Sponsored by American School & University, The Green Cleaning Network and the Healthy Schools Campaign.

About the Green Cleaning Award

Created in conjunction with the Green Cleaning Network and Healthy Schools Campaign, American School & University's Green Cleaning Award recognizes education institutions for their healthy and sustainable approaches to cleaning to protect health without harming the environment.

The 2018 Green Cleaning Awards are now closed. For reference (and preparation for the 2019 GCAs) you can:

• Download the 2018 application (MS Word format)
  
  
• Read about the 2018 eligibility, judging criteria and awards process

2018 Green Cleaning Award Winners 

As we celebrate Earth Day this month, we are proud to present the winners of the ninth annual Green Cleaning Award for Schools & Universities as exemplary stewards of the environment.

In this awards program, created in conjunction with the Green Cleaning Network and Healthy Schools Campaign, an expert jury of green cleaning professionals chose six education institutions whose green cleaning programs went above and beyond just using green products to protect health without harming the environment.

The jury named one Grand Award winner, one Silver winner, and one Honorable Mention in the K-12/School Districts category. One Grand Award winner, one Silver Award winner and one Honorable Mention were chosen in the Higher Education category.

Judging criteria were based on the comprehensiveness and quality of the program, and how well each education institution followed the steps as outlined in the second edition of The Quick & Easy Guide to Green Cleaning in Schools.

This year's winners show how much one education institution, district or campus can accomplish—and how it can improve in measurable ways.

All About Green

Visit American School & University's green section for the latest articles on green design, construction, products and more.

Current and Past Green Cleaning Award Winners

2018 Green Cleaning Award Winners

2018 K-12/School District Winners

• Grand Award: Wellesley Public Schools, Wellesley, Mass.
• Silver Award: Davis School District, Farmington, Utah
• Honorable Mention: Virginia Beach City Public Schools, Virginia Beach, Va.

2018 Higher Education Winners

• Grand Award: Grand Valley State University, Allendale, Mich.
• Silver Award: Indiana University Purdue University of Indianapolis (IUPUI), Indianapolis, Ind.
• Honorable Mention: Miami Dade College, Miami

2017 Green Cleaning Award Winners

2017 K-12/School District Winners

• Grand Award: Lake Washington School District, Redmond, Wash.
• Silver Award: Elk Grove Unified School District, Elk Grove, Calif.
• Honorable Mention: Baldwin Union Free School District, Baldwin, N.Y.

2017 Higher Education Winners

• Grand Award: Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, Mich.
• Silver Award: University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Mich.
• Honorable Mention (Best New Program): Folsom Lake College, Folsom, Calif.

No Green Cleaning Award issued in 2016

2015 Green Cleaning Award Winners

2015 K-12/School District Winners

• Grand Award: Clarke County School District, Athens, Georgia 
• Honorable Mention: Blount County Schools, Maryville, Tennessee

2015 Higher Education Winners

• Grand Award: Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia
• Silver Award: North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina
• Honorable Mention: Montgomery College, Takoma Park, Maryland
• Honorable Mention: Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois
• Honorable Mention (Recycling): Texas Tech University, Student Housing, Lubbock, Texas
• Honorable Mention (Recycling): University of California, Irvine, Irvine, California
• Honorable Mention (Chemical Reduction): University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee

2014 Green Cleaning Award Winners

2014 K-12/School District Winners

• First Place: Blue Valley School District, Overland Park, Kansas
• Honorable Mention (New Program): Clarke County School District, Athens, Georgia
• Honorable Mention (Sustainability): Virginia Beach City Public Schools, Virginia Beach, Virginia

2014 Higher Education Winners

• Grand Award: University of Washington, Seattle, Washington
• First Place: University of Michigan, Plant Building & Grounds Services, Ann Arbor, Michigan
• Honorable Mention (Evaluation): Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York
• Honorable Mention (Sustainability): University of Minnesota-Duluth, Duluth, Minnesota

2013 Green Cleaning Award Winners

2013 K-12/School Districts Winners

• Grand Award: Newport News Public Schools, Newport News, Va.
• Silver Award: Rolla Public Schools, Rolla, Mo.
• Honorable Mentions:
  • The Willow School, Gladstone, N.J.
  • Parkway School District, Chesterfield, Mo.

2013 Higher Education Winners

• Grand Award: University of Rochester–River Campus and School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, N.Y.
• Silver Awards:
  • University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
  • University of Wisconsin–Madison, Division of Housing, Madison
  • Best New Program Award: University of California Irvine
  • Honorable Mention: Valencia College, Orlando, Fla.

2012 Green Cleaning Award Winners

2012 K-12/School Districts Winners

• Grand Award: Howard County (Md.) Public Schools
• Silver Award: Portland Public Schools, Portland, Ore.
• Honorable Mentions:
  • Catoosa County Schools, Ringgold, Ga.
  • Lower Merion (Pa.) Public Schools

2012 Higher Education Winners

• Grand Award: Temple University Health Sciences Center, Philadelphia
• Best New Program Award: Spelman College, Atlanta
• Honorable Mentions:
  • University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
  • University of Texas at Austin

2011 Green Cleaning Award Winners

2011 K-12/School Districts Winners

• Grand Award: Columbia Public School District, Columbia, Mo.
• Best New Program Award: Dixon Middle School, Provo, Utah
• Honorable Mentions:
  • Catoosa County Schools, Ringgold, Ga.
  • Lee's Summit R-7 Public School District, Lee's Summit, Mo.
  • Salt Lake City School District

2011 College/University Winners

• Grand Award: Central Michigan University, Mount Pleasant
• Honorable Mentions:
  • University of Arizona Residence Life
  • University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
  • University of Missouri—Kansas City
  • Western Washington University, Bellingham

2010 Green Cleaning Award Winners

• Co-Grand Award: University of Georgia, Athens
• Co-Grand Award: University of Washington, Seattle
• Honorable Mentions:
  • Central Michigan University, Mount Pleasant, Mich.
  • Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta
  • University of Maryland, College Park
  • Purdue University, West Lafayette, Ind.