

· 2:45 – 3:45 p.m.: Bishop O’Dowd High School; Oakland

· 3:45 – 5:15 p.m.: Reception at Bishop O’Dowd High School

Wednesday, September 20

· 8:15 – 9:15 a.m.: Los Altos High School; Los Altos

· 9:45–10:45 a.m.: Woodside Priory School; Woodside

· 11:15–12:45 p.m.: Redwood High School; Redwood City

· 2:30 – 3:30 p.m.: Altamont Creek Elementary School; Livermore

Thursday, September 21

· 8:30 – 9:45 a.m.: Quail Lake Environmental Charter School; Clovis

· 11:45 – 1:45 p.m.: Merced Union High School District; Atwater

Past tour attendees have included:

· Federal, state, and local governments and agency officials

· Neighboring schools and

· Members of the press

The tour is open to the public and press by registration to learn from these U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools and celebrate their achievements. Please email infrastructureandsustainability@ed.gov if you would like to attend, indicating which sites you would like to participate in.

2020 U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon School, Edison Elementary, celebrates Earth Month with hands-on learning games during recess.