Federal leaders from the Department of Education recently shined light on the sustainability efforts of local schools, and Charles F. Patton Middle School of the Unionville School District and the Westtown School were among those making the greenest strides.

“To parents, teachers, students, and partners, these aren’t merely schools,” Green Ribbon Schools Director Andrea Suarez Falken wrote in Homeroom, the official blog of the U.S. Department of Education.

“They are, among other things, community meeting points, food bank suppliers, havens of safety and wellness, mechanisms for mitigating local environmental problems, spaces to learn through real-life challenges, places to innovate, platforms to present about one’s learning, and ultimately to receive a hands-on, authentic education that will sustain students and their communities for the future.”

In particular, the 2016 “Real-World Learning” Green Strides Tour spotlighted Patton’s “solar-powered greenhouse, two dozen raised beds, compost bins, hydroponic tanks, drip-line irrigation systems, outdoor classrooms nestled in protected wetlands, and high tunnels that extend the growing season.”

All were created in partnership with Tri-M Electrical Solutions, the Chester County Food Bank, Whole Foods, and Longwood Gardens.

At Westtown, a focus on “innovative place-based sustainability education” featured a mini-farm (including composter and chickens), LEED constructions, local, organic dining, two dormitories, and five faculty homes that are heated and cooled by geothermal systems, and a solar voltaic array on the school’s athletic center.

Click here to read more about the sustainability efforts at Patton Middle School and the Westtown School.