Race for the Planet

Prior to registering your Race for the Planet event, please make sure you have read through all the guidelines below.

After completing the registration form Project Green Schools will email next steps within 48 hours.

Rolling Registration 

Register Here

Requirements

• Branding for Project Green Schools’ Race for the Planet must appear at all Race for the Planet events and on marketing, communications, and event materials.
• Participants should join our Instagram, Twitter and Facebook pages and post about their challenge activities and triumphs with the #projectgreenschools hashtags and social media handles for Project Green Schools:
  • Twitter: @greenschoolsorg
  • Facebook: @greenschools
  • Instagram: @projectgreenschools
• Schools/organizations must fill out, and provide to Project Green Schools, all information on the post-reporting tool.

Participation Agreement

Project Green Schools provides all programs, content and services at no cost to students, schools and communities. Race for the Planet events are programs that can have a big impact, helping more students and communities learn about how to protect planet Earth. 

Race for the Planet is made up of a series of events and challenges for students to participate in and compete to show their environmental knowledge, creativity, and physical prowess.

There are two categories of things to do:
1. Race for the Planet events (take place on the day you choose or align with Game Day)
2. Challenges (take place over time, 1-4 weeks, prior to your Race for the Planet event)

Judging and awards for both Events and Challenges take place during your Race for the Planet event.

For each event/challenge you choose, Project Green Schools will provide:

• Event Description
• Instructions
• Materials List
• Downloadable Materials
• Scoring and/or Judging Rubric and Tracking Spreadsheet

Project Green Schools will also provide each school with 15 Complimentary Race for the Planet Medals to be awarded at your closing ceremonies.

Select your Events and Challenges

Project Green Schools recommends selecting a mix of at least 5 events and challenges. You can choose as many more as you like to round out your Race for the Planet event. And… if your school/organization has a great idea for an event or challenge, you may add it to your Race for the Planet (share it with us so we can share it with others)!

Click to download a description of Events and Challenges.

Registered participants click here to access the complete Events and Challenges Kit

The Race for the Planet is made up of a series of events and challenges for students to participate in and compete to show their environmental knowledge, creativity, and physical prowess.

There are two categories of things to do:
1. Race for the Planet events (take place on the day you choose or align with Game Day)
2. Challenges (take place over time, 1-4 weeks, prior to your Race for the Planet event)

Pre-Event Checklist

• Select a date(s) for your event (a day that is meaningful to you).
• Assemble your team: Bring together a group of Teachers, Administrators, Students, Parents and Community Members to organize.
• Choose a location to hold event.
• Select a set of Events (run on Game Day) and/or Challenges (undertaken in the weeks prior to Game Day) to include in your program (A tool box of instructions and materials for events and challenges will be provided, and you can also create your own).
• Identify and secure Speakers and Exhibitors (if desired)
• Register the day of your event and your schedule of events with Project Green Schools and order your medals and other event materials.
• Market your event – Use our template Press Release, Advertise in the school and community, Invite the press to your event (and offer to give interviews to local news prior to the event to create interest)
• Sign up participants for your events and challenges.
• Begin the Challenges.
• Identify and secure judges and facilitators for events and challenges which require them.
• Collect all materials required for events, challenges, and Game Day activities.

Sample Game Day Schedule of Events

Pre-Event

• 8-10 AM Game Day Set Up
• 9 AM Clus and Organizations arrive and set up their stations
• 9 AM Plogging teams assemble/head to assigned locations for 1 hour

Event

• 10:30 AM Opening Ceremonies
  • 10:30 Welcome
  • 10:35 Speakers (Keynote, Sponsors, etc.)
  • 10:50 Schedule of events and kickoff
• 11 AM Game Day Events Begin (event start/end times may overlap)
  • 11:00 Don’t Waste a Drop Water Relay
  • 11:20 Minute to Win It
  • 11:40 Trashketball
  • 12:00 Consumption & Efficiency Puzzle Race
  • 12:20 Environmental Hi-Q
• 1 PM Adjudicated Event Presentations (winners announced & present designs)
  • 1:00 Green Robotics Design Challenge
  • 1:30 Upcycle Challenge
• 2 PM Closing Ceremonies
  • 2:00 Showcase results of Challenges (Step Bet, Small Actions Energy & Water Challenge, Plogging etc.)
  • 2:10 Award the winners from all Challenges and Game Day Events
  • 2:30 Closing speaker/presentation

Post-Event

• 3-5 PM Break down and Clean up

Your Post-Event Report will ask you to provide and upload:

1. A Summary of your event including how many people participated, what events and challenges you hosted, etc.
2. Upload any supporting documents, links, photos and articles associated with your event.

Registered participants click here for access to the Post-Event Reporting Form.

Additional Recognitions

Based on your Post-Event Reporting, Project Green Schools will be awarding additional recognitions in the following categories:

• Most Sustainable – The school/organization which employs the greatest best practices and reduces their environmental impact on Game Day.
• Most Creative – The school/organization who creates the best custom-designed event or challenge.
• Most Participants – The school/organization which has the largest number of event participants.

Banner

Flyer (Customizable)

Logos for T-shirts

Open Ceremony Video

Closing Ceremony Video

Press Release Pre-Event

Press Release Post-Event

Registered participants click here for the complete marketing kit.

