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Creating Greener Communities: Green Schools
aRelated Information
Sustainability Webinars
View and listen to past webinars and register for upcoming ones.
What's Hot
- Greening the Caribbean: EPA's Region 2 Puerto Rico Office [PDF 353 KB, 2 pp]
- The HUD/DOT/EPA Partnership for Sustainable Communities has launched a website, to make it easy for communities to find resources and grant announcements!
- Follow EPA 2011 ENERGY STAR National Building Competition, 245 buildings finding ways to improve energy efficiency.
- EPA publishes Local Government Climate and Energy Strategy Series. Get more information on energy efficiency in affordable housing, transportation control measures (TCMs), and smart growth!
Green Schools are learning institutions that promote both ecological and human health in a community by fostering environmentally responsible behavior. 60 million Americans spend their day in a K-12 school making them ideal places to support sustainable programs like energy conservation, environmental literacy, and recycling.
What You Can Do?
Whether you are an administrator, teacher, parent, or student you have the ability to help your school become more sustainable. School managers can monitor their energy use. Teachers can promote environmental education in their classroom curriculum. Parents can propose more sustainable practices- like using green cleaning products- at school board meetings. Students can start re-use and recycling programs to help reduce waste.
Superintendents and Principals
Monitor your school. EPA’s Healthy SEAT is a tool that allows school districts to evaluate and manage their school facilities for key environmental, safety and health issues. Global Learning and the New Jersey Sustainable School Network have created metrics that allow you to track your school’s energy use, calculate greenhouse gas emissions, and develop plans to reduce.
Teachers
Teach environmentally responsible behavior in the classroom. EPA has created materials and services that are free for teachers and integrate environmental education into the existing curriculum. For example, teach students how their actions have an affect on the world around them with the Natural Resource Vampire Environmental Education Materials.
Parents
Talk to other parents and to your school board. Parents have considerable influence over how their community school operates and what policies are implemented. The Little Green School House has developed four pillars that support sustainability in schools to give parents an idea about what to look for!
Be a Sustain-Able Student!
Start sustainable programs at your school. For example, recycling programs can reduce the amount of waste your school produces. EPA, along with other partners, have designed youth programs and educational tools that promote a better understanding of sustainability for younger children as well as youth programs for older students.
What do the Experts Recommend?
Find out what people and organizations that support Sustainable Schools in Region 2 have to say about what they are doing, what they think is important, and what they suggest you can do to have an impact at your school.
- Wellness in the Schools [PDF 14 KB, 1 pp]
- Chef Ann Cooper and Sustainable Foods at School [PDF 10 KB, 1 pp]
- New Jersey Sustainable Schools Network [PDF 11 KB, 1 pp]
- Case Study: the Willow School [PDF 11 KB, 1 pp]
Resources
EPA Environmental Educational Materials online
NYC Department of Education Sustainable School Guide
Global Green: Building Green Schools
Green Schools Initiative
Competitions for Schools
Go Green with All
Global Warming Challenge
New York City Golden Apple Award
