Greetings!

Welcome back, Project Green Schools members, students, educators, and schools! The 2026–2027 school year is officially underway, and we are excited to kick off another year of environmental learning, leadership, and action!

This year, Project Green Schools is continuing to empower the next generation of environmental leaders through opportunities like our National Youth Council and Green Schools Society, along with a myriad of exciting programs, events, resources, and opportunities for students and schools throughout the Fall and Spring.

Whether you are returning to the Project Green Schools community or joining us for the first time, we can’t wait to see the ideas, projects, and positive change you bring to your schools and communities this year. Let’s make 2026–2027 a year to make a green difference!

Introducing the 2026/2027 National Youth Council Leadership Team

Project Green Schools is thrilled to introduce our 2026–2027 National Youth Council Leadership Team!

These extraordinary young environmental leaders are driving environmental change and positive impact among their peers, schools, and communities across the country.

Throughout the year, Council members will have opportunities to connect, collaborate, share their voices, and turn their passion for the planet into action. We’re excited to see the National Youth Council flourish this year and look forward to celebrating the inspiring contributions these student leaders will bring to our community in the months ahead!

Welcome Our New Board Advisor

J.D. Fitzsimons brings more than 20 years of experience in finance, strategy, operations, and sustainability leadership to Project Green Schools. He currently works in Enterprise Sustainability at WM and previously served as Environmental Sustainability Director for The Walt Disney Company.

As a Board Advisor, J.D. brings a passion for mentorship and youth engagement, helping PGS connect real-world sustainability challenges with meaningful learning opportunities and empower the next generation of environmental leaders.

We’re thrilled to have you as part of the PGS community, J.D.!

Learn more about J.D.:

https://projectgreenschools.org/staff/j-d-fitzsimons/

Pathway Spotlight: Green and Healthy Schools and Communities

A new school year means a fresh opportunity to make your school and community greener, healthier, and more sustainable!

September kicks off our 19 Pathways to Greening Your School with Green & Healthy Schools and Communities, connecting to UN Sustainable Development Goal 4: Quality Education.

Ready to get started? Explore curriculum resources, games, apps, videos, environmental days to celebrate, project ideas, and more to help bring sustainability into your classroom, school, and community.

NGSS: Turn Environmental Action Into Recognition 

Are your students leading recycling drives, restoring habitats, growing school gardens, reducing waste, conserving energy, or finding new ways to make their communities greener?

Give their hard work the recognition it deserves.

National Green Schools Society is an environmental honor society that celebrates students who turn their passion for the planet into meaningful leadership, service, and action.

Through NGSS/IGSS, students can track their environmental service, earn national recognition, and celebrate their accomplishments through certificates, pins, honor stoles, and other recognition opportunities, while turning their leadership into positive change for their schools, communities, and our planet.

Chapter registration is completely FREE, making it easy for schools to bring environmental recognition and leadership opportunities to their students.

Already doing the work? Make it count. Bring National Green Schools Society to your school today.

Celebrating a Lifetime of Green Difference: Celine Chouteau

For more than 30 years, Celine Chouteau has advanced environmental education and sustainable living in France and the United States, helping students and educators connect global environmental challenges with everyday action.

As founder of Phoenix Global Green School in Los Angeles, the nation’s first vegan preschool, Celine has spent 14 years pioneering a hands-on approach to early childhood education that integrates plant-based living and environmental stewardship, directly impacting more than 300 families.

Project Green Schools was proud to recognize Celine with a 2026 Green Difference Award for Lifetime Achievement for her decades of leadership and commitment to creating a greener future through education.

Congratulations, Celine, and thank you for making a green difference!

Grants Available to Support Composting, Waste Reduction, Outdoor Classrooms and Environmental Clubs in New England Schools and Colleges

In partnership with Embolden Environmental, Project Green Schools is pleased to share grant opportunities that support outdoor learning, environmental education, and student-led sustainability projects.

Building on Project Green Schools’ Outdoor Classroom Challenge, which helped schools create meaningful outdoor learning spaces, PGS will continue providing resources, tools, and past project examples throughout the 2026–2027 academic year. Through our partnership with Embolden Environmental, educators can also access new funding opportunities to help bring outdoor classrooms and other environmental education projects to life.

The Embolden Environmental Foundation is launching three new grant programs for K–12 schools, colleges, and nonprofit partners in New England:

• Composting & Waste Reduction Grant Program (Due Oct. 26th): Supports composting, recycling, food-waste reduction, reuse initiatives, and other practical waste-reduction projects. Funding may support equipment, educational materials, student programs, and other resources that help schools establish lasting waste-reduction practices.
• Outdoor Classroom Grant Program (Due Nov. 19th): Supports the development and enhancement of outdoor classrooms, teaching gardens, nature-based learning areas, and other spaces that connect students with nature and expand learning beyond the traditional classroom.
• Environmental Clubs Events Grant Program (Due Oct. 19th): Provides funding for environmental club events, conferences, guest speakers, educational programs, and other activities that engage students in environmental issues and hands-on leadership.

