October 2015 News
In This Issue
NGSS Student Spotlight
Green Schools Joins No Planeta B
The Adirondack Youth Climate Summit
ACE Assembly
Enable Students and Parents to Fight Local AIr Pollution
Connecting for Change Conference
Resources
Start a NGSS Chapter
Engage Your Fellow Students
Check Out Our Partners
Grant and Scholarship Opportunities

Interact With Green Schools!


 

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Green Schools Press Release
NEW ENGLAND - October 1, 2015 - This fall the Walmart Foundation sponsored the development and implementation of a New England Green Student Leadership Council that will engage students in grades five through 12 across the region in environmental service projects, environmental education activities, project-based learning, and leadership opportunities.  Modeled after the successful Massachusetts Green Student Leadership Council, the New England group (NE GSLC) is an initiative of National Green Schools Society, a Massachusetts-based national non-profit organization dedicated to innovative Environmental Education, E-STEM Education, Leadership, and Action. Read More
NGSS Student Spotlight
Meet Olivia Gieger, Senior at Wellesly High School, Wellesly, MA

Green Schools and NGSS are very excited to work with Olivia this year!



What are your personal goals as a NGSS leader this year?
As an NGSS leader, my personal goals are to connect more with the leadership team in order to spread ideas and initiatives among leaders and throughout schools in Massachusetts. I also hope to help increase and improve NGSS's social media presence and create more awareness in my community about what we are doing and what other people can do to help the environment. Read our full interview with Olivia 
Green Schools Joins No Planeta B to #CutTheRedTape

Green Schools and No Planeta B are joining forces with a multilateral approach to raising awareness on Climate Change, action commitment to Sustainability and calling on political climate action in Paris at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) conference of parties, COP21 later this year.  

Students TAKE ACTION
Students and Families SIGN THE PETITION
Join Green Schools at The Adirondack Youth Climate Summit
November 12 & 13, 2015 

The Adirondack Youth Climate Summit is a two-day event held at The Wild Center in Tupper Lake, NY where students gather to learn about climate change and discuss sustainable solutions. The Adirondack Youth Climate Summit brings together a diverse set of nearly 200 high school & college students, teachers, and faculty from 30 schools across the Northeastern U.S. The Summit combines informative plenary sessions and workshops in an engaging atmosphere during this transformative educational experience. School teams create