Miami, Florida—March 30, 2017— Dream in Green received the Best of Green Schools Ambassador award from the Center for Green Schools at the U.S Green Building Council (USGBC), in collaboration with the Green Schools National Network (GSNN). The award honorees were announced at the Green Schools Conference and Expo which took place in Atlanta, Georgia last week.
Ambassador award: Recognizing individuals who have demonstrated exemplary efforts in promoting green schools in K–12 classroom settings, and have engaged community organizations to create systemic change to strengthen the green schools movement and create a more sustainable future. Dr. Karla Utting has played an instrumental role in making Dream in Green the leading environmental education organization focused on K-12 students in South Florida. During her tenure, she has brought the Green Schools Challenge to more than 100 schools and launched the Green Leadership Grants and the Water and Energy Learning and Behavior programs.
“Fostering a commitment to stewardship efforts from an early age is important to be able to achieve a more sustainable society. Dream in Green created programs that nurture this commitment and makes environmental education accessible to students, parents and teachers in South Florida. The programs that we designed help students develop strong leadership skills which impact their prospective careers. As students learn about the environmental challenges of our planet, they are empowered to take action in their school, home and community,” said Dr. Karla Utting. “I am honored and grateful to be recognized as an ambassador of the Best of Green Schools award. I dedicate this award to my stellar team, Mabel A. Rodriguez, Alexandra Ender and Sophia Salver.”
The annual Best of Green Schools awards recognize 11 individuals, institutions, projects, and events representing the best environmental efforts in schools across the country and highlight the national leaders and innovators in school sustainability for the year.
“Dream in Green continues to raise the bar in sustainability education and leadership,” said Anisa Heming, director, Center for Green Schools at USGBC.” We believe that every student across the country should have the opportunity to learn in and from a green school environment and Dream in Green staff are making that happen in their local community every day. Dr. Karla Utting serves as an inspiration to her peers, and we look forward to being part of and learning from her work.”
“Every year, I continue to be amazed by the incredible work of the honorees to realize our vision of clean, green, sustainable schools across the U.S.,” said Jennifer Seydel, Ph.D, executive director of Green Schools National Network. “Dr. Karla Utting’s passion is the driving force behind the green schools movement. I also commend Mabel A. Rodriguez, Alexandra Ender and Sophia Salver for their efforts in advancing sustainability education and leadership in our schools.”
The Best of Green Schools awards celebrates the hard work being done to push the green schools movement forward. Honorees included schools with innovative and integrated curriculum that represents the best that 21st century learning has to offer, policy makers who have made environmental sustainability core to their platforms and legacies and organizations that came together on the national level to advance healthy schools for all.
