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BIRMINGHAM — The Michigan Department of Education has announced two winners of the 2025 Michigan Green Ribbon Schools awards — Birmingham Public Schools’ West Maple Elementary and the Lansing School District. The award honors schools and other learning institutions for their efforts towards sustainability.
“Green Ribbon Schools help take care of our environment and teach children the importance of doing so,” State Superintendent Michael F. Rice said in a press release. “West Maple Elementary School and the Lansing School District can serve as examples for other schools that want to apply classroom learning about the environment to the real world.”
This recognition is based on three pillars: “reducing environmental impacts,” “improving health and wellness by promoting a healthy physical environment,” and “offering effective environmental and sustainability education,” according to an online document published by the state.
Carey Klenke, a first-grade teacher at West Maple Elementary, said that, “as we worked through the process, we realized that these are things that our school was already doing. We are really excited to get it on paper and get it in one spot just to share what we’ve been doing, because we know that there are so many schools that are already doing all of these incredible things, and we can all make an impact if we can share what we are doing.”
Klenke said they try to keep their efforts local to help kids understand their impact and “that their small steps make a big difference.”
Students at West Maple Elementary work with local organizations to help the school community lessen their environmental impact and promote sustainability.
A couple of the efforts include collecting aluminum tabs of cans to benefit the Ronald McDonald House in Detroit and collecting plastic bread tabs to benefit Danielle Cares for Chairs, an organization that sells plastic bread tabs and uses the profits to buy wheelchairs for kids in need.
In addition to working with community organizations, the school cultivates a culture of sustainability within the property. They maintain a garden, which they use to donate to people and organizations in the community. The food is also available in the office for students looking for a snack.
Additionally, the school has a “no wasted food” program in the cafeteria. Students are encouraged to place any food that is unopened or not used in a bin. This food can be eaten by students who are hungry for a snack, and whatever is left is sent to Metro Food Rescue.
The West Maple Green Team, a student group, are leaders in the school’s sustainability efforts. They have a say in what project the school takes on.
“It’s really fun to see their reactions as they’re able to see something tangible in their hand that is making a difference,” Klenke said.
The students at West Maple Elementary are exposed to the impact of sustainability at a young age.
“We’re starting with kids who are 5 and 6, and they’re making intentional decisions to make a change for their future. When you start that young, it becomes a habit, and if we can create these habits and help foster this awareness of what’s going on around us, it leads through the rest of their lives,” Klenke said.
Principal Jason Pesamoska said they are “empowering them as change-makers and letting them see what they can do in their world, even with being as young as they are, that they can have that true impact and that adults will listen and they have good ideas, and that they can grow those ideas and foster them to be whatever they want to be as they continue to get older.”
While the school is honored to be recognized for this award, Jason said that the most meaningful part is the journey it took to apply.
“The award is fantastic. It makes us all feel really good. But really exploring new ideas through the journey, seeing what other organizations think, giving kids open-endedness to see what is really out there is the most meaningful part of the work that we do with our kids,” Pesamoska said.
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