FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

1 May, 2025

USD 383 Maintenance Team Honored with 2025 Dave Colburn Green Apple Award for Environmental Leadership

Manhattan, KS – May 1, 2025 – The USD 383 Maintenance Team has been named the 2025 recipient of the Dave Colburn Green Apple Award by the Kansas Association for Conservation and Environmental Education (KACEE).

This award recognizes teachers, students, staff, administrators, parents and/or community leaders for engaging in educational experiences that have a positive impact on the environmental sustainability of a school and community. The award is named for Dave Colburn, a former longtime Board Member and two-term president of Manhattan-Ogden School Board and sales manager at the Pathfinder, for his contributions to environmental education in the Manhattan community. The Bill and Erma Riley Family provided funding to support the establishment of this award.

This year’s Green Apple award honors the USD 383 Maintenance Team’s innovative approach to building health, wellness, and environmental responsibility across more than 1.3 million square feet of facilities and 280+ acres of grounds in 23 locations.

“This award is a testament to the hard work and vision of our entire team,” said the district’s Maintenance Director. “We’re proud to show that sustainable practices can go hand in hand with health, efficiency, and safety for our students and staff.”

With a combined $10 million annual budget for maintenance and capital improvements, the team has led initiatives that significantly reduce environmental impact while improving day-to-day operations:

• Transitioned from a traditional zone-based cleaning system to a team clean approach, specializing in high-risk areas like restrooms and high-touch surfaces.

• Replaced disposable mop towels with reusable, washable pads, saving over $500,000 and eliminating more than 120 towels per day per site.

• Switched to Tersano’s Stabilized Aqueous Ozone (SAO) technology, eliminating harmful chemical cleaners and preventing millions of liters of toxins from entering landfills and waterways.

• Installed touch-free soap and paper towel dispensers across all buildings to reduce waste and the spread of germs.

• Upgraded to high-efficiency HVAC systems and monitoring tools, ensuring optimal air quality and energy performance.

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Beyond facility upgrades, the USD 383 Maintenance Team partners with building leaders and stakeholders through regular meetings and protocols focused on student health and safety. They also follow EPA-recommended practices to assess, implement, and evaluate their environmental health programs.

"From large-scale capital improvements to small daily practices, the USD 383 Maintenance Team has created a culture of health and wellness that other districts can learn from," said Rachel Wahle, a representative of the award committee. 

The award will be presented to the USD 383 Maintenance Team on Tuesday, May 13th at 1 PM at the Keith Noll Maintenance Center located at 2031 Casement Road, Manhattan, KS 66502.

For more information about the KACEE and their initiatives, visit kacee.org.

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