Five area schools are this year’s recipients of Green School Awards from Keep New Hanover County Beautiful for their conservation and beautification efforts.
The Cape Fear Center for Inquiry and Holly Tree Elementary School received the program’s School of Excellence Award, while Mary C. Williams Elementary, Pine Valley Elementary and Wrightsboro Elementary received the School of Quality Award, according to a release from New Hanover County.
Part of the county’s Parks and Gardens department, Keep New Hanover County Beautiful administers the awards program, which dates back to the early 1980s. All public and private schools in the county are invited to apply.
Winners receive a banner to display and share in prize money to continue their efforts. Last year, six schools shared $2,000 in prize money, plus an additional $2,000 worth of plants, according to the Keep New Hanover County Beautiful website.
This fall, each school will receive plants grown at the New Hanover County Arboretum’s Ability Garden to beautify their campuses. The plants are primarily native species that are important for wildlife habitat, the release states.
Schools must meet five basic requirements and also engage in other green-related activities. Award winners must use district-provided bins for plastic bottle and aluminum can recycling, conduct two litter cleanups and one beautification project per year, incorporate two environmental education activities, have or plan to incorporate some form of resource conservation, and show support from the school’s community.
A synopsis of each school’s activities is listed on the Keep New Hanover County Beautiful website.
The release notes sponsors of the Green School Awards program include Walmart, the N.C. Coca-Cola Bottlers Council and Keep North Carolina Beautiful.
