Hi, I am Secretary of Education Mark Murphy speaking to you today from Richardson Park Elementary in Wilmington, where I recently announced Delaware’s first Green Ribbon Award winners. The federal Green Ribbon program recognizes schools for exemplary achievement reducing environmental impact and costs; improving the health and wellness of students and staff; and providing environmental and sustainability education.

Two of Delaware’s 2013 Green Ribbon winners are from the Red Clay Consolidated School District:   Conrad Schools of Science and Richardson Park Elementary in partnership with Richardson Park Learning Center.  These schools are part of Red Clay’s district-wide energy-efficiency program, the first of its kind in Delaware. Both also have undertaken efforts to reduce paper use and compost waste. And there are many other student learning initiatives underway such as the garden behind me.

The other 2013 winner is St. Andrew’s School in Middletown, where 44 percent of the school’s 2,200 acres are devoted to purely ecologically beneficial uses. St. Andrew’s use of the environment and sustainability to develop STEM knowledge and thinking skills is exemplary, too. There are two schools we also recognized with honorable mention awards: Red Clay’s Baltz and Heritage elementary schools. All these schools have undertaken significant work to reduce their environmental footprints and promote student learning. I congratulate them and hope others will emulate their work as we all work together to keep Delaware moving forward.

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