Search for most sustainable, environment-friendly schools winners named
The Department of Envi- ronment and Natural Resources (DENR) has announced the winners in the nationwide search for the most sustainable and environment-friendly schools for 2015.
Top winners in three different categories were the Foundation University in Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental; Bintawan National High School in Villaverde, Nueva Ecija; and Divisoria Elementary School in Santiago City, Isabela.
The search is part of the celebration of the National Environmental Awareness Month this November. The recognition ceremony for the winning schools was recently held in a mall in Quezon City.
Now on its fourth year, the National Search for Sustainable and Eco-Friendly Schools was organized by the DENR’s Environmental Management Bureau (EMB), together with the Department of Education, Commission on Higher Education, and private partners.
DENR Undersecretary and concurrent EMB Director Juan Miguel Cuna said that the competition aimed to recognize educational institutions with the best eco-friendly and sustainable programs and practices.
“We were amazed by their creativity and commitment of the winners and other participants in implementing ecofriendly practices. We need to start teaching our kids as early as we can to take responsibility in safeguarding our environment,” Cuna said.
Other winners in the primary school category were
Ara-Al Elementary School in La Carlota City, Negros Occidental (second place); and Bonuan Boquig Elementary School in Dagupan City, Pangasinan (third place).
For the high school category, other winners were Baguio City National High in Baguio City ( second place); and Sumoroy Agro-Industrial School in Palapag, Norther Samar (third place).
St. Paul University in Dumaguete City, Negros
Occidental, and University of La Salette in Santiago City tied for second place; and Central Bicol State University in Pili, Camarines Sur won third place in the tertiary level.
First placers received P50,000 plus P25,000 for being automatic recipients of Landbank Green Leadership Award. The second and third placers got P40,000 and P30,000 respectively.