PLT+Green+Schools+Certification

 = We will take 5 steps to become a PLT Green School. Those five steps are: =

= Step 1. Form a Green Team = Share Student-led Green Teams are the driving force behind the PLT GreenSchools! program. School teachers and administrators are the facilitators.

Team members should include:

 * Students
 * One or two (or more!) teachers who have attended a PLT Professional Development Workshop
 * School staff (such as building engineers, custodial and cafeteria staff)
 * School administrators
 * Parents and community volunteers

Together, Green Team members will explore what individual and collective actions you can take to improve the health, safety, and environmental quality of your school. You’ll discover how reducing your school’s environmental footprint is not only good for the environment and students, but can save your school money.

Green Team leaders will:

 * Determine who at your school will conduct each PLT GreenSchools! Investigation,
 * How and when an Investigation will be conducted to avoid conflicts with school classes and activities,
 * Address any safety concerns,
 * Gather the necessary documents and supplies ahead of time,
 * Compile baseline data (for example, your school’s electricity usage) using the worksheets provided with each Investigation
 * Generate ideas for ways to improve the environmental impact and health of your school,
 * Oversee the development and implementation of action plans, and
 * Measure improvements by gathering new data and comparing it to the baseline data.

Students should share the information they gathered from conducting PLT's GreenSchools! Investigations with other students and their community, and celebrate success. There are many ways that students can share what they learned, data collected, and any action plans or projects completed. Once your school has completed all five of PLT's GreenSchools! Investigations, apply to become a Certified PLT GreenSchool! and receive national recognition for your accomplishments.

= Step 2: Complete the Investigations = Share Five hands-on, student-driven Investigations are at the heart of the PLT GreenSchools! program. Using critical-thinking and problem-solving skills, students will analyze their school’s Energy, Water , School Site , Waste and Recycling , and Environmental Quality. The results of the PLT GreenSchools! Investigations will help students identify areas where improvements can be made to make their school greener and healthier, and in many cases save money. For example, the results of the Energy Investigation should show how purchasing energy efficient appliances, installing energy-saving devices such as vending machine misers, and encouraging energy conservation practices can save both energy and money.

==[|ENERGY INVESTIGATION] == Investigate how much energy
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your school uses, the main

sourcesof that energy, and

ways to implement energy-

saving strategies.  [|LEARN MORE] ||   || ==[|WATER INVESTIGATION] == Investigate the source, cost, and quality of your school's water supply, current water conservation practices, and ways to enhance water conservation.  [|LEARN MORE] ||   || ==[|SCHOOL SITE INVESTIGATION] == Investigate habitats, wildlife, trees, gardens, and maintenance practices, and ways to improve and use the grounds for learning.  [|LEARN MORE] ||   || ==[|WASTE & RECYCLING INVESTIGATION] == Investigate how much waste your school generates and where it goes, as well as recycling and composting efforts.  [|LEARN MORE] ||   || ==[|ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY INVESTIGATION] == Investigate areas where improvements can be made in indoor air quality, transportation, chemical use, and more.  [|LEARN MORE] ||   || ==[|SHARE AND CELEBRATE SUCCESS] == Once you've completed an Investigation, let people know about your Green Team’s accomplishments and share what you’ve learned!  [|LEARN MORE] ||   ||
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The Investigations can be done by asigned classes, members of an after-school environmental club, or through other creative school projects. It is important that students play a lead role in completing the Investigations, and we recommend a team approach including representatives from school administrative staff and parent volunteers. Information gathered from completing the Investigations can be used to generate ideas and develop action plans. As approval, time, and funding permit, students will work with school officials to implement one or more action projects. Project Learning Tree offers GreenWorks! service-learning grants to help offset the cost of such projects. In addition to finding and implementing strategies to improve the environmental health of their school, it is hoped that these investigations will stimulate students to improve the environmental quality of their own home. Don’t forget to Share Your Work and Celebrate Success. Use our toolkit for some ideas to communicate your students’ achievements, share what you learned, and be recognized. Once your Green Team has completed all five PLT GreenSchools! Investigations, you’ll be officially recognized as a Certified PLT GreenSchool.  <span style="color: #000011; display: block; font-family: Helvetica,Verdana,sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline;"> = STEP 3: Create an Action Plan = Share Once information has been gathered from each PLT GreenSchools! Investigation, students use their inspiration and knowledge to lead their whole school community in action projects designed to green their school’s buildings, grounds, and curriculum. Together, Green Team members identify school priorities and create action plans to reduce the environmental footprint of their school. Students should serve as leaders in developing and establishing sustainable, cost-efficient, and conservation-based school practices. As a result, students learn first-hand they can make a difference, not just in their school, but also at home and in the community. For example,
 * ** Energy: **Students at Lake Middle School in Denver, CO, removed every fifth bulb in each hallway light fixture throughout the school. That’s translating into a monetary savings of $2,000 a year.
 * ** Waste & Recycling: **Green Team members at Eisenhower High School in Goddard, KS, developed a recycling program that now involves their entire school district. In 2011, they recycled 300 pounds of aluminum, six tons of paper, and 80,000 plastic bottles.
 * ** Water: **After completing the Water Investigation, students at Learning Gate Community School in Florida recommended that the school install hands-free faucets to replace leaky conventional faucets, which they estimated wasted nearly 30 gallons of water per day!
 * ** School Site: **At Stonewall Jackson Middle School in Houston, TX, students have transformed unused outdoor courtyards into vibrant gardens, growing chili and bell peppers, tomatoes, lettuce and cucumbers—produce that’s harvested and shared with the school’s large population of homeless students.
 * ** Environmental Quality: **Dimensions of Learning Academy in Kenosha, WI, has a serious commitment to reducing neighborhood pollution. After conducting a transportation audit in 2011, students raised money for several signs showcasing the school’s new idle-free zones—the first at any Kenosha city school. The signs encourage community members to “turn the key and be idle free” in hopes of improving neighborhood air quality.

