Campaign for Environmental Literacy

Congressman Honda introduces Climate Change Education Act

Congressman Michael Honda yesterday introduced H.R. 4461: the Climate Change Education Act in the United States House of Representatives, noting: "As a former teacher, I understand the importance of imparting knowledge to help people make wise decisions. By providing people clear information about climate change, in a variety of forms, we can take away the fear and the sense of helplessness, and move people to take action."

H.R. 4461 creates a new $20 million Climate Change Education program at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration which would make grants as well as launch a new national information campaign on the topic. Grants would support: 1) national public education, outreach, and communication programs, 2) statewide plans/programs for climate change education, 3) improving the quality of and access to higher education in green collar industries and green economy-related fields, and 4) teams of faculty and students to deliver services on climate mitigation and adaptation issues to local communities. H.R. 4461 builds on similar global warming education bills introduced by the Congressman in past sessions, and CEL was honored to help the Congressman's staff in making key changes to update the language in this session's version.

The public's lack of basic understanding about climate science, climate economics, and the relationship between the two is one of the key factors contributing to our nation's struggle to effectively mitigate and adapt to the causes of climate change. Coincidentally, The New York Times claimed in an article today that "climate change is finding its way into the worlds classrooms", though it is difficult to find much evidence of this so far on a large scale in the U.S. H.R. 4461 has the potential to significantly change that, and help the U.S. catch up to the rest of the world on climate change education.

It's now up to us to do what we can to help this bill get attention and support within Congress. Please reach out to your elected Representatives in the House and urge them to support HR 4461 by signing on as a co-sponsor.   

Thank you for your vital help and support!

Jim Elder 

Environmental Education's Historic Past Four Years

With the election upon us, it might be helpful for those in the environmental and sustainability education community to review our gains (and losses) in federal support over the past four years. We've experienced:

1. an unprecedented three new programs created by Congress: the University Sustainability Program (Department of Education - the first time in history that the Department has conducted sustainability education grant-making), the Climate Change Education Program (National Science Foundation) and Climate Change Education (National Space and Aeronautics Administration).

2.  the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) B-WET program expanded from 3 regions to 7 regions.

3. a new program created by the Administration: the Department of Education's Green Ribbon Schools program, the first time in history that the Department has engaged in environmental education-related activity.

4. increased federal environmental education (EE) grant-making: in FY07, EE funding was $18.5m, rising steadily to a peak $58m in FY10 before declining to $40m in FY12. The total increases over the FY07 base are $130m.  

5. three summits held by the Administration: NOAA Conference on Ocean Literacy, Department of Education Summit on Sustainability Education, and the White House Summit on Environmental Education

6. NOAA provided with stronger education authority in the America COMPETES Act

7. nearly $500 million in green job training funds in the stimulus bill

8. the Department of Education infuse key sustainability concepts into their National Career Clusters Framework, used by most if not all states and local schools districts as the backbone in vocational and career training programs.              

     
Two new bills were also passed by the House: the Ocean, Coastal and Watershed Education Act and the No Child Left Inside Act; but the Senate failed to act upon both which can only be considered a disappointment. Nor did Congress choose to reauthorize the National Environmental Education Act.

In sum, we can say without doubt that the last four years have been unprecedented in the history of environmental and sustainability education. While there is much more to be done, we've achieved more gains than all the prior four decades combined, and those of you who worked hard on some or all of the above have just reason to be proud.

Jim 

Unprecedented Federal Activity on Environmental Education

The nation's first Green Ribbon awards are being announced as I write. 78 schools (including 8 charter and 12 private) from 30 states - incredibly impressive schools! You can watch the 20 minute announcement by EPA, CEQ and ED here (skip the first 4 minutes): www.ustream.tv/recorded/22071533. Most notably, half of the public school award winners s are "disadvantaged", debunking the myth that only wealthy schools can be green.

And we received two great endorsements recently. First President Obama issued a short Earth Day Proclamation yesterday (www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2012/04/20/presidential-proclamation-earth-day) which prominently mentions Green Ribbon (see excerpt below) - the first President since Nixon to say a word about environmental education!

