Environmental unpredictability has become a crisis for the 21st century. In response, organizations ranging from a local to international level are addressing the issues by creating, supporting, and promoting initiatives. An example of a multi-scaled initiative is the U.S. Department of Education's Green Ribbon Schools (ED-GRS) which recognizes local academic institutions, upon state recommendation, that have implemented all three pillars: (a) reduce environmental impacts and costs; (b) improve the health and wellness of schools, students, and staff; and (c) provide effective environmental and sustainability education. This evaluation analyzed ED-GRS pillars implementation and program sustainability in North Carolina by answering the evaluation questions: (a) How are the ED-GRS pillars implemented in NC Green Ribbon Schools? (b) How are ED-GRS initiatives sustainable in NC Green Ribbon Schools? Brinkerhoff's Success Case Method (SCM; Brinkerhoff, 2003) and Mancini and Marek's (2004) Model of Community-Based Program Sustainability informed the two-phased methodology of conducting a document review and site visit with interviews. The results proposed USED-Green Ribbon Schools Program Sustainability Model (Figure 2), which at its core represents the school community that embodied the ED-GRS initiative and developed capacity for sustained environmental education and stewardship outcomes. It is imperative to research what contributes to the successful implementation of ED-GRS pillars and what sustains these efforts, otherwise none will bear the long-term intended outcomes. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]