Data gathered from each Investigation should form the baseline for current environmental conditions, and allow students to measure change after they implement their action plans. The Green Team should document their school’s improved environmental performance over a given time period, as well as the positive impact on student learning and attitudes. __ Read more __ about the action projects implemented by PLT GreenSchools! across the U.S.

<span style="color: #000011; display: block; font-family: Helvetica,Verdana,sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline;"> = Step 4: Share and Celebrate Success = Share You and your students have accomplished a lot—let people know about it! An important goal for Green Team leaders is to communicate your school’s achievements and share what you learned. For example, Barnard Elementary School in Washington D.C., created a lot of "buzz" when they improved their school site and invited the WNBA's Washington Mystics and Master Chef and Gardener Mark Haskell to help plant raised vegetable gardens. Read more about this PLT GreenSchool! in our online newsletter, The Branch //, // and more success stories from other PLT GreenSchools! across the U.S.

PLT’s GreenSchools! program emphasizes youth voice!
Below are some ideas about ways your Green Team can celebrate and be recognized for what they have accomplished. We encourage you to describe how the PLT GreenSchools! Investigations and resulting action projects have benefited students, developed their understanding and personal responsibility for the environment, and grown their leadership skills.

Consider the following:
<span style="color: #000011; display: block; font-family: Helvetica,Verdana,sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline;"> = Step 5: Become a Certified PLT GreenSchool = Share To receive national recognition as a Certified PLT GreenSchool, complete and submit your [|PLT GreenSchools! certification reporting form.] You will be asked to describe what practices have been implemented by students and staff to:
 * Post an announcement about your project on your ** school’s website **. Share news of your project in your ** school’s newsletters **.
 * Share the results of at least one of your PLT GreenSchools! Investigations or action projects with a ** decision-making board **, for example, a school board, city or county board, or another community organization.
 * ** Plan and hold an event ** at your school. Invite local community members and media to attend.
 * ** Write a letter to the editor ** of your local newspaper.
 * ** Tell us ** the impact your project has had on your students and the whole school community. Collect quotes from students, and send your stories and photos to Vanessa Bullwinkle at vbullwinkle@plt.org . We may highlight your project on our website, in our newsletter, or publish a blog in your or one of your students’ names.
 * ** Tweet **your accomplishments.
 * **Join PLT’s Facebook page** and post a photo or a comment to our wall.
 * ** Take photos ** at high resolution (300dpi) so they can be used in both print and online media. Strive for action shots—photos that show students doing something (rather than posing for the camera).
 * ** Film a short video ** if you have access to a handheld, portable video camera. We suggest you film a steady, up-close shot of a Green Team member speaking about the project and pan to students taking action.
 * ** Apply for national recognition as a Certified PLT GreenSchool! . **Once your application has been reviewed and accepted, you’ll receive an award certificate, a supply of PLT GreenSchools! window stickers, the opportunity to purchase a PLT GreenSchools! banner, and a listing and description of your school’s accomplishments on the national PLT GreenSchools! website.
 * reduce energy use
 * conserve water
 * recycle and reduce waste
 * improve school grounds and use the school’s outdoor space for educational and other activities
 * promote more environmentally friendly transportation, safe storage and wise use of chemicals, and better indoor air quality

We also ask you to describe:
 * how environmental education is being incorporated into your school’s curriculum
 * how students have demonstrated improved learning and/or academic performance, and increased their leadership skills, as a result of participating in PLT’s GreenSchools! program
 * how students have changed their behavior, gained an understanding of their personal responsibility towards the environment
 * how the Green Team has shared the results of the PLT GreenSchools! Investigations and their action projects with their community

[|This form] should be completed and signed by both the school principal and a student Green Team representative when your school has completed all five PLT GreenSchools! Investigations. After you submit the completed form, it will be reviewed by PLT GreenSchools! staff. If your school has met all the criteria, you will be recognized as a Certified PLT GreenSchool and will be entitled to receive:
 * An award certificate
 * A supply of PLT GreenSchools! window stickers
 * A listing and description of your school’s accomplishments on the national PLT GreenSchools! website.

Your school will also be eligible to purchase a PLT GreenSchools! banner.