The state of Ohio, the city of Philadelphia and the University of Texas in Dallas were recognized recently as outstanding examples of how to make school buildings more energy efficient.

The recognition came from The U.S. Green Building Council's Center for Green Schools, working in conjunction with its founding sponsor, United Technologies Corp. The inaugural Best of Green Schools 2011 list recognizes school administrators and government leaders for creating “sustainable learning environments.”

Recipient schools and regions from across the nation – from K-12 to higher education – were recognized for a variety of sustainable, cost-cutting measures, including energy conservation, record numbers of LEED® certified buildings and collaborative platforms and policies to green U.S. school infrastructure.

“Our commitment to green schools is a reflection of our belief in the importance of energy efficiency, sustainability and education,” said Sandy Diehl, Vice President, Integrated Building Solutions, United Technologies Corp., and a Center for Green Schools advisory board member. “These leaders are taking action today to help improve our schools by saving energy and tax dollars and by creating healthier environments for students and teachers.”

Among the states, Ohio took top honors. With 315 LEED registered and certified projects, including 19 schools registered in 2011, Ohio leads the nation with more green school projects underway than any other state.

Among cities, Philadelphia came out on top.  The School District of Philadelphia made significant steps in 2011 toward the greening of the city’s 291 public schools.

In the higher education category, the honoree was the University of Texas at Dallas. The University’s new LEED Platinum Student Services Building, which was the recipient of this year’s Innovation in Green Building Award, was designed to improve departmental efficiency and interaction. It includes terra-cotta shades on the building’s exterior to provide a unique energy efficient shading strategy and was built $1.1 million under budget.

The Lake Mills Middle School (Lake Mills, Wisc.) was recognized for becoming the first public school in the nation to achieve LEED Platinum certification.

The center also recognized the Sacramento, Calif., region for regional collaboration. The center said Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson has led the charge to bring together mayors and superintendents from across the Northern California region to create a $100 million revolving loan fund for green school retrofits.

Finally, the Center for Green Schools recognized the U.S. Department of Education for its Green Ribbon Schools program.  Green Ribbon Schools is the first comprehensive and coordinated federal initiative to focus on the intersection of environment, health and education.