Cincinnati Country Day Earns 513 Green Certification for Sustainability Excellence

Cincinnati Country Day School has been named a 513 Green Certified School by Hamilton County, becoming just the fourth school to earn this recognition. According to the 513 Green website, to be eligible for certification, an organization must be located within the county limits (or the city of Oxford), earn at least two points in each of the five categories: sustainable actions, waste diversion, transportation and air quality, water conservation, and energy conservation, and achieve a minimum of 45 points overall.

“It all started when I asked Hamilton County Resource [formerly Hamilton County Recycling] if Country Day could receive financial help with our composting costs over the summer months,” says Middle School science teacher Rick Schoeny. “I was then asked to explore the possibility of Country Day becoming a 513 Green Certified school to help with the consideration for receiving financial assistance.”

Rick then went through the required checklist and submitted Country Day’s application, with the school ultimately scoring 88 points. An assessor for the 513 Green Certification reviewed the application and later visited the campus to confirm that Country Day was meeting the program’s sustainability metrics.

“It’s a great way to showcase all of our efforts to be recognized as a sustainable school,” says Rick about receiving the certification. “Our school has benefitted from our sustainability efforts by maintaining and preserving an almost 100-year legacy that pushes the limits on what we can accomplish as a school and a community.”

This shared dedication to environmental responsibility extends beyond individual initiatives and reflects a school-wide philosophy.

"At Country Day, we take seriously our obligation to be good stewards of the planet, not for external recognition but because it is the right thing for our students and our environment,” says Head of School Rob Zimmerman`98. “But we are honored to get caught caring for our planet."

To learn more about Country Day’s 513 Green Certification, visit our profile at https://www.513green.com/schools/cincinnati-country-day-school.