Ten schools located in cities across the country were selected today as finalists in the Global Green USA Green School Makeover Competition, presented by Pureology. Over the coming weeks, a panel of judges will evaluate the schools and select one to win a grand prize for energy efficiency and sustainability upgrades, valued at $130,000.

“At Global Green USA (globalgreen.org), we have been working on greening schools for over a decade because we believe every child deserves a healthy learning environment,” said Matt Petersen, President and CEO of Global Green. “It is our hope that this competition will inspire schools and communities across the country to make improvements that will increase student performance and teacher retention, while reducing global warming pollution and energy costs.”

The ten finalists—which include public, private and charter schools—were selected out of more than 200 entries, based on the clarity and description of the school’s green challenges and need for a makeover. Each of the applications included proposals for green improvements, such as planting organic vegetable gardens, creating recycling programs, and adopting energy-efficiency upgrades.

On December 6, one grand prize winner will be selected to receive the ultimate Green School Makeover, which includes $65,000 for school renovations and an additional $65,000 worth of technical assistance. Four runner-up schools will be awarded $2,500 each to make their school more sustainable.

The finalists (in alphabetical order):

1.    Garlough Environmental Magnet School; West St. Paul, MN

2.    New York French American Charter School; New York, NY

3.    Prosser Career Academy (CPS); Chicago, IL

4.    Samuel Powel Elementary School; Philadelphia, PA

5.    Scattergood Friends School; West Branch, IA

6.    South Berwyn School District (Heritage Middle School); Berwyn, IL

7.    Texas School for the Deaf; Austin, TX

8.    The Academy for Global Citizenship; Chicago, IL

9.    West Miami Middle School; Miami, FL

10.   Zimmerman School House, Inc. d/b/a Abi's Place; Coral Springs, FL

Globalgreen.org/greenschools