WASHINGTON, D.C., MAY 15, 2025 — Project Green Schools today honored recipients of the 2025 Green Difference Awards at an awards ceremony at the US Capitol Building in Washington, DC. Award winners were recognized for outstanding Energy, Environmental & STEAM Education efforts led in schools & communities both nationally and internationally.

The 2025 awards recognized outstanding green or sustainable practices in the categories of: Climate Education and Action, Energy, Food and Agriculture, Green and Healthy Schools, Land, Air, and Natural World, Outdoor Learning and Exploration, STEM and the Future of Sustainability, Water Conservation, and Waste Management, as well as a Lifetime Achievement Award and Project Green Schools Board Award.

“We applaud this year’s honorees for setting high standards when it comes to engaging students, schools, citizens, and industry leaders in Making the Green Difference while creating environmental solutions for a healthier future,” said Robin Sidman, Project Green Schools’ Founder and Executive Director.

In addition to the Green Difference Awards, the ceremony included an induction ceremony for National Green Schools Society students. This year’s class of inductees (in attendance) was made up of 25 students from Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, Texas, California, Rhode
Island, Virginia, and Pennsylvania.

The 2025 Green Difference Awards were sponsored by Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, BlueWave, Embolden Environmental, Climate First Bank, and EcoTone Renewables.

Read below to learn more about the students, educators, and organizations who were honored with a 2025 Green Difference Award.

National Awards
Lifetime Achievement Award
Chris Dickerson
Founder of Players for the Planet
Los Angeles, CA

Dr. Virendra Rawat
Founder & Director of Green Mentors
Ahmadabad, Gujarat, India

Project Green Schools’ Board Award
Noah Sorin, Board Liaison
Allston, Massachusetts

Green and Healthy Schools
Environmental Eagles Peabody, Captain Samuel Brown School
Environmental Eagles Recycling and Environmental Awareness Award
Peabody, MA

Linda Gancitano & Driftwood Middle School (Broward County Public Schools)
Green and Healthy – Kindness Projects, Food Forest, Butterfly, and Vegetable Garden
Hollywood, FL

Carissa Tirado-Marks, Sustainability Manager – Mundo Verde Bilingual Public Charter School
Semillas de Comunidad: Cultivating a Green and Healthy School Culture through CommunityBased Sustainability
Washington, D.C.

Climate Education and Action
Maine Department of Education and the Governor’s Office of Policy, Innovation, and the Future
Maine Green Schools Program
Augusta, ME

Yoca Arditi-Rocha, Executive Director, The CLEO Institute
Climate Resilient Schools
Miami, FL

Avery Coonley Green STEAM Club
MAPLE Project- Meteorological and Atmospheric Project for Local Ecosystems
Downers Grove, IL

Sophie Kim, Founder & Executive Director
The Clean & Green Initiative – Huntington Beach High School
Huntington Beach, CA

Emily Alix Fano, National Wildlife Federation
The Climate and Resilience Education Task Force (CRETF)
Reston, VA

Amelie Salette, Co-Leader and Co-Founder of Polytechnic School’s Chief Environmental
Student Organization – Polytechnic School
The Climate Coalition
Los Angeles, CA

Madhavibala Mohanakrishnan, Founder and Executive Director
GreenWaySquad – Ridge High School
Basking Ridge, NJ

Megana Madhurakavi, CEO/Founder
Liila – Youth-led Sustainable Fashion Brand
Robbinsville, NJ

Daniel Thomas, Founder
LitterScout – Colleyville Heritage High School
Colleyville, TX

Energy
Alison Ward, Sustainability Supervisor, Boise School District
District-Wide Green Team Establishment
Boise, ID

Food and Agriculture
Priya Samant, CEO and Co-Founder, Abris Inc.
Letzfarm
Andover, MA

Outdoor Learning and Exploration
Lawrence Tavino, Teacher/Coach/Mentor, Hilton Head Preparatory School
Certified Bird and Wildlife Friendly Habitat
Hilton Head, SC

Jenn Fletcher, Educator, Garden Gate Homeschool, (hosted at Our Giving Garden)
Conservation Club
Mableton, GA

Alison Ward
Expanding Outdoor Classrooms, Gardens, and Nature-Based Learning for Student Engagement
– Boise School District
Boise, ID

Mary Klene
Ohio Certified Naturalist – Springboro Environmental Club
Springboro, OH

STEM and the Future of Sustainability
Jami Brown, Teacher and Green School Club Facilitator, AACPS/Ridgeway Elementary School
Green School Club and Sustainability
Severn, MD

Manfred Lim of Jericho High School
Youth Environmental Advocacy
Jericho, NY

Waste Management
Jeana Jung
Creative Conservation – Reedy High School
Frisco, TX

Water Conservation
Kaitlyn Tran, Founder and Organizer
Steward 4 Stormwater
Cedar Park, TX

International Awards
Climate Education and Action
Someleze Bam, Director
Urban Heat Adaptation and Youth Skill Advancement Project – Beyond Expectation
Environmental Project (BEEP)
Cape Town, South Africa

Maggie Doyne & Tope Malla, Kopila Valley School
Students Lead the Way in Climate Action
Karnali, Nepal

Land, Air, Natural World
Lindela Mjenxane, Founder & Executive Director
Beyond Expectation Environmental Project (BEEP)
Cape Town, South Africa

Waste Management
Alejandra Endrina, Project Coordinator, Panabo City Senior High School
Luntiang Pamana Project
Panabo City, Philippines

Khonaye Gcaza, Project Manager, Wildlife & Environment Society of South Africa (WESSA)
WESSA-EWASA Waste Management and Education Project
Gauteng, South Africa