Learning Gate Community School in Lutz is one of the 2014 Best of Green Schools award recipients, according to the U.S. Green Building Council.
The school received word of the recognition last month, and it is just one of the honors that the charter school located in Lutz has received for its focus on environmental education.
(Courtesy of Learning Gate Community School)
The award is based on the school’s annual EcoFest, which brings together businesses, organizations and individuals from Tampa Bay who are dedicated to the principles of sustainability, according to a news release from Learning Gate.
The event, held at Lowry Park, offered more than 100 vendors, live music, workshops, demonstrations, informational booths, green living products and services from local artists, environmental organizations, alternative health practitioners, renewable energy specialists and organic farms with local produce.
More than 4,000 people attended the fair last year.
“The students, staff, and families of Learning Gate Community School are thrilled to have been chosen as a winner in the USGBC’s Best in Green Schools for 2014,” said Michele Northrup, event organizer, in a news release.
“We will be celebrating our 6th Annual EcoFest on Saturday, April 18, 2015 at Lowry Park with our partners: USF Patel College of Sustainability and the City of Tampa,” Northrup added.
“Selecting the Best of Green Schools honorees is an exciting and challenging process, as there are so many fantastic examples of efforts being made in communities large and small,” Rachel Gutter, director, Center for Green Schools, said in a news release.
“Some of the honorees go about their work quietly, others are in public positions and have the attention of a national audience. Every one of the honorees is a leader, taking risks, setting an example for others, innovating and diligently pursuing a world in which every student attends a green school within the next generation,” Gutter added.
The recipients of the Best of Green Schools 2014 will receive recognition throughout the year from the U.S. Green Building Council, as well as access to the Green Classroom Professional Certificate Program, a tool to help school staff and educators identify what supports or impedes healthy, resource efficient and environmentally sustainable learning spaces.
Published January 7, 2015
