Long-time collaborators Missouri Gateway Green Building Council and Missouri Environmental Education Association are thrilled to bring all of their green schools programming under umbrella called Show-Me Green Schools! Show-Me Green Schools is a suite of three free programs that provide structure, resources and recognition to support every Missouri PreK-12 school in becoming a green school – no matter their starting place. This edition of the Show-Me Green Schools Newsletter includes information on making the case for sustainability staff, grant opportunities, and recordings highlighting educational opportunities for schools to improve their infrastructure and environmental education programming. Be sure to mark your calendars for the upcoming events! | | |
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Center for Green Schools Report on Sustainability Staff
Published by the Center for Green Schools, this report provides insights from a national survey on the financial costs and benefits of hiring PK-12 sustainability and environmental health staff to drive better working and learning conditions within schools. The publication highlights professionals from 49 school districts across the country serving 4.1 million students. In addition, this report provides an initial look into who is primarily responsible for IAQ in school districts and how that has changed as a result of COVID. Advocates looking to hire sustainability staff at their organization can find additional case making facts, staffing examples, actual job descriptions, and reporting structures in the companion resource, Making the Case for K-12 Sustainability Staff: A Toolkit for Success.
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Show-Me Green Schools Headlines | | |
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Check out our new website!
Missouri Green Schools, Green Schools Quest, and the U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools have recently come together under the umbrella of Show-Me Green Schools, a suite of three free programs co-managed by Missouri Gateway Green Building Council and Missouri Environmental Education Association. You can now go to one spot to find registration, information, and resources for all 3 programs!
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Missouri Green Schools - Request for Review
MGS Honorees are announced annually in October. If a school would like to be reviewed for recognition they must fill out the Review Request Form by June 30. School materials will be reviewed over the summer in preparation for the annual MGS Honoree announcement.
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2022-2023 Green Schools Quest Winners Announced
Congratulations 2022-2023 Green Schools Quest Winners! There was a great turn out for our 16th Annual Green Schools Event where all of this year's GSQ schools and mentors were celebrated and winners announced! Another highlight was hearing directly from participants in a panel discussion moderated by the Green Schools Committee Co-Chairs.
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U.S. Department of Education 2023 Green Ribbon Schools Honoree
Patrick Henry Downtown Academy Elementary School in the St. Louis Public School District received recognition from the U.S. Department of Education as a 2023 Green Ribbon School thanks to its innovative efforts to reduce environmental impact and utility costs, improve health and wellness, and ensure sustainability education. Patrick Henry is the only school from Missouri to receive the distinction this year.
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Past ED-Green Ribbon Schools honoree, Parkway School District was recognized nationally for their high school's underground geothermal plant. The district is saving more than $100,000 a year in energy costs compared to 2017. The geothermal project cost more than $2.4 million, but the district expects to continue the annual savings for the system’s lifespan, which is expected to be multiple decades.
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Show-Me Green Schools Featured on KDHX Earthworms Podcast
Jean Ponzi recently interviewed Show-Me Green Schools co-managers, Hope Gribble and Lesli Moylan, about whole-school sustainability, the three pillars of a green school, student and staff engagement, and the movement as a whole. This conversation is a great entry to the concepts and programs that fall within the Show-Me Green Schools suite.
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Resources & Opportunities | | |
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Applications are open through Friday, July 21st for the Center for Green Schools 2023-24 Leaders in Sustainability Fellowship program! Each year, ten Fellows from school systems around the country are selected to participate in peer networking, targeted professional development, leadership training, and attend professional learning events such as the Green Schools Conference. This program is a unique and free opportunity we offer our peer-network community.
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Early bird registration is now open for the upcoming 4 Seasons of Indigenous Learning! This initiative encourages and empowers educators to deepen their understanding of Indigenous knowledge and perspectives while strengthening connections with the local land.
