Being good stewards of our environment is something that Virginia Beach City Public Schools (VBCPS) embraced nearly 20 years ago by constructing the first Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) school in Virginia. Today, that culture of sustainability has grown exponentially, making VBCPS a nationally-recognized school division. Whether it’s through environmental building construction, scratch cooking, green cleaning, building managers program, school gardens, carbon emissions reduction efforts and scores of other initiatives, including a new Environmental Studies Program with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, VBCPS strives to balance social, economic and environmental impacts and it’s made a quantifiable difference.

Since 2006, the division has reduced carbon emissions by 29% and energy use by 22%, even while constructing new buildings and expanding technology in schools. This month’s Compass Keeper video highlights how these sustainability endeavors have a lasting impact.