Project Green Schools is entirely dedicated to promoting environmental literacy and stewardship in children in grades 2-12. David Orr, the Paul Sears Distinguished Professor of Environmental Studies and Politics at Oberlin College and a world-renown environmental educator says that “just as reading becomes second nature to those who are literate, interpreting and acting for the environment ideally would become second nature to the environmentally literate citizen.”
This is our mission at Project Green Schools – to develop environmentally literate students and schools through our innovative programs such as National Green Schools Society.
Students who take part in our programs are environmental literate in these areas:
- How daily choices in the products and services we consume impact the environment.
- Conservation and sustainable consumption of natural resources.
- The importance of waste management, recycling, composting, and reuse.
- Ecosystem services including clean water, clean air, pollination, clean energy, and healthy soil.
- Creating community school gardens and supporting local farms and food services.
- Teaching other students on how to be environmentally literate and take action.
What is a Green School?
According to the US Green Building Council, a green school exhibits these characteristics:
- Conserves energy and natural resources
- Saves taxpayer money
- Improves indoor air quality
- Removes toxic materials from places where children learn and play
- Employs daylighting strategies and improves classroom acoustics
- Employs sustainable purchasing and green cleaning practices
- Improves environmental literacy in students
- Decreases the burden on municipal water and wastewater treatment
- Encourages waste management efforts to benefit the local community and region
- Conserves fresh drinking water and helps manage storm water runoff
- Encourages recycling
- Promotes habitat protection
- Reduces demand on local landfills