Second, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan presented a powerful endorsement of environmental education and green schools in his keynote speech at the Green Schools National Conference in Denver (www.ed.gov/news/speeches/greening-our-schools). I've excerpted the end of his speech below, which describes some of the early impact our Green Ribbon campaign has had. His 20 minute speech on green schools and environmental education is without question the strongest statement to ever come from a senior member of the federal government on this topic.

Last but not least, the White House and EPA held a Summit on Environmental Education last week. EPA promised to resurrect the Interagency Task Force on Environmental Education, initially created in 1990 by the National Environmental Education Act; and committed $5 million to environmental education in their 2013 budget. It was long on rhetoric and short on details as these events tend to be, but hopefully we can work with them to deliver on some of their promising language.

In short, thanks to your support, there is now a truly unprecedented amount of Administration activity on environmental education.

All that said, the Administration has also proposed zeroing out the only three environmental education grant-making programs (NOAA and EPA) in their 2013 budget after two years of supporting these programs in the President's budget - a disconnect with their stated commitment which we have been trying to point out to them. We now have a long and tough battle in Congress ahead again to get these programs funded.

Jim

"As we work to leave our children a safe, sustainable future, we must also equip them with the tools they need to take on tomorrow's environmental challenges. Supporting environmental literacy and a strong foundation in science, technology, engineering, and math for every student will help ensure our youth have the skills and knowledge to advance our clean energy economy. Last year, we launched the Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools recognition award to encourage more schools to pursue sustainability, foster health and wellness, and integrate environmental literacy into the curriculum. In the days ahead, we look forward to awarding the first Green Ribbons and recognizing the accomplishments of green schools across our country."

President Barack Obama, 2012 Earth Day Proclamation

"...The final message I hope you'll take with you from this conference is that you have helped pioneer a successful model for government partnerships that represents a marked departure from the traditional model—which often depends on big infusions of new resources and command-and-control regulation.

In a time of tight school budgets everywhere, you helped shape, inform, and develop our U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon School program with little new money by encouraging innovation.

You made smarter use of existing resources. You pushed us hard and other government agencies to get out of our separate silos.

Your movement is helping not only to change the culture of schools in our communities for the better but also the culture in our Department. That's a big deal—and I want you to know how much that means to me personally.

The great reform ideas always come from the state and local level, not from me or anyone else in Washington. And the ED-Green Ribbon School program is a powerful illustration of innovation that started with you, and that we tried to listen to, learn from, and take to scale.

Just a few years ago, the National Academy of Sciences published a study on the learning attributes of green schools. It concluded that their impact on learning could not be determined without a clearer, accepted definition of green schools.

Since then, green schools have taken a leap forward, thanks in large part to your support and guidance for the Department's new Green Ribbon program. Today, we can agree on a meaningful, common definition of green schools. Collectively, we're seeking to reduce schools' environmental impact and improve their energy efficiency; improve health, in both everyday practices and surroundings; and advance environmental learning.

Remember, it was only a year ago when many of you here today sent us a letter requesting a new initiative from our Department. You were among some 75 signatories, ranging from the Alliance to Save Energy to the Zero Footprint Challenge, to associations for national school boards, principals, and teachers.

You asked for a coordinated program at the Department dealing with environment, health, and education—and we appreciated your passionate and thoughtful advocacy.

As we developed that new green schools program, the U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools, we worked to include each of the areas you emphasized. We were determined that environmental impact and energy efficiency, health, and environmental literacy would all be part of our new program.

I can't thank the many people here today enough who lent their expertise, time, and support to help create the U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools initiative. This program simply would not have been possible without many of you.

In particular, I want to acknowledge the U.S. Green Building Council Center for Green Schools, the Earth Day Network, the National Wildlife Federation, and, especially, the Campaign for Environmental Literacy."

U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, Keynote Address, Green Schools National Network Conference, Denver, Colorado

President's FY 2013 Budget Proposal Eliminates Environmental Education Funding

President Obama has cut the three biggest federal environmental education funding programs to almost zero in his FY13 budget request to Congress. NOAA's competitive environmental literacy grants program, which he budgeted at $5 million and Congress later funded at $8 million last year, has been eliminated completely in his FY13 budget this year. EPA's Office of Environmental Education, which he proposed to fund at $9.7 last year and Congress funded at that amount, was also eliminated. Finally, NOAA's Bay-Watershead Training (B-WET) program has provided about $7 million for the past two years, and the President's FY13 budget includes nothing for this program. So in total, EE funding has gone from $26 million last year to essentially zero in the President's budget this year.

