In recognition of its environmental sustainability efforts, the San Mateo County Office of Education earned “Green Achiever” status from the California Department of Education, the highest honor in the state’s Green Ribbon Schools program.
San Mateo was the only county office to earn the recognition. As part of the honor, the office in Redwood City hosted the 2025 California Green Ribbon Schools Symposium and Awards Ceremony on Wednesday, highlighting achievements by K-12 schools, districts, and county offices across the state.
According to the program’s website, the Green Ribbon Schools program recognizes excellence in three core areas: reducing environmental impact and costs; improving health and wellness; and providing effective environmental and sustainability education. The California Department of Education said the initiative helps boost student engagement, academic performance, and career readiness by promoting resource efficiency, school health, and green learning pathways.
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The state also recognized San Mateo’s environmental education efforts, such as its Environmental Solutionary Teacher Fellowship and Youth Climate Ambassadors program, for enabling teachers and students to lead on climate action.
Since 2017, the county office has hired an environmental literacy and sustainability coordinator, a green facilities and operations analyst in 2020, and, most recently, a director of sustainable facilities and construction, the California Department of Education said in a press release.
“The Green Ribbon program really provides a template for schools and districts to focus on the three pillars,” said Julie Hilborn, an environmental literacy and sustainability coordinator with the San Mateo County Office of Education. “It’s an honor that highlights what schools are doing to reduce environmental costs, improve health and wellness, and increase environmental literacy among students.”
While the award does not come with a grant, Hilborn said they were able to obtain grants from other partners for their environmental projects.
“We have been fortunate in this county to be able to partner with organizations that have supplied funding for programs so that we can make those sustainability changes,” Hilborn said.
Facilities manager Richard Maldonado said there were several recent upgrades at county education sites that led to the award. They include LED lighting, electric vehicle chargers, solar improvements, sustainable landscaping with drip irrigation, and a children’s garden.
Joining San Mateo as this year’s “Green Achievers” — a designation typically given to standout schools and districts — were Laguna Beach Unified School District in Orange County; Bella Mente Montessori Academy in San Diego County’s Vista Unified School District; McNear School in Petaluma City Schools, Sonoma County; and Saint Francis High School, a private school in Santa Clara County.
Serving more than 84,000 students across 23 school districts, the San Mateo County Office of Education provides countywide instructional and technical assistance, operates specialized programs for students with significant disabilities and those in the juvenile court system, and supports education workforce development.
