"When my grandfather passed away a few years ago, I wanted to do something substantial in honor of him. My grandfather and I shared a special bond because we both have had to deal with asthma throughout our lives. He served as my role model of what success should look like. One of his most important successes was the work he did with the St. Charles convent in India. After his passing, the St. Charles orphanage immediately came to mind, and so a project was born.

Working in the summers of both my sophomore and junior years, I saved up enough money to fund the beginnings of an international sustainability project that I would now put into motion as a Green Schools Student Co-President. Currently, the project to provide a solar water heater to the St. Charles orphanage in India is in motion, and the solar panels/hot-water heater have been installed at the orphanage. Within the next few days, the plumbing will be completed, and the Disol system will finally be operational. These installations will not only give these children the comfort of clean, hot water but will also reduce the financial burden on the orphanage. The funds saved from the average cost of installing a conventional water heater, along with costs of future energy consumption, will be reallocated back to caring for the needs of the children. And of course, this is not only an investment in the orphanage's ability to tend to the children, but also a step towards achieving sustainability by reducing the orphanage's carbon footprint which benefits both the air and the environment: Cleaner air as a memory to my grandfather with asthma."

Join architects, engineers, facility and energy managers, utility program administrators, school business officials and others for an interactive summit focused on exploring the multiple benefits of high performance schools and making the business case for your next school project.

Wednesday, November 9, 2016  REGISTER

By offsetting the land Walmart needs to operate with far more valuable land - both to wildlife and to people - the Acres for America program, which is a collaboration between Walmart and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, is making a real difference in the quality of life for local communities across the nation. The program has far surpassed its original goal at the time the program was started in 2005 of permanently conserving one acre of wildlife habitat for every acre of land developed by Walmart Stores - estimated to be approximately 100,000 acres. In the first 10 years, the Acres for America program has protected more than 1 million acres - an area comparable in size to Grand Canyon National Park. Last year,  Walmart and NFWF announced a 10-year, $35 million renewal of the program to continue preserving public lands.

Congratulations to Travis Estes of Greenworks Lending, former Green Schools Board Member, for being a finalist for the Emerging Company of the Year 2016. Read More

Clean Energy Activity Day Program

2017 Ocean Awareness Student Contest 

The 2017 Ocean Awareness Student Contest is for middle and high school students. The theme of the 2017 Contest is Ocean Pollution: Challenges & Solutions. Students can earn awards of up to $1,500 for themselves and their schools.  Learn More

 2017 Marine Debris Creative Advocacy Competition

Students are challenged to implement a real-world project in their school or community that uses the creative arts to educate others and inspire action that reduces or prevents marine debris. Students can participate as groups or individuals, and they can earn awards of up to $5,000! Learn More