Helping Your School to Go Green
Last month for this Education Week blog, Fulbright
Distinguished Award in teaching program participant Michael Cruse, a special
educator from Arlington, VA, talked about his travels to Israel to study
different models for green schools. The highlights of his visit included these
four stops: The Bat Yam Farm for Agriculture and
Environmental Education in urban Tel Aviv, a working farm run by students,
teachers, volunteers, and young adults. The Afek School—a school that teaches
elementary students to become citizen scientists by recording and tracking
climate data for professional scientists. The
Ecological Greenhouse in Kibbutz Ein-Shemer, a research center
with a focus on addressing Israel’s needs as a result of population growth. The Environmental High School, a
residential school located on the Negev desert plateau with a mission of
providing students direct contact with nature, and the resources to learn to
care for it. Cruse’s biggest takeaway from his middle east experience that he
would apply to American schools was this: “Since coming back to work at my
school and reflecting on how my experiences in Israel translate into my
teaching, I realized that the best lessons about sustainability are actually
about people. That can be in their classroom, on the playground, at home, or in
the community.” There is great work happening on this front in the United
States that schools can get involved in.
One way the federal
government advances this work is through the Green Ribbon Schools award,
sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education. According to its website, the
award is meant to “inspire schools, districts and Institutions of Higher
Education (IHEs) to strive for 21st century excellence by highlighting
promising practices and resources that all can employ.” Recognition is given to
schools that exemplify the following goals and objectives:
● Reduce environmental impact and
costs;
● Improve the health and wellness of
schools, students, and staff; and
● Provide effective environmental and
sustainability education.
Schools looking for
resources to start thinking about ways their school can go green should start
by reviewing website
resources from the Center for Green Schools. The Center
offers a variety of articles, tools, programs, and resource guides to help
school boards, principals, teachers, and students kick-start green initiatives
in their school communities. Some of the highlights include:
Green Apple Day of Service: Schools are encouraged to engage in a large-scale community
service project. By applying for this program, the school gains access to
planning tools, local volunteers, and mini-grants to boost their fundraising
for their project. Schools can celebrate their work using the hashtag #GreenApplyDay
The Arc Platform: According to their website, this digital platform “helps schools and
other buildings track, benchmark, and communicate sustainability metrics,
including energy, water, waste, transportation, and air quality.” The Center
goes on the suggest that ther platform can be used as a teaching opportunity
“to make student action come alive through visible and tangible results.”
The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or LEED System: LEED is a rating system that tracks to
what degree schools have met their green goals. LEED can be used at all phases
of operation and construction, including new school construction, renovation,
or day-to-day operations.
Green Certification Program: The Center offers a Green Classroom Professional Certificate.
Through a series of 12 self-guided online modules, educators gain the knowledge
to identify what supports or impedes healthy, resource-efficient and
environmentally sustainable learning spaces.
Learning Lab: At
this website, the Center offers a
variety of hands-on activities and lessons to help teachers in all grade levels
engage in sustainability lessons with their students.
As a school principal,
what can you do to advance green initiatives in your school community?
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