“These grants give students the opportunity to move beyond learning about environmental stewardship and experience it firsthand—whether they are composting food waste or learning in an outdoor classroom or organizing an event.” said Michael Isenberg. President, Embolden Environmental Foundation.

For questions, please contact Mike Isenberg at mike@emboldenenvironmental.org.

New Partnership: Climate First Bank

We’re excited to partner with Climate First Bank, the world’s first FDIC-insured, values-based community bank using finance as a force for good.

When you open an eligible account, Climate First Bank will donate $100 (individual) or $250 (business) to Project Green Schools. Terms apply.

Instead of funding fossil fuels, your deposits support clean energy, community resilience, and mission-driven organizations.

Save the Date: 2027 Green Schools Conference 

The green schools community is heading to Austin!

Join educators, school district leaders, sustainability professionals, designers, advocates, and industry partners from across the country for the 17th annual Green Schools Conference, February 8–10, 2027.

Save the date and learn more:

https://usgbc.cventevents.com/qgA1Yy?RefId=Project+Green+Schools

Earth Prize 2027: $100,000 Sustainability Competition for Teens

Registration is now open for The Earth Prize 2027!

The Earth Prize is a $100,000 environmental sustainability competition for teenage students across the globe. Each year, The Earth Prize recognizes students and schools with the best solutions to accelerate positive change towards environmental sustainability. Through The Earth Prize competition, students are inspired, educated, mentored and empowered to solve environmental sustainability problems.

Students and schools around the world are invited to participate. Could the next big environmental solution come from your students?

Learn more and register here:

https://www.theearthprize.org/

Fight Hunger & Food Waste: Win a Trip to Comic-Con!

Calling all Hunger Action Heroes!

Students in grades 4–9 are invited to take action against hunger and food waste in their communities, document their impact, and tell their story through the Hunger Action Heroes National Challenge.

Two division winners, one from grades 4–6 and one from grades 7–9, will each receive an incredible prize package that includes a six-day trip for the winner and a guardian to San Diego Comic-Con 2027, a $750 college scholarship, a $3,000 grant for their school, and the opportunity to direct a $1,000 donation to a hunger-relief or food-rescue organization of their choice.

No comic book or curriculum is required to participate. Students who are taking action against hunger and food waste can enter!

Learn more and take the challenge:

https://hungeractionheroes.org/pages/national-challenge

Additional Opportunities 

Grants & Funding Opportunities

• WWF Greenprints for the Future: Students design and lead projects that address real environmental challenges in their schools and communities. Through Wild Classroom, up to 15 educators will receive $1,200 to help students put their solutions into action. Applications are due by November 16th. 
• NASA TechRise Student Challenge: Students in grades 6–12 can team up to design a science or technology experiment for a NASA-sponsored high-altitude balloon flight—no prior experience required. Sixty winning teams will receive $1,500, materials, mentorship, and the opportunity to build and test their experiment on a NASA-sponsored flight.
• NEEF 2026–2027 Greening STEM Grants: Eligible public schools serving grades 6–12 in select communities can apply for $5,000 grants to support student-centered STEM projects addressing local environmental issues through place-based learning and environmental monitoring. Applications are due September 30, 2026.
• NatGen STEM Seed Grants: Schools, nonprofits, community organizations, and others can apply for $250–$1,000 mini grants to support hands-on environmental education projects that incorporate a Green Earth Book Award title or theme. Fall Seed Grant applications are open through September 30.
• 2027 Waterwise Garden Grant: U.S. public and charter K–12 schools can apply for $1,000 in funding plus a $500 irrigation kit to create or improve youth gardens that teach water conservation and stewardship, with select schools eligible for additional funding. Applications are due October 2, 2026.

Internships & Student Leadership Opportunities

• California Environmental Youth Advisory Council: California residents and members of California Native American Tribes ages 14–20 can apply to the inaugural statewide Environmental Youth Advisory Council and advise environmental decision-makers on issues including climate, air, water, and community health. Applications are open through September 21, 2026.
• Climate Leaders Fellowship: High school students can join an 8-week online leadership program to design and implement a community project addressing the impacts of climate change while collaborating with a global cohort of young leaders. The Fall 2026 program runs October 9–December 8, with applications due September 20, 2026.

Calendar of Events/Days to Celebrate

September

• 20th: World Cleanup Day
• 21st: International Day of Peace
• 21st: Zero Emissions Day
• 22nd: World Car-free Day
• 22nd/23rd: Fall (Autumnal) Day
• 26th: National Public Lands Day
• 29th: International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste

October

• 1st Week: Junk Mail Awareness Week
• 1st: World Vegetarian Day
• 4th: World Animal Day
• 7th: Earth Gives Day
• 8th: Hydrogen Fuel Cell Day
• 16th: World Food Day
• 17th: International Day for the Eradication of Poverty