A Green School:
- Improves education through hands-on, real-world learning about energy and energy efficiency
- Strengthens schools by saving money on energy costs
How Does Green Schools Work?
Green Schools works on a district level to enroll 5-15 schools per district in the program at one time. A team of teachers, custodial staff, administrators, and students carry out the program at each school. An introductory workshop helps the teams work together to create a customized plan for teaching about energy, saving energy in school, creating school-wide energy awareness, and taking the message home and into the local community. Throughout the year, each school is supported by frequent school visits and receives information on their monthly energy usage. School teams come together again for a mid-year planning meeting in January and a celebration at the end of the school year.
What are the Benefits of Green Schools?
- Avoided energy costs and energy tracking services – Green Schools teams typically save between 5 to 15 percent on school electric costs. Most districts enter into an agreement with the Alliance to return a portion of the no-cost dollar savings back to the schools to support their Green Schools Programs (the remainder of the savings stays at the district level). The program can also provide energy tracking services and training for building services/custodial staff, which helps district staff make more informed choices about district energy management priorities and energy saving opportunities.
- Student learning and leadership development – Energy efficiency and protecting the environment are hands-on, real-world topics that energize students and add meaning and excitement to academic learning. Past student participants in the Green Schools Program have made presentations to the school board on energy-efficiency retrofit recommendations, authored pieces for the local newspaper, and conducted energy audits for local small businesses, among other activities.
- Integration with the curriculum – The program brings a wealth of top-quality resources to schools, such as lesson plans, CDs, activity books, and professional energy-auditing kits that include tools such as light meters, infrared thermometers, and watt meters. Green Schools lessons are interdisciplinary, integrate into a teacher’s regular curriculum, and are aligned with state curriculum standards.
- Improved school staff relations and school morale – An often unexpected benefit of the program is the working partnership created between teachers and school facilities staff as these two different groups work together in a team to implement activities. Reducing energy costs and protecting the environment are causes that the whole school community can rally around, and when students conduct research and advocate for cost-effective school energy improvements, everyone wins.
But don’t just take our word for it – read Green Schools Testimonials from administrators, teachers, and school staff.
How Are Programs Funded?
The Green Schools Program is typically funded through grants from utilities, state energy offices, private foundations, or by school districts through an energy savings performance contract. Please contact us if your company or organization is interested in supporting a Green Schools Program.
How Do I Get Involved?
The program is currently active in about 200 schools in select school districts in California, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania. New programs are under development in Texas, Virginia, and Washington, DC and also in India. If your school is located in one of these areas, please contact us to see if your school district might be able to get involved (participation is often contingent upon funding levels). If we are currently not involved in your state, please feel free to use the following resources to champion your own program:
- Read tips for implementing a school-wide energy efficiency program
- Download our free, multidisciplinary lesson plans
- Visit our saving energy in schools page for ideas on how to involve students in saving energy in your school