Learning about John Muir’s life can serve as a launching pad to environmental studies from a variety of perspectives. Botany, geology, history, geography, language arts, visual arts, and more can be inspired by John Muir, as we discover that, as John Muir said, “When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the universe.” These lesson plans are aligned with the California Academic Content Standards, but can be adapted to meet other state standards as needed.

Action for Healthy Kids has provided $6.6 million in grants to schools since 2009. Our School Grants for Healthy Kids can help your school health team achieve its goal to make every kid healthy and ready to learn. Two types of grants are available: School Breakfast Grants and Game on Grants.

GSCE brings together hundreds of teachers, students, facility managers, nonprofit partners, business leaders and sustainability advocates for two days of engaging educational sessions, inspiring speakers, networking, workshops and tours in support of green schools.

The Aldo Leopold Foundation was established to inspire an ethical relationship between people and land through the legacy of Aldo Leopold. The foundation offers a broad spectrum of educational materials and tools that teachers can use in their classrooms, including the Leopold Education Project, an interdisciplinary environmental education and conservation curriculum. Check out the website for a full listing of available resources.

In Teaching in Nature’s Classroom: Core Principles of Garden-Based Education, Nathan Larson shares a philosophy of teaching in the garden. Rooted in years of experience and supported by research, Larson presents fifteen guiding principles of garden-based education. These principles and best practices are illustrated through engaging stories from the field. The book features vivid paintings by mural artist Becky Redelings and connections to the research literature provided by Alex Wells and Sam Dennis of the University of Wisconsin Environmental Design Lab. This publication was supported through a partnership between Community GroundWorks and the Environmental Design Lab at the University of Wisconsin -Madison. Funding for this project was provided by the Wisconsin Partnership Program at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health.

Since 1996, the National Wildlife Federation has worked to assist schools in the creation of Schoolyard Habitats®, which create and restore wildlife habitat on school grounds while providing outdoor classrooms for learning across the curriculum. There are currently over 5,000 schools and counting that have been certified through this program.

This report documents the journeys and lessons of green schoolyard programs across the country and is informed by a rich dialogue that has been taking place at the national and local levels about how to help children, families, schools, communities, and our environments thrive. It shares information and stories, as well as tangible steps communities can take to develop their own green schoolyards.

This educational website is the online version of the Emmy-winning television series, offering free science videos and companion lesson activities for expanded learning in classrooms. Categories include energy science, farm science, environmental science, life science, natural resource science, health science, and physical science.

The Million Pollinator Garden Challenge (MPGC) is a nationwide call to action to preserve and create gardens and landscapes that help revive the health of bees, butterflies, birds, bats, and other pollinators across America. Schools can get in on the action too! Plant a pollinator garden or landscape and register your habitat so it can be counted. The MPGC website contains a number of resources to help you get started, as well as curricula and lessons for the classroom.

The Safe Routes to School National Partnership is a nonprofit organization that improves quality of life for kids and communities by promoting healthy living, safe infrastructure, and physical activity, starting with bicycling and walking to school and beyond. The Partnership’s website provides information on Safe Routes to School, advancing policy change, and creating more active schools, as well as resources and best practices around Safe Routes to School policies, programs, and initiatives.

Explore a world of possibilities in the garden and on your plate using ten inquiry-based lessons that engage 5th and 6th graders in growing, harvesting, tasting, and learning about fruits and vegetables. Printed materials are available only to schools, childcare providers, and summer meal programs participating in one of USDA’s Child Nutrition programs. To request printed materials, use our online order form and allow 2-4 weeks for delivery. All are welcome to download these materials and make copies.

BirdSleuth is an inquiry-based science curriculum that engages kids in scientific study and real data collection through the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s exciting citizen-science projects. BirdSleuth provides educators with kits that:

• Encourage kids to answer their own questions about nature using the scientific process.
• Spend time outdoors, connecting with nature by focusing on the fascinating sights, sounds, and behaviors of birds.
• Motivate kids by the real-world importance of the data they enter online, which scientists use to understand and conserve birds.

BirdSleuth offers a variety of resources, as well as opportunities for in-person training, workshops, and online webinars for all types of educators who are looking for top notch professional development. BirdSleuth even offers a free student publication, BirdSleuth Investigator, that is written by students, for students and can be downloaded from the website.

The Creek Freaks program is for kids ages 10-14 who want to make a splash to help the environment. They become their community’s stream experts – exploring local streams; learning how healthy trees, shrubs, and grasses protect clean water and wildlife; and what the community can do to improve water quality.

The program uses a guide called Holding onto the GREEN Zone, developed by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, which helps youth explore “green zones” (another name for riparian zones). The program is filled with discovery, exploration, and of course, using the Creek Freaks’ website to share photos and data with other Creek Freaks.

Educators will find training, curriculum materials, and a number of additional resources to help implement this program in their classroom.

FirstEnergy encourages original, inventive and creative classroom projects and teacher professional development in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) subjects. Educators who want to energize their STEM classrooms lessons – and learn more innovative and resourceful ways to do so -- are invited to apply for a FirstEnergy STEM Classroom Grant of up to $1,000.

Constellation E2 Energy to Educate grants inspire students to think differently about energy. Through this unique grant program, Constellation has offered over 100,000 students in grades 6-12 and college opportunities to enhance their understanding of science and technology, and experience solving both today’s and tomorrow’s energy challenges.

Constellation is seeking proposals for hands-on projects which engage 100 or more students, within the following themes:

• Energy in Transportation
• Backyard Generation
• Zero Waste

Grant awards are up to $25,000 for grades 6-12 and up to $50,000 for colleges and universities.