To pour more salt on our wounds, Commerce, NOAA, and EPA all are slated to receive overall budget increases over their FY12 enacted budgets.

As the only positive news for environmental education in his budget, the President again proposed to include environmental literacy (along with at least 8 other subjects and possibly more) in a new $90 million "Effective Teaching and Learning For a Well Rounded Education" grant program at the Department of Education that combines existing grant programs for civics, arts, economics, history, and others. However, since he made a similar proposal in last year's budget (but with $240 million of funding rather than $90 million) and Congress did not support it, we are hard pressed to feel optimistic that this might somehow offset even some of the impacts of the proposed cuts.

It will be up to Congress to restore these critical funds, and up to us, the stakeholder community, to convince them of the importance of doing so - in an election year where cutting the budget is at the top of almost everyone's priority list. Stay tuned for things you can do to help with this challenge.

2012 Green Ribbon Schools Award Competition NOW OPEN

If your school resides in one of the 33 participating states, you can now apply to your state education authority to be one of up to four nominees from your state for the new U.S. Department of Education 2012 Green Ribbon Award! Most if not all schools who are nominated by their state are likely to win the Green Ribbon award, so consider applying now. General information on Green Ribbon can be found at: www2.ed.gov/programs/green-ribbon-schools/index.html

While the award confers no immediate federal funds, winners of the Green Ribbon, like U.S. Department of Education Blue Ribbon award winners, are likely to see extensive national and local press coverage, re-energized staff and parents, enhanced community support, increased application rates (private and choice schools), access to new business partners and other private financial assistance, and receive an invitation to participate in a national recognition ceremony in Washington, D.C.

At least 22 of the 33 participating states have recently opened their competitions (and more are expected this week). Click on your state to go to their Green Ribbon website for details: Arkansas, California, Colorado, District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Bureau of Indian Education.

Deadlines: Applications are generally due by mid to late February (each state has a different schedule) so that states can get their nominees to the Department by the March 22 deadline.

Help with your application: If you're having trouble with your application, the first place to seek help is your state Green Ribbon contact. You can find that person here:
www2.ed.gov/programs/green-ribbon-schools/state-contacts.doc.

In addition, California is conducting a webinar on their application for schools at 11:00 PT on January 20th (which should be archived on their Green Ribbon website if you miss it), and Washington State has posted a similar online webinar which is available for viewing now. Both of these basic
overviews may be helpful for schools from most participating states even though every state application differs.

Finally, members of the Green Ribbon Schools Partnership (Campaign for Environmental Literacy, Earth Day Network, National Wildlife Federation and US Green Building Council's Center for Green Schools) are doing their best to help as well, given that no two state applications are exactly alike. The Partnership will deliver a webinar on the application Tuesday, January 31, 2012 4:00 pm EST: https://usgbc.webex.com/usgbc/onstage/g.php?t=a&d=756754979

Event number: 756 754 979 Event password: Gr33n1

Teleconference (if you just want to listen in): 1-866-469-3239 Access
code: 756 754 979

The Partnership is also developing a website (www.greenribbon.org) which will launch soon and will be helpful for those working on their school Green Ribbon application. In the meantime, feel free to shoot a note if you have questions about the GR application to one of the following:

• [email protected] (National Wildlife Federations' Eco-Schools USA program), OR
• [email protected] (Earth Day Network), OR
• Contact your local U.S. Green Building Council Chapter Green Schools Committee directly: www.usgbc.org/FindaChapter/ChapList.aspx

The Green Ribbon award is a wonderful recognition by the U.S. Department of Education of the importance of green schools, and we hope you'll take this unprecedented opportunity to showcase your hard work. Even if you don't think your school will win, working on the application is a terrific opportunity in itself to discover new steps you can take to becoming a green school.

34 States Announce Participation in the U.S. Green Ribbon Award Pilot Year

34 states have announced that they are supporting the fast-growing green school movement by participating in the pilot year of the U.S. Department of Education's Green Ribbon School award program. These states represent 2/3rds of the nation, and are divided almost evenly between states with Republican Governors and those with Democratic Governors. Green schools are clearly a bipartisan issue: saving operating costs, improving the health of students, reducing negative environmental impact and improving student performance are issues which concern us all.

