The US Green Building Council (USGBC) announced the Greenest School on the Earth last week, with the honor going to a school in Pickering, Ontario, Canada. The Global Coalition for Green Schools, an initiative of the Center for Green Schools at the USGBC named Dunbarton High School in Eastern Canada which was also named the greenest school in Canada in 2014.

The Greenest School on Earth is an annual competition, highlighting a K-12 school that exemplifies how sustainability can be integrally woven into the infrastructure, culture and curriculum of a school. The Center defines a green school as one that achieves zero environmental impact (including energy, water, waste and carbon), a positive impact on occupant health and performance and 100 percent environmentally literate graduates.

Dunbarton High School was built in the 1960’s, and has undergone a significant green change over the last five years, including energy efficient windows, insulation and lower wattage lighting. Further, the school has engaged their students in learning more about the environment and instilling the values of sustainability. The director of the Center for Green Schools, Rachel Gutter lauded the exemplary example the Pickering, Ontario high school has provided.

“Dunbarton High School is an excellent example of a school that engages its students at every turn, placing them in the driver’s seat and empowering them to improve their environment, inside and out,” Gutter says in a media release. “We are pleased to recognize Dunbarton’s efforts to improve their community, enhance the biodiversity of the region and elevate young minds to a higher order of thinking about sustainable practices.”

The school plans to utilize the $1,000 award to develop a school garden and construct 10 additional bee condominiums, to be shared with the local community.

Why exactly was Dunbarton chosen as the greenest school in the world? Watch the video here – [youtube]https://youtu.be/YY2FBCbBmPw[/youtube]