Sponsored by Trout Unlimited, Trout in the Classroom (TIC) is a conservation-oriented environmental education program for elementary, middle, and high school students. Throughout the school year, students raise trout from eggs to fry and then release them into approved cold water streams and lakes. This act of raising, monitoring, and caring for young trout fosters a conservation ethic within participating students and promotes an understanding of their shared water resources.

Teachers can tailor the program to fit their curricular needs, meaning each TIC program is unique.  TIC has interdisciplinary applications in science, social studies, mathematics, language arts, fine arts, and physical education.  More information on possible activities and lessons can be found on the TIC website.
 

The Healthy Schools Campaign’s (HSC) Green Clean Schools web portal is the place for all things green cleaning. It brings together practical information and easy-to-use resources from HSC’s multi-faceted strategy to support green, sustainable school cleaning programs nationwide.

This website builds on the tremendous success of HSC’s Quick + Easy Guide to Green Cleaning in Schools, first released in 2006. In addition to the Five Simple Steps to Green Cleaning popularized by the guide, this web portal highlights a strategic approach to policy change and the power of recognizing successful green cleaning programs.

Resources include videos, green cleaning guides, a green clean product directory, and information on policy, recognition, and third party certification.

GSNN’s membership program is designed for leaders who use sustainability to drive innovation in their classrooms, schools, or school districts. As a member of the program, you will learn from and be inspired by the people who are transforming schools across the country. You can choose from various membership levels and each level comes with its own set of benefits and discounts.

The School Cafeteria Discards Assessment Project (SCrAP) was developed by the Environmental Research and Education Foundation (EREF) - in collaboration with the School Nutrition Foundation and World Wildlife Fund - to quantify both food waste and related wastes (eg. recyclables, to landfill) generated in cafeterias at K-12 schools nationally. The project aims to gather information regarding the quantity of waste generated in school cafeterias and obtain an understanding of how this waste is managed both at the school and after it is hauled away.

This booklet provides school administrators, facility managers, staff and the school community with an overview of how to avoid key environmental health hazards and ways to minimize children’s exposures as they prepare for and undergo renovations. School renovations should be consistent with applicable local, state, and federal environmental health regulations.

Beyond Benign is a nonprofit that is dedicated to providing future and current scientists, educators, and citizens with the tools to teach and learn about green chemistry to create a sustainable future. The organization offers professional development, education, and online training for educators to teach them about green chemistry and how to implement it in their classrooms. Educators can access and download a variety of materials from Beyond Benign’s website including curricular materials for middle and high school classrooms.

In partnership with the Bee Cause Project, the Honey Bee Grant program allows K-12 schools and nonprofit organizations to receive support for an educational honey bee hive. Three grant options are available: •Monetary grant of $1,500 to support the success of a honey bee hive educational program. •Observation hive: equipment grant of a custom made indoor observation hive from The Bee Cause Project. •Traditional hive: equipment grant of an outdoor top bar hive with Starter Kit from Bee Thinking. All equipment grants include a small monetary grant that covers the first year of expenses. Grant recipients also receive remote consultation and assistance with Beekeeper partnership from The Bee Cause Project.

Created in partnership with FoodCorps, the Whole Kids Foundation U.S. School Garden Grants program provides $3,000 monetary grants to K-12 schools, or non-profits working with K-12 schools, to support a new or existing edible garden on school grounds.

The Bee Conservancy’s Sponsor-A-Hive program bestows beekeeping grants to help people safely set up, maintain, and observe on-site bee sanctuaries at schools, community gardens, and green spaces across the United States. The program will bestow material grants in the form of honey bees, mason bees, and/or leafcutter bees; their homes; bee keeping equipment; and information on how to care for the bees. Bees are strategically placed in locations where they can bolster bee populations, advance science and environmental education, and pollinate locally grown food. Grants also provide a Sponsor-A-Hive Teacher’s Kit, which is full of lesson plans and worksheets to teach students more about their bee home. It’s designed to build reading and science skills, raise environmental awareness, and empower students to help the bees.

The OneLessStraw pledge campaign was created by One More Generation (OMG) and its partners to raise awareness about the dangers of single use plastic straws and their effects on our health, our environment, and our oceans. During the month of September, students are encouraged to ask parents, schools, and businesses to take the OneLessStraw pledge and go strawless during the month of October.

Indoor air quality (IAQ) plays a critical role in the health, attendance, and academic performance of students and staff. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Energy Savings Plus Health: Indoor Air Quality Guidelines for School Building Upgrades (the Guide) is designed to help K-12 stakeholders navigate the construction and energy retrofit process using an integrated approach and with IAQ, occupant health, and safety protections in mind. The Guide includes 23 IAQ priority issues and related assessment protocols, recommended and expanded actions, and resources and tools for project planning and communication. It is accompanied by the customizable, time-saving, and actionable Energy Saving Plus Health Checklist Generator (Microsoft Excel) that enables stakeholders to create IAQ checklists for specific upgrade or construction projects to protect and enhance IAQ. Schools districts can use the Guide to manage, design, and implement school facilities construction plans that maximize energy efficiency and minimize financial losses and negative health effects on students and staff.

Energy efficiency upgrades can help school districts advance their educational mission by reducing energy and other operating costs. Protecting and enhancing indoor air quality (IAQ) also supports the core mission of schools by promoting staff and student health, productivity, and attendance. There is now broad recognition that it is possible to achieve both goals as part of an energy improvement project. This report, published by the Environmental Law Institute in January 2016, describes state policy strategies that facilitate early consideration of IAQ best practices in school energy retrofits to help schools avoid unintended, negative consequences and reap the twin benefits of energy savings and a healthier, more productive school environment.