Green Schools Resolutions for 2015

At Green Schools Initiative we are setting our intentions for 2015, from Nature's Voices Story Contest to a Blueprint for Environmental Literacy, from sharing inspiring successes to building our movement. Help us by making some of your own green school resolutions - or join in ours - and together we will make green things happen!

1. Showcase inspiring stories - Host the second annual Nature’s Voices Student Story Contest nationally. We will choose a winner who will share his or her story about how environmental education and green schools have inspired them as a keynote speaker at the Green Schools National Conference in March 2015 in Virginia Beach, VA. Deadline for entries: January 16, 2015.

2. Advocate environmental literacy for all - Finalize California’s Blueprint for Environmental Literacy as a member of the Environmental Literacy Task Force. We advocate that California Department of Education should implement the Blueprint recommendations so that all students in our state graduate with literacy about the environment, resources, and how we are all inter-dependent on healthy natural systems. State Superintendent Tom Torlakson appointed GSI's Executive Director, Deborah Moore, to the Task Force.

3. Transform K-12 schools into community models of sustainability - Provide training and support to K-12 schools in California to use the Green Ribbon Schools Award application as an assessment tool and action framework so that ALL schools can reach at least a Silver Level of award recognition for reducing environmental impacts, providing a healthy learning environment, and teaching hands-on environmental literacy. We offer webinars, workshops, school site visits, and online and phone support.

4. Promote new funding sources to support school greening and environmental education – Advocate that K-12 schools be eligible to access grant funds generated from California’s cap-and-trade program fees to support greenhouse gas reduction projects on school campuses, including solar, energy efficiency, transit, and behavior change through environmental education. We got excited about this when we learned the program fees are upwards of $800 million and will be granted back to California communities, but it's not yet clear whether schools are eligible for many of these grant programs.

5. Empower people with easy-to-use information - Share best practices, tips, and stories that inspire and make it easy for you to green your school, reduce your environmental footprint, and engage kids in stewardship. We share information through our website, e-newsletter, Facebook, Twitter, and in-person workshops. Sign up, Like us on Facebook, or Follow us on Twitter - GreenSchoolsInitiatv.

6. Analyze what works – Publish research about characteristics of exemplary green schools and high-performance school leaders. We collaborate with academics and consultants from around the country to learn both theory and practice, like this article about Green Ribbon School award winners in the Journal of Organizational Learning and Leadership.

7. Build our movement – Join in and collaborate with networks and coalitions to help reach more people and raise our collective voices calling for environmental literacy and green, healthy schools to be prioritized as fundamental to a high-quality 21^st century education. We serve on the Advisory Board for Green Schools National Network and participate in other state, regional, and national policy arenas to promote sustainable schools.

8. Mentor and learn from the next generation – Provide internships for high school, college, and graduate students who support and innovate our efforts. We host several students throughout the year who share their ideas and energy with us and bring back our tools to their school Green Teams. Interns like Malcolm, who wrote this great article about how schools can save water.

9. Grow our organization – Raise $50,000 to support and expand our staff and interns so we can pursue all these great resolutions, intentions and new year wishes. You can help us make our resolutions come true by making a donation to Green Schools Initiative today.

10. Have fun! We love kids and the planet, and we love working with all of you – our members and supporters – to find effective and innovative solutions to enhance our schools, save money, and protect the environment.

What are your Green School Resolutions?

Please help us keep our resolutions - and yours - by making a donation to Green Schools Initiative today.

Thank you for joining us and making fun change happen!