RALEIGH, (SGRToday.com) - Officials in Cherokee County Schools and Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools are smiling after learning the two are among 58 schools and 14 districts nationwide to be named 2015 U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon School Districts Sustainability Awardees.

The Department of Public Instruction selected the two districts to represent the state in the national competition, according to an agency news release.

National recipients were honored for their “exemplary efforts to reduce environmental impact and utility costs, promote better health, and ensure efficient effective environmental education, including civics and green career pathways.”  

Next stop for the schools is a June 3 ceremony in Washington D.C.