Henrico County Public Schools

Sustainability and Environmental Learning

Henrico County Public Schools is a leader in environmental education for our 50,000 students. As a large school division with buildings and campuses throughout Henrico County, HCPS also takes seriously its role in sustainability and use of natural resources.

Recent and ongoing sustainability initiatives:

Living Building at Wilton Farm

In September 2025, HCPS and Henrico County leaders held a groundbreaking ceremony for the Living Building at Wilton Farm in eastern Henrico County. When it opens in 2026, the 62-acre environmental education campus on the James River will offer experiential learning for K-12 students from across Henrico and will be used extensively by students enrolled in the division’s Center for Environmental Studies and Sustainability at Varina High School as well as students from across the school division. The 16,000 square-foot building will also be the world’s most sustainable K-12 public education project and the first public school on the planet certified as a “Living Building Challenge” facility. Just 30 buildings worldwide have met the lofty environmental building standard. Henrico voters approved funds for the project Living Building at Wilton Farm as part of the 2022 bond referendum, which passed with an 86% vote.

Living Building at Wilton Farm

Watershed Learning

Again in 2025 HCPS was awarded a Meaningful Watershed Educational Experiences Grant by the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation. The grant will pay for 16 guided paddle trips with staff from the James River Association for students at Henrico Virtual Academy, and Brookland and Fairfield middle schools. The “meaningful watershed educational experiences” framework is used in science education to increase students' understanding of their local watershed through hands-on learning.

Pollinator Habitat Initiative

With the help of students and the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources, the HCPS Facilities Department built a large pollinator habitat at J.R. Tucker High School as an innovative solution to stabilize a hillside that was difficult to maintain. Students and teachers will help maintain it and use the J.R. Tucker garden — and similar future sites — as an instruction resource.

Watch a video about the project.
To learn more and get involved, contact Jeff Grow in the HCPS Facilities Department.

Sustainable Buildings

Most new HCPS buildings include rooftop solar systems and will have electric vehicle charging stations. New Henrico County buildings are designed to earn a LEED Silver or better sustainability rating from the U.S. Green Building Council.

LED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification is a global recognition of cost- and energy-saving “green” buildings that support sustainability. HCPS Is home to eight LEED-certified schools with five more in construction or renovation now.

Current LEED-certified buildings:

Holman Middle School
Glen Allen High School
Kaechele Elementary School
Tucker High School
Highland Springs High School
Holladay Elementary School Expansion
ACE Center at Hermitage High School
ACE Center at Highland Springs High School

Future LEED-certified buildings (in progress):

Academy at Virginia Randolph
Jackson Davis Elementary School
Longan Elementary School
The Living Building at Wilton Farm
Quioccasin Middle School

Propane Buses

In 2025, HCPS added its first 10 buses fueled by propane instead of diesel fuel. They result in fewer emissions, a lower carbon footprint and are more economical.

Virginia Naturally

Twenty-one HCPS schools were honored by the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources’ Virginia Naturally School Recognition Program in 2025. Thirty-four HCPS schools have been recognized historically by the program so far — second among Virginia school divisions.

Student-led solutions

The first HEART Youth Sustainability Summit was held in April 2025, bringing together student leaders from across Henrico County to collaborate on solutions for pressing environmental challenges and share their ideas for sustainable action in schools and communities. The event highlighted student voices, strengthened community partnerships and set the stage for ongoing projects that align with the Henrico Learner Profile and the division’s environmental literacy goals.

Environmental education

In 2025 HCPS was awarded a Bay Watershed Education and Training Grant by the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The division’s “Project Watershed” is a three-year initiative that will train and support K–12 teachers through professional development, coaching and support for class watershed education experiences. The project will strengthen environmental education across the division by:

Building lessons that can be used by other educators.
Funding student-led action projects.
Creating annual environmental showcases.

River classroom

In 2025, the division’s “Experience the James” program engaged more than 3,500 fourth graders in hands-on learning along the James River, a new record. This milestone highlights the program’s growing impact in fostering environmental literacy and connecting students to Virginia’s natural places.

Green Wheels for Bright Minds Ecobus

Thanks to a federal grant, career and technical education students are transforming an electric school bus into a rolling classroom long on immersive environmental education and short on carbon emissions. The “Green Wheels for Bright Minds Ecobus” will bring five interactive water-conservation learning stations to 21 HCPS elementary schools with high numbers or percentages of students from low-income families. Students in the Center for Education and Human Development at Glen Allen High School will contribute to the lessons.

Contact Information

Contact Eric Byers, HCPS’ education specialist for environmental literacy.