The Green Ribbon program is the first comprehensive green school initiative to come from the federal government. More than just an award, Green Ribbon lays out a thoughtful vision for what being a green school means. Its comprehensive approach is fostering unprecedented collaboration among those involved with green school buildings and operations, healthy school environments, and environmental and sustainability education within federal agencies, state agencies, and individual schools. It has set a high standard for what it means to be a green school. Finally, it is already significantly raising the profile of individual green schools and the green school movement, and is being hailed by leaders of the movement as the most significant milestone in the movement's recent history.

A tremendous thanks to all of you who helped enlist this terrific cohort of states for the first year! Many Chief State School Officers were swayed by your letters, emails and calls, and I have no doubt that the participation rate would have been much lower without your actions.

Jim Elder

34 Green Ribbon states: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Delaware District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Utah, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin

Depart. of Ed Sustainability Education Summit Report Released

The U.S. Department of Education released the proceedings report today from their “Sustainability Education Summit: Citizenship and Pathways for a Green Economy”, held back in September, 2010. The Summit was originally mandated by the 110^th Congress in the Higher Education Opportunity Act (Public Law 110-315, enacted in 2008) as a result of efforts led by CEL and championed by many of you. This is the first report on sustainability education ever released by the Department of Education (or any other federal agency), and it provides an overview of Summit activities and recommends ways to advance sustainability education throughout the country. To download the report, please click here.

U.S. Department of Education Announces the Opening of FY11/12 Green Ribbon Competition

It's now real, thanks to your help! The U.S. Department of Education (ED) opened the Green Ribbon Schools Award Competition for FY2011/2012 a few minutes ago by posting the finalized the award criteria, process, and timeline online (www2.ed.gov/programs/green-ribbon-schools) along with a video message from Secretary Duncan (www.ed.gov/blog/2011/09/final-plans-announced-for-green-ribbon-schools/).

For this critical first year, ED will need our help in quickly enlisting state governments to participate in the program. So we're mounting a major push to get the word out to teachers and administrators across the country to contact their state departments of education and urge them to participate in the program.

Please consider taking a moment to engage your schools and networks in this effort to enlist states. Only a concerted and collective push from the community will enlist enough states to create a critical mass in this important first year, and thus give the Green Ribbon program the credibility it needs to continue long into the future. If enough states do not participate this year, it is entirely possible that this new program might not survive a change in Administration. And timing is everything: you'll see from the timeline posted on the ED website that states need to start designing their application process right now in order to get nominations to the Department of Education by February.

Below is a sample note you may use or modify as you wish to get the word out. It includes a sample letter to help local schools reach out to their state departments of education.

Thank you for considering our request. With your help, we can make the Green Ribbon Schools Award program a significant milestone in the history of the growing green school movement. If I or any of my colleagues and partners below can help you in any way in getting the word out or answer any questions, please let me know.

Sincerely,

Jim Elder, for Rachel Gutter and Nate Allen (USGBC), Sean Miller (EDN), and Danielle Moodie-Mills (NWF)

Sample Appeal Note to Your Network, Schools, Members, Etc:

Help Enlist Your States in the new Green Ribbon School Award program at the U.S. Department of Education

Great news! The Department of Education, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the White House Council on Environmental Quality have opened the Green Ribbon Schools competition by announcing the award criteria and nomination process (see www2.ed.gov/programs/green-ribbon-schools). But we need your help to ensure that this program is a success.

Modeled on the prestigious Blue Ribbon awards, Green Ribbon awards will recognize public and private elementary, middle and high schools that demonstrate high achievement towards: 1) ensuring that all their graduates are environmentally literate, 2) eliminating their environmental footprint and improving learning conditions, and 3) creating a net positive health impact on students/staff.

This is the first comprehensive green school initiative to come out of the federal government. It lays out a comprehensive vision for green schools, sets a high benchmark for success, and will significantly raise the profile of individual green schools and the green school movement. We're confident that, like Blue Ribbon Schools, winners of the Green Ribbon will experience extensive national and local press coverage, re-energized staff and parents, enhanced community support, increased application rates (private and choice schools), and gain business partners and other private financial assistance.

Schools can only be nominated by their Chief State School Officer (CSSO). So it is critical that your state's department of education agree to participate in this program. And this is where your help will make the difference.