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Announcing Bulk Milk! An Initiative Supporting Sustainability & Waste Reduction
Applications due by July 31, 2023
Bulk Milk is a program to help school districts transition from conventional milk served in individual bottles/cartons to bulk milk dispensers with reusable plastic tumblers. To apply for Bulk Milk, districts must participate in the National School Lunch Program, have a minimum enrollment of 100 students, be able to procure bulk milk bibs and possess a dishwashing machine to wash reusable cups.
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EPA Clean School Bus Program
Applications due by August 22, 2023
Under the 2023 CSB Grant Program, the Agency is asking for applications nationwide to award approximately $400 million in competitive grant funding to eligible applicants for the purchase of zero-emission (ZE) school buses, clean school buses, and ZE charging infrastructure. To assist potential applicants, EPA will host a series of public webinars May through August to provide potential applicants with an overview of the program and how to apply.
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K12 Education and Climate Provisions in The Inflation Reduction Act
The education sector plays an important yet often overlooked role in addressing climate change. Across the country, nearly 100,000 public schools, each with a substantial carbon footprint, make up one the largest consumers of energy in the public sector. Efforts to decarbonize our schools also create opportunities for the 50 million students enrolled in schools to engage with climate solutions first-hand, helping to build our societal capacity to address climate change now and into the future.
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2023 Report on HVAC Choices for Student Health and Learning
This report goes into depth about the concerns about hot classrooms, soaring energy costs, and the spread of transmissible disease have put school heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems at the center of discussion. It provides insight on solutions to these challenges, and how it is imperative decision makers at all levels need to understand how students, school districts, and their communities will benefit from adopting modern HVAC solutions.
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Zero Waste 101: A Brief Guide to Adopting the Five Rs of Zero Waste at Your School
The concept of zero waste is easily summed up with five Rs: refuse, reduce, reuse, rot (compost), and recycle. Starting a zero-waste program is not just good for the environment but can also help your school save money through smarter purchasing decisions and lower transportation costs. This article by the Green Schools National Network covers what you need to do to get a zero-waste program off the ground as well as some ideas for implementing the five Rs of zero waste.
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Results of a new survey, conducted by The Natural Start Alliance, a project of the North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE), show that nature-based preschools are growing rapidly in the United States. This webinar will provide an overview of the growth of nature preschools in the United States, along with examples of the variety of program types and approaches now available; characteristics of children and educators in these programs; how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected programs; and more.
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Managing Sustainability & Indoor Air Quality in School Districts: A Profile of Staff in the K-12 Sector
In this webinar, the Center for Green Schools will help make the case for investing in PK-12 sustainability and environmental health champions by highlighting new national research on the financial costs and benefits of hiring staff to drive better working and learning conditions within schools. Examples from other schools and districts nationally will be shared along with key tips and resources for advocating for sustainability and environmental health staff at your institution.
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The Center for Transportation and the Environment (CTE) has partnered with World Resources Institute (WRI) to present a must-attend webinar for school district administrators, transportation managers, and anyone involved in the planning and implementation of ESBs and supporting infrastructure. Meet expert panelists from BYD, Jacobs, Dallas ISD, and Boston Public Schools for a discussion on approaches to transition planning and other tips for deploying ESBs today in a manner that will support future fleet growth.
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NAAEE partnered with Edge Research to conduct this survey, and the findings suggest the need to do much more to help support teachers and administrators and build confidence in addressing the issue of our times! The national survey of U.S. K–12 teachers and administrators is highlighted by Lisa Dropkin and Pam Loeb, principals from Edge Research, and Sarah Bodor, director of policy and affiliate relations from NAAEE.
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June 14 | 9:00 AM - 3:30 PM
Join EarthWays Center at the 2023 Energy Efficiency Educator Workshops this summer! This free workshop is a great professional learning opportunity to discover new ways to teach energy. Workshops are available in June, July, and August in cities across Missouri so that you can pick the best date and location for your summer plans.
