It's Official: Centreville Elementary's a 'Green School'

 (CES) held a special ceremony with the National Wildlife Federation (NWF) on June 8th to celebrate its new "green flag" status. 

The school first launched an effort to make its school grounds, energy practices and curricula more sustainable with an Environmental Review during the 2009-2012 school year. It enrolled in the NWF's Eco-Schools USA program to help achieve those goals. CES is the second school in Virginia and only the fifth in the United States to achieve the program's ultimate ‘Green Flag’ status.

The school conducted energy and waste audits and instituted an "Eco-Code" to govern the school’s environmental values. Centreville now has an outdoor classroom designated as a Schoolyard Habitat; a sensory garden for special needs students; nesting boxes used to track and research Eastern bluebirds; and in-class stations for observing the metamorphosis of Monarch butterflies. Centreville has increased its cafeteria recycling four times. 

Centreville also received the NoVA Outside Green Schools Award in March 2012, and the Audubon Naturalist Society’s Green Citizen Award.

CES is one of about 45 Fairfax County Public Schools registered in the Eco Schools USA program. Over 1,000 schools have implemented the Eco-Schools USA program since NWF became the host in late 2008 (Virginia has 89). This is Fairfax County Public Schools’ second Green Flag institution.

—Information submitted by the National Wildlife Federation