Privacy Policy
Effective as of September 2014
WELCOME
Welcome to the official website of Green Schools, Inc. (Green Schools). Green Schools, Inc. is a multiple award-winning 501(c)3 nonprofit organization based in Massachusetts. We develop and distribute resources that help students, schools, and communities engage the next generation of environmental leaders. This website is owned and operated Green Schools, Inc. headquartered in Mansfield, Massachusetts.
We understand that your privacy is important, and we want you to be fully informed of what is going on when visiting www.projectgreenschools.org or www.ngss.org (“Site,” “We,” or “Us”). We are working to make your personal experience when visiting or using our Site as inspiring and useful as possible. To help us accomplish that goal, we will need to collect and use some information from you when you use our Site.
This Privacy Policy describes how we collect, use, and protect Personal Information we obtain from and about individuals both online and off-line. Please read this Privacy Policy carefully so that you will understand how we protect your privacy and how we may collect and use Personal Information.
To learn specifically about our online information practices concerning children who are under 13 years of age, please see the section of the Privacy Policy entitled “Children Under the Age of 13.”
Personal Information We Collect
Personal Information is information that can be used to identify you or contact you, such as first and last name, email address, or mailing address. We will not collect any Personal Information unless you choose to provide it to us. We collect Personal Information that you provide such as your name, email address, and contact information when you: 1) sign up to receive newsletters and other publications; 2) participate in various activities featured on the Site; 3) make donations to Green Schools or NGSS; 4) register to join Green Schools membership or NGSS; or 5) contribute to the Site or organization.
Public Areas
Any Personal Information you share from our website on social media (including Facebook, Twitter, Linked In) blogs, boards, chat rooms, public question and answer forums, group home pages, or other public areas (“Public Areas”) will be disclosed publicly by virtue of your posting and thus is not governed by this Privacy Policy and we do not control the use and disclosure of this information. Personal Information that you post to a Public Area or communicate through a Public Area may be used by third parties to contact you or to communicate this information to others, including in other Public Areas of other websites. Please do not post any information, including Personal Information, in a Public Area that you do not want disclosed to the general public and have used without limitation.
Non-Personal Information We Collect
You may use our Site without registering or submitting any Personal Information. In that case, the only information we collect will be the log information our servers automatically record and that your browser sends whenever you visit a website. This log information may include your Internet Protocol address, browser type, browser language, the date and time of your request, the pages that you visit while on our Site, and one or more cookies that may uniquely identify your browser.
Cookies
We collect anonymous, non-Personal Information about your use of our Site through the use of “cookies,” which are small computer files that we transfer to your computer’s hard drive. Cookies allow us to know how often someone visits our Site and the activities they conduct while on our Site (such as the pages visited). The information collected by cookies helps us generate content responsive to your interests and also allows us to statistically monitor how many people are using our Site and for what purpose.
If you have set your browser setting to refuse cookies, then we cannot put a cookie on your computer. You can still participate in some of our online activities if your browser refuses cookies. However, if a projectgreenschools.org cookie is not present, it will limit our ability to customize our site for you, deliver a better online experience, and improve the features of our site.
HOW WE USE COLLECTED INFORMATION
Green Schools will not use Personal Information you have provided for purposes other than those for which the information was collected, without asking for appropriate permission prior to such use. Uses for which we use your Personal Information with your permission may include: (1) addressing requested newsletters, emails, and electronic communication; (2) processing donations; and (3) processing applications.
DISCLOSURE OF INFORMATION
Disclosure of Your Personal Information
Except as set forth in this Privacy Policy or as specifically agreed to by you, we will not disclose any Personal Information you provide through our Site to any company or person outside Green Schools or National Green Schools Society without obtaining appropriate permission prior to such disclosure.
Your Personal Information may be shared within our organization for the purposes of responding to any comments or questions you submit and/or providing follow-up information about our organization.