Please consider sending a letter along the lines below to your CSSO as soon as possible. Time is short; if your CSSO doesn't start to design their application process now, they will be unable to get nominations for this first year to the Department of Education in time.

If you have any questions or need help, please feel free to contact me.

Sincerely,

Sample letter, signed by your school or a group of schools if possible:

Dear (State Secretary/Commissioner/Superintendent of Education),

We are very excited about the new Green Ribbon School Award program announced recently by the U.S. Department of Education. Modeled on the prestigious Blue Ribbon awards, Green Ribbon awards will recognize public and private elementary, middle and high schools that demonstrate high achievement towards: 1) ensuring that all their graduates are environmentally literate, 2) eliminating their environmental footprint and improving learning conditions, and 3) creating a net positive health impact on students/staff.

National studies indicate that some of the many benefits of such comprehensive green schools include decreased energy costs and reduced environmental impact, improved student and staff health and productivity, enhanced critical thinking skills, improved student performance and increased student engagement, particularly in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) subjects.

We believe that it is vital for (STATE) to participate in this program to help build awareness and momentum for the growing green school movement in our state. Since schools can only be nominated by their Chief State School Officer, we urge you to please contact Andrea Suarez Falken, Special Assistant/ Acting Program Manager, U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools ([email protected], 202.205.0708) for further information and to let her know of (STATE)'s intention to participate as soon as possible. Further details on the Green Ribbon Award can be found at: www2.ed.gov/programs/green-ribbon-schools.

With your help, we can showcase the exemplary work being done by our state's leading green schools, and we're confident that these schools will be successful in winning the first ever Green Ribbon School Award!

Thank you for considering our request.

Sincerely,

(Superintendent/Principal, Vice Principal)

US Department of Education Announces the Green Ribbon Award Program

Thanks to your help, we did it: the Green Ribbon Award program is being launched! Here's a link to the White House blog talking about the announcement ceremony yesterday:  www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2011/04/26/cultivating-seeds-knowledge-growing-greener-future-our-nation.

Yesterday's event marks a significant milestone in the green school movement, and we applaud Secretary Duncan, Administrator Jackson, and Chair Sutley for taking this historic step forward. Green Ribbon is more than just another award program. It puts the weight of the federal government and in particular the U.S. Department of Education behind a comprehensive vision for green schools. And with a strong push from everyone, it will significantly accelerate the adoption rate of green school practices among schools across the country. It sets a very high bar for schools to aim for, while definitively answering the question: what exactly is a green school?

For those of you who have supported this concept, our sincere thanks! More on this as the Department's plans unfold.

Jim

 

CEL Announces "Green Ribbon Award" Campaign

CEL is helping to organize the sign-on letter below urging the Department of Education to create a "Green Ribbon Award" program. Modeled loosely on their very successful Blue Ribbon Award, this new comprehensive award would set a comprehensive and high benchmark for green schools and will dramatically raise the visibility of green school concept across the nation.

Please consider adding your organization's name to the attached letter by emailing me ([email protected]) by February 28. We are confident that a strong response from the stakeholder community for this idea will convince the Department to take it on, so it is essentially important to add as many organizations to this letter as possible. With your help, we can add significant momentum to the growing green school movement by engaging the Department of Education in this important concept.

 

Jim Elder

 

The Honorable Arne Duncan

Secretary of Education

U.S. Department of Education

400 Maryland Avenue, S.W.

Washington, D.C. 20202               

 

Dear Secretary Duncan,

On behalf of the hundreds of thousands of educational institutions, organizations, students, industry partners, teachers, and administrators throughout the nation who are committed to helping the U.S. find a pathway towards a more sustainable future, we, the undersigned, call upon the Department of Education to create a Green Ribbon Schools Award Program.

America is seeking to strengthen our national security, economic prosperity, and environmental protection by making the transition to a clean energy economy. To achieve this, we must  invest in developing our nation's capacity to innovate and to implement this transition.  This in turn requires recognizing the value of a strong educational foundation and knowledge base, especially in relevant sciences, for fostering the innovation and new discoveries vital to our prosperous future.