*You must live or work in Spire or Liberty Utilities territory to qualify for a stipend and toolkit.*
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Benchmarking Sustainability Metrics for Healthy & Resource Efficient Schools
June 15 | 2:00 PM - 3:30 PM CT
Join the Center for Green Schools for this free webinar where you'll hear directly from school systems on the innovative approaches they are implementing to benchmark and manage energy, water, waste, and indoor air quality data. Following rapid-fire presentations, attendees will have the opportunity to join breakout rooms by topic to learn from each other about successes and challenges in managing school building data.
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K-12 School Greenhouse Gas Accounting Workshop
June 20 | 1:00 PM - 2:30 PM CT
The Center for Green Schools is hosting a three-part deep dive green house gas emissions (GHG) workshop for K-12 school and school district staff who are leading the climate or sustainability strategy for their school system. Participants will learn to set goals and boundaries as well as organize school system data for a GHG baseline assessment. Additionally, time will be allocated to develop a plan for how to use the GHG baseline to drive a more complete climate action strategy.
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2023 Sustainability Institute for Educators
June 20- 22, 2023 | 8:30 AM - 4 PM (daily)
Designed for educators from all roles and environments, participants in this year's Institute will explore the multidisciplinary nature of climate change. Through interactive sessions and presentations by local climate change experts, educators will learn the basics of climate science and how to bring climate solutions to their classrooms.
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Population Education Institute in St. Louis
June 21 | 2 Day Event
Please note that the application's deadline is June 21, 2023. The facilitator training is open to educators who are interested in leading Population Education workshops for their colleagues at schools, universities, and conferences around the region. Population Education, a program of Population Connection, has been hosting these “train-the-trainer” events for the past 30 years. Population Education is covering the weekend's expenses (lodging and meals for the weekend, as well as up to a $500 travel stipend), as well as providing a set of curriculum products.
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Community Convo - Electrifying Landscaping Equipment
June 23 | 11:30 AM - 12:30 PM
Join peers in K-12 sustainability to share successes and break down barriers for transitioning school system landscaping equipment from gas to electric. While the electric powered equipment technology is still new and options are often limited, more and more school systems are swapping out mowers, leaf blowers and more.
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First Friday Webinars: Prioritizing Nature for Equity & Resilience
July 7 | 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM CT
| Rating systems are used as tools to by these cities to inspire research and projects that promote targeted nature-based design interventions and green infrastructure that can substantially mitigate the heat island effect while also addressing historical inequities such as unequal energy burden, frontline community health, and food deserts. Hear from a panel of city officials and landscape designers as they highlight transformational parks and trails in multiple cities across the United States. | |
Join Native American contemporary graphic artists Michael Sheyahshe (Caddo) and Dr. Lee Francis IV (Laguna Pueblo) in conversation with Supervisory Curator Jennifer Shannon to examine examine why commonly used imagery and language about Native peoples are detrimental to student understanding of Native histories and cultures. As part of the webinar, teachers will explore how to use these award-winning artists’ NK360° imagery as well as their graphic novel and comic book art in the classroom. | | |
If you’ve ever wanted to start your students thinking about trash and recycling, but didn’t know where to begin, this workshop is for you. This FREE workshop will provide you with the resources, tools, and knowledge you need to bring solid-waste related topics like recycling, composting, and household hazardous waste, into your classroom and empower students to make change in their community. | |
This free workshop is designed to help facilitate your desire to learn more about stormwater management and water quality while discovering new ways to bring this topic back to the classroom. It will also provide training on how to use the popular EnviroS cape watershed model; models are available for loan FREE from the MSD Project Clear Clean Water Education program. | |
Do you have a Green Schools Moment you'd like to share?
We want to hear from you! Please drop us a line to share a recent story (big or small!) about green activities taking place in your school community so that we might help elevate the good work you are doing through our communication channels.
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Show-Me Green Schools is a joint program of the Missouri Environmental Education Association and the Missouri Gateway Green Building Council. |
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