SAN ANTONIO - The Will Smith Zoo School at the San Antonio Zoo has earned some very special recognition.
- School received LEED Platinum Certification
- First preschool in country to earn award
- Second in the world
For years the school has gone above and beyond to help future generations focus on sustainability and protecting the environment.
"Many of the products used in the construction and design are locally sourced," said school director Amanda McMickle.
That is one of the reasons the school received a LEED Platinum Certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.
The Zoo School is the first preschool in the country and the second in the world to earn this honor.
"We don't use any paper products at all so they all have their own dishes they use for snack and lunch and they put them in the dishwasher," McMickle said.
The campus was rated on efforts such as water efficiency, energy, sustainability, and design process.
"We're already the model for nature based preschools in the country, we've got a long waitlist to get into our classes every semester and I think this adds another layer on it that shows the focus of conservation and what we're teaching the kids," said San Antonio Zoo CEO Tim Morrow.
The school is the largest, nature-based preschool in the country. The only other preschool in the world to receive this certification is in Greece.
"They're getting kinder-ready but at the same time they're learning through nature and learning about conservation which we know is of growing importance in our community and in our world," Morrow said.
For more information, visit the school’s website.