K-12 green schools provide that foundation.  At least seventeen states now have green school programs, a dozen states or more have green school building requirements, a dozen or more national NGOs promote or operate green school programs, and nearly all states are creating environmental literacy plans.  We estimate that perhaps 10% of all charter and magnet schools now integrate an environmental theme or focus into their entire school.

Despite these efforts, there is not yet evidence of an overall increase in the environmental literacy of our nation's students. We suggest that this is in part because: 1) the percentage of schools across the nation making such changes remains small, and 2) the piecemeal adoption of  a few aspects of environmental management and/or environmental education limits the positive effects  of these changes on student learning.  What will make a real difference in our nation's environmental literacy is having a national authority set a benchmark and vision that define a true "green school,” in order to bring more coherence to the laudable efforts now underway by individual states and schools. 

Launching a comprehensive “Green Ribbon Schools” award program enables the Department of Education to set a high benchmark for green schools and encourage thousands of teachers and administrators to pursue a “Green Ribbon” in a strategic fashion.  This benchmark should urge schools to seek to: 1) ensure that 100% of their graduates are environmentally and sustainability literate, and 2) minimize or eliminate their environmental footprint and improve learning conditions, while using their own built and natural environment as a learning laboratory and a model of best practice for their host community.  This program would annually recognize and honor those public and private elementary, middle and high schools that demonstrate high achievement in both student learning and eliminating or reducing their environmental footprint and improving learning conditions. In short, a green school should aim to create a healthy, environmentally and socially responsible living and learning environment for all students and staff.

Under existing law, the Secretary of Education may "identify and recognize exemplary schools and programs". The Department of Education has done this quite successfully over the past 30 years with the Blue Ribbon Schools award program, recognizing some 300 schools each year that are either high performing or have improved student achievement to high levels within the Blue Ribbon program guidelines. Blue Ribbon awards have become quite prestigious and have spurred a great deal of school improvement, and we believe that Green Ribbon awards would do the same.

A Green Ribbon Schools award program would be a voluntary, consensus-based, national award.  The award would emphasize state-of-the-art strategies in four areas:  1) curriculum, materials, and teacher training; 2) facilities (including energy, water , waste, and indoor environmental quality) and grounds (including school gardens); 3) operations (including food, transportation, building maintenance and purchasing); and 4) community engagement and service learning. The technical aspects of the award criteria would be developed by a team of experts and stakeholders under the auspices of the Department of Education.  The program should also involve other federal agencies with an interest in green schools and environmental literacy, such as the Departments of Energy, Labor, and Defense, National Science Foundation, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration, and others.

The primary benefits of the Green Ribbon Schools Award program include: 1) giving a form of permission to those within public schools who need the validation and endorsement from an authority such as the Department of Education to make change within their schools, and 2) making clear the depth and breadth of change needed to become a truly green school, and 3) helping NGOs and states active in supporting green school development to work towards  a common vision of what a green school is while bringing new schools into their support programs.

Each year, the U.S. education system sends over three million graduates out into the workforce, and their impact lasts a lifetime.  With a Green Ribbon School award program, we can help ensure that they are armed with the attitudes, skills, and knowledge to participate in and advance a green, clean energy economy and a sustainable, prosperous future for all. 

Campaign Steering Committee:

Campaign for Environmental Literacy

Earth Day Network

National Wildlife Federation

United States Green Building Council

 

Supporting Organizations (national):

American Architectural Foundation

Alliance for Climate Education

Alliance to Save Energy

Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education

Committee on Architecture for Education

Council of Educational Facility Planners International

Council of Environmental Deans and Directors

Green Charter Schools Network

Green Fox Schools

Green Schools Initiative

Green School Network

GREENGUARD Environmental Institute

Healthy Schools Campaign

Hispanic Access Foundation

National Association of Elementary School Principals

National Audubon Society

National Council for Science and the Environment

National Green Schools Network

National Science Teachers Association

North American Association for Environmental Education

Project Learning Tree

U.S. Partnership for Education for Sustainable Development

 

Supporting Organizations (state):

Kansas Association for Conservation and  Environmental Education

Kansas Green Schools Program

Oregon Green Schools

Maryland Green Schools (Maryland Association for Environmental and Outdoor Education)

South Carolina Green Steps Schools

Texas Green Ribbon Schools

Washington Green Schools

West Virginia Green Schools

Wisconsin Green & Healthy Schools