ENERGY:

• Consider carbon offsets for your event
• Reduce energy usage/consumption for your event
• Open the blinds and use natural lighting sources as much as able
• Choose LED lighting for evening-related events
• Generate your own power on site if able

FOOD:

• Purchase and encourage sustainable food and beverages with minimal packaging
• Avoid single use service-ware (keep and reuse for events for years to come!)
• Prevent food waste
• Choose local food sources
• Encourage healthy eating
• Go meat-free/vegetarian for your event

MARKETING & PROMOTION:

• Encourage green practices (walk to your event, bring your own water bottle, other) in event communication and marketing materials
• Use electronic marketing materials
• Encourage zero waste
• Ask your exhibitors to be sustainable

TRANSPORTATION:

• Walk to/from events when safe
• Ride your bike to/from events when safe
• Carpool/ride-share
• Display no idling signs visible where people park/pickup rides

WASTE:

• Encourage proper recycling and make sure equipment and practices are visible
• Encourage proper composting (where able) and make sure equipment and practices are visible
• Use reusable service-ware. IF unable, use recyclable/compostable service-ware
• Be mindful about giveaways

WATER:

• Highlight water or hydration stations at your event
• Encourage participants to bring reusable water bottles

Race for the Planet events can include an optional fundraising component. Your school/organization will be working towards a particular goal in order to receive a grant to Green Your School/Community.

Here are just a few examples of project ideas for which to raise funds:

• Energy Audits
• Guest Speakers on Environmental Education/awareness
• Additional energy and Environmental Education events
• Energy and Environmental Education Assemblies
• School/Community Gardens and Greenhouses
• Outdoor Classrooms
• Waste Reduction Initiatives (I.e. improving recycling, food scrap collection, reusable food service ware)
• Water bottle filling stations
• …or whatever project is important to your school/organization.

Once registered, each school/organization will be provided with detailed instructions on how to create and manage their fundraising page.

Set a fundraising goal for your school/organization! Once you have determined the project you are aiming to fund, draft a budget so you know how much you are looking to raise.

Note: We anticipate school/organization fundraising goals to range between $2,500 – $10,000. This range will differ based on the community size, project goals, and other factors. Project Green Schools will not be setting a minimum or target fundraising goal for the pilot year.

Each participant in the Race for the Planet should also set a personal fundraising goal.

Schools/organizations can also look for Sponsors of their Race for the Planet events.

Sponsorship Levels:

• $250- Listed as a sponsor on your school/community fundraising page.
• $500- All of the above AND thanked in local/state press release, and on locally targeted social media: Instagram, Twitter and Facebook AND can exhibit at event AND logo on back of t-shirts (if you choose to make t-shirts available)
• $1,000- All of the above AND logo on custom local event banner(s) (if you choose to print banners) AND thanked in National Press Release, and your logo featured with a thank you social media posts on Project Green Schools, Facebook ,Twitter, Instagram, AND in the Project Green Schools Newsletter with links to your website.
• $2,500- All of the above AND All of the above AND a featured green-supporter article (story or interview) in Project Green Schools Newsletter (more than 6,500 members) and all social media platforms (35,000 followers).

Donations are tax-deductible. Please note: Sponsorships are different than tax-deductible donations and should be handled in accordance with your business’ own method of accounting and reporting.

Distribution of Funds

Race for the Planet Events are programs with a fundraising component in which schools/organizations can raise money to fund environmental projects of their choice in their own schools and communities. 50% of all donations and sponsorships will go exclusively to the school/organization which collected those funds and 50% is used by Project Green Schools to continue to deliver programs like Race for the Planet , Environmental Education, leadership development and recognition to K-12 students and schools across the world. That means your local event is helping to make a big global impact, helping more students and communities learn about how to protect our environment.

This is important for two reasons:

1. Project Green Schools operates on donations! We need funding to be able to continue to provide our programs and services to K-12 students around the globe at NO COST (just like we do for your community).
2. Measuring our reach and impact is critical! Project Green Schools partners with Federal and State governments, the United Nations, corporations, celebrities, and a variety of agencies. Our impact and reach is the #1 most important question these partners ask about when deciding whether to work with us and do great things for our participants. The larger the impact we can show, the more great opportunities we can bring to you.

Once schools/organizations submit their detailed Post-Event report including project proposal and budget, schools/organizations can receive a grant for 50% of their total funds raised during their event.

Cash Donations

While it is encouraged to use the online fundraising portal, we understand that schools/organizations may receive cash donations during the fundraising period. All cash donations must be accounted for in the Post-Event Report and we ask that schools/organizations send one check payable to Project Green Schools to account for any cash donations collected.

Checks should be written out to Project Green Schools and mailed to the address below:

Project Green Schools
3 Village Green North #311
PMB 191
Plymouth, MA 02360

Your Fundraising Page – Crowdfunding Tips

The key to fundraising is all about influencing others to care about the issues you care about or to want to support you personally.

1. Be a storyteller – Tell about what you are trying to do in a way that will influence them to want to give. Describe issues and challenges you are having currently. Paint the picture of how the project your funding will address those issues. Use emotional and passionate language describing how things are and how it feels.
2. Set a Goal – Set a fundraising goal amount. Be specific about how funds will be used. People really like to know that the money they donate will be used responsibly. Also create a plan for and illustrate how funds in excess of your goal will be used.
3. Promote your cause – Broadcast to all of your contacts that you are raising money. Using a variety of channels helps you reach the broadest number of people so send it out via email, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, etc. Remember that YOUR most used media channel may not be the one used most by your target (the person you would like to donate). Don’t forget to ‘like’ Project Green Schools on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Post your fundraisers on our page and when you promote your event, use #projectgreenschools as well as your own event hashtag.

See a sample fundraising page here

Registered participants click here to access the complete fundraising materials