Happy New Year from Project Green Schools!

January is always an exciting time as we open up our applications for our 14th Annual Green Difference Awards!

Project Green Schools honors and recognizes Outstanding Energy, Environmental & STEAM Education efforts led in our Schools & Communities at our Annual Green Difference Awards.

Nominate a Green Difference Maker today in one of these categories:

Learn More and Apply! Application deadline: Friday, March 26, 2022 at 11:59PM EST

Project Green Schools is challenging schools across the country to develop and implement a meaningful outdoor classroom and learning space that awards one Grand Prize of $10,000 to further enhance an existing space or build a new space.

Schools will submit a formal write-up, proposed budget, and design of their outdoor learning classroom/space.

Project Green Schools will invite the top five designs to pitch their ideas to a panel of judges in Spring 2022 to determine the $10,000 winner.

Application Deadline: 11:59pm EST Friday, April 8, 2022. All U.S. based schools Pre-K – 12 are eligible to apply.

Learn more and download application requirements. Download program flyer.

Congratulations to Ursuline Academy students Cassandra, Marissa and Helen for partnering with Tree-Plenish, a non-profit organization that strives to replenish the environment by planting trees in accordance with paper usage at a school, to rally her classmates to plant over 50 trees back in April 2021! 50 additional trees were donated to a local Arbor Day event to provide residents with trees to plant in their own backyards. Read full article.

Congratulations to Brett Feldman, PGS Advisory Board Member, for being recognized as a Top Voice 2021 in the Energy Management Market. Read Brett's interview.

Project Green Schools Executive Director and Founder, Robin Buchanan, joined other invited guests for a panel discussion on "Ayurveda for All Generations" during Boston Ayurveda Schools' weeklong lecture series in honor of World Ayurveda Day. Along with amazing events, Project Green Schools was honored to be on the receiving end of donations made by attendees of the events. Together the event helped bring awareness to human and planetary health and raised $840 for Project Green Schools to help support our mission to develop the next generation of environmental leaders through education, project-based learning, and community service.

Thank you again to all who participated and donated.

"The Jacobs Institute for Innovation in Education at the University of San Diego is calling for middle- and high-school educators to join us in our effort to make a local and global impact. In the 2022 Jacobs Teen Innovation Challenge, educators and teenagers will develop an innovator’s mindset and the skills to create solutions to local and global problems." Learn more and apply. Application deadline is January 10, 2022.

Project Green Schools is inviting you to engage your school in meaningful climate education and action by implementing “Race for the Planet” in your school or community.

Participants compete in energy and environmental games and challenges focusing on energy, water, waste, and sustainability, and have the option to raise funds to support a unique project goal to Green Up Your School/Community.

Hosting kits with instructions, challenge materials, videos for opening/closing ceremonies, marketing & fundraising materials, and medals to award will be made available to registered participants.

"The President’s Environmental Youth Award (PEYA) recognizes outstanding environmental stewardship projects developed by K-12 youth. The PEYA program promotes awareness of our nation's natural resources and encourages positive community involvement. Since 1971, the President of the United States has joined with EPA to recognize young people for protecting our nation's air, water, land, and ecology. It is one of the most important ways EPA and the Administration demonstrate commitment to environmental stewardship efforts created and conducted by our nation's youth."

Open to all 50 states and U.S. Territories/.

Application deadline is February 18th, 2022. Click to learn more.

Now is a great time to begin preparing for the 2021–22 U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools (ED-GRS) application cycle by using resources and programs available on Green Strides. Review FAQs about all three award categories. Head to U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools for more information.  Deadline for Nominations: February 18th, 2022

The Director’s Award recognizes state education authorities’ exemplary efforts to administer ED-GRS. Annually, the Director’s Award goes to the state education official who does the most to advance sustainable education in his or her state. If you wish to nominate a state education official, please send your nomination letter to ed.green.ribbon.schools@ed.gov by March 1, 2022. Any state education official who is involved in implementing the ED-GRS award, and who has not previously won the Director’s Award, is eligible for nomination. Read about the work of past ED-GRS Director’s Award recipients. Nominations due March 1, 2022.

K12 Climate Action is an initiative with the Aspen Institute seeking to unlock the power of the education sector as a force for climate action, solutions, and environmental justice. The K12 Climate Action commission, co-chaired by former EPA Administrator and Governor Christine Todd Whitman and former Secretary of Education John King, released its Action Plan in September with policy recommendations to support schools in reducing their environmental footprints, adapting and building resilience to climate impacts, and educating students on climate change and sustainability, with a focus on advancing equity.

WOHESC is a platform for empowering and inspiring change making, facilitating action, and for sharing, networking, and collaboration related to sustainability within the region's higher education institutions. Through facilitated conversation, workshops, presentations, and networking opportunities, participants will play a role in advancing environmental performance at Cascadia region institutions of higher education, support regional policy goals and initiatives, and drive the development of a generation of professionals for whom sustainability is a core tenant of their work and life philosophy.

March 2 - 4, 2022