Disclosure for Legal Reasons
We may release Personal Information to third parties: (1) to comply with valid legal requirements such as a law, regulation, search warrant, subpoena, or court order; or (2) in special cases, such as a physical threat to you, others or homeland security, in which we believe it is reasonably necessary to investigate or prevent harm, fraud, abuse, or illegal conduct.
Disclosure to Operations and Maintenance Contractors
Third parties with which we contract to maintain or service the Site or assist with our operations sometimes have limited access to your Personal Information in the course of providing products or services to Us. These contractors include vendors and suppliers that provide Us with technology, services, and/or content related to better operation and maintenance of our Site and others such as companies that process billings or mailings. Access to your Personal Information by these contractors is limited to the information reasonably necessary in order for the contractor to perform its limited function for Green Schools. We require that these contractors 1) protect the privacy of your Personal Information consistent with this Privacy Policy, and 2) not use or disclose your Personal Information for any purpose other than providing us with products and services.
Disclosure to Linked Sites
For your convenience Green Schools may provide links to websites operated by organizations other than Green Schools (“Third Party Websites”). Such websites are not governed by this Privacy Policy. Green Schools does not endorse and is not responsible for the privacy practices of these Sites. If you choose to link to one of these Third Party Websites, you should review the privacy policy posted on that Site to understand how that Third Party Website collects and uses your Personal Information.
Disclosure of Aggregate Information
Green Schools may provide non-Personal Information about you to third parties that does not allow you to be identified or contacted and that is combined with the non-Personal Information of other users (“Aggregate Information”). For example, we might inform third parties regarding the number of users of our Site and the activities they conduct while on our Site. We may not limit the third parties’ use of the Aggregate Information, except that we do require third parties to whom we disclose Aggregate Information to agree that they will not attempt to make this information personally identifiable by combining it with other databases or otherwise.
SECURITY
Green Schools uses reasonable administrative, technical, personnel, and physical measures to safeguard Personal Information in our possession against loss, theft and unauthorized use, disclosure, or modification.
To make sure you are accessing our secure server before you submit personal information, look at the lower left-hand corner of your browser. If you see an unbroken key or a closed lock (depending upon your browser), then SSL is active. To double-check for security, look at the URL or Address line of your browser. If you have accessed a secure server, the first characters of the address in that line should change from “http” to “https.”
It is also important for you to protect against unauthorized access to your member password or login to www.projectgreenschools.org and to your computer. Be sure to sign off when finished using a shared computer.
CHOICE
Your Privacy Choices
You are not required to submit any Personal Information to www.projectgreenschools.org —it is completely your choice. You may also opt out of receiving emails and newsletters at any time by clicking “Unsubscribe” at the bottom of emails we send.
Updating Your Personal Information and Contacting Us
If you wish to review and/or update the Personal Information you have provided us, you may write to us at info@projectgreenschools.org with your request.
To delete your information or to contact us with questions or concerns about our Privacy Policy, write to us at:
Green Schools, Inc.
PO Box 323
Mansfield, MA 02048
508-272-9653
Email: info@projectgreenschools.org
POLICY CHANGES
From time to time we may revise this Privacy Policy to reflect changes in the law, our information collection and use practices, the features of our Site, or technology. If we make revisions that change the way we collect or use your Personal Information, those changes will be posted in this Privacy Policy and the effective date will be noted at the beginning of this Policy. Therefore, you should review it periodically so that you are up to date on our most current policies and practices. If we materially change our practices regarding collection or use of your Personal Information, your Personal Information will continue to be governed by the Policy under which it was collected unless you have been provided notice of, and have not objected to, the change.
CHILDREN UNDER THE AGE OF 13
Green Schools is committed to providing a safe, secure, and fun online experience for children who visit our Site. We are dedicated to safeguarding any Personal Information collected online and to helping parents and children have positive experiences on the Internet. Green Schools recognizes the privacy concerns of parents and the importance of protecting the privacy of the information collected from children at www.projectgreenschools.org.
