[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 67 (Friday, April 29, 2016)]
[House]
[Page H2130]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





       PARK FOREST ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, A 2016 GREEN RIBBON SCHOOL

  (Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania asked and was given permission to 
address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I rise to congratulate the 
administrators, staff, and students from the Park Forest Elementary 
School in State College, Pennsylvania, on being named a 2016 Green 
Ribbon School by the U.S. Department of Education.
  Park Forest is 1 of only 47 schools across the entire Nation to earn 
this distinction, which is given to schools for their innovative 
efforts to reduce their environmental impact and reduce utility costs, 
improve health and wellness, and ensure sustainability practices.
  In addition to the elementary school's efforts to reduce its energy 
use and waste footprint, it has also received grants to construct an 
outdoor compost bin and created a garden compost program. The school 
grounds also include vegetable, herb, pollinator, and rain gardens. In 
partnership with Penn State University, the school has also built a 
greenhouse which later served as the model for two built at a school in 
Rwanda.
  This just scratches the surface of the initiatives undertaken at Park 
Forest Elementary, and everyone involved deserves praise for their 
efforts.

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