Green Schools encourages parents to supervise their children’s activities online and to participate in their children’s online activities whenever possible. Green Schools has developed a Site that parents can feel is safe for their children and kids will find informative, educational, and fun. Green Schools welcomes children to learn more about our organization and, where appropriate, participate in activities on the Site. However, we encourage this be done only with their parent’s knowledge, supervision, and consent.
Collection, Use, and Disclosure Of Personal Information From Children Under 13
Children under 13 may also visit our Site without registering or submitting any Personal Information. In that case, the only information we collect will be the log information our servers automatically record and that your browser sends whenever you visit a website. However, certain activities require that children under 13 join Green Schools or NGSS.
In order to join Green Schools or NGSS, children under 13 will only provide the following information: Their parent/guardian first name, last name, parent/guardian email address. At this time emails will be sent to parents/guardians with instructions to approve and complete the child’s free registration. The parent/guardian will provide for their child the following information: first name, last name, username, country, state/province/territory, child’s email address and agree to the terms of service. Following this approval process, the child will be emailed with instructions to create a password to complete their registration with Green Schools.
Green Schools uses Personal Information submitted to this Site by children under 13 in compliance with the parental consent requirements of the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (“COPPA”).
Collection and Use of a Child’s Information by Green Schools
When a child under 13 years of age provides Green Schools Personal Information online including his/her age, for example to participate in a contest or to ask a question, we will collect that child’s email address and the e-mail address of the child’s parent or guardian. We may collect a child’s email address in connection with a contest or game or to respond to a child’s specific request for the sole purpose of communicating with the child on a one-time-only basis. This information will not be used to re-contact the child, and will be deleted from our records when the contest or game is over. If a child wins a game or contest, notification will be sent to the parent or guardian’s e-mail address (provided by the child when he/she enters the contest). We will not ask the child for any Personal Information beyond e-mail addresses without obtaining prior parental consent.
In some instances we may collect a child’s email address in order to respond more than once to a child’s specific request. For example, a child may want to subscribe to our online newsletter or receive other online communications from Green Schools. In these instances Green Schools will also obtain a parent’s email address along with the child’s. Before any further contact with the child, Green Schools will send an email to the parent (1) notifying him or her that we have collected the child’s email address in order to respond more than once to the child’s request for a subscription, information, etc.; (2) informing the parent that he or she can refuse us permission to contact the child, and how to do so; and (3) informing the parent that if he or she does not respond to the email within one week, Green Schools may use the child’s information for the purpose for which it was submitted. Under no circumstances will the child be allowed to participate without providing a parent’s email address.
If Green Schools collects additional Personal Information from children, such as full name, phone number, or email address in combination with a username, we will obtain verifiable parental consent through the methods required by COPPA before allowing the child to participate.
We may collect a child’s name and email address to the extent reasonably necessary to protect the security of this Site, to protect against liability, or as required or permitted by law. Information collected for these reasons will not be used for any other purpose.
Sharing Children’s Personal Information with Third Parties
No Personal Information collected from children under 13 will be sold, rented, or otherwise disclosed to any organization outside Green Schools or NGSS, except for disclosure to companies we have contracted with to help us provide services requested by the child, or pursuant to court order, subpoena, or a specific request from a law enforcement agency.
Linked Sites
This Site may link directly to sites operated by third parties which are not controlled by Green Schools, and which may collect Personal Information from your child. Parents should therefore check the relevant site’s privacy policy to understand how it collects and uses children’s Personal Information. Green Schools will not receive any Personal Information obtained by another site from a child under the age of 13 unless that site follows the requirements of COPPA.
Reviewing And Making Changes To Personal Information Collected From Children Under 13
Parents of children under age 13 may review or delete Personal Information about their children from our records at any time. If you would like to review, change, or delete your child’s Personal Information, please contact us by email at info@projectgreenschools.org
We will delete your child’s information from our database if you so request. To do this or to review Personal Information collected from children, we must verify the identity of the requesting parent. Parents who wish to review Personal Information concerning their children will be required to specify the usernames and passwords of the children concerned, and to provide their own email address for verification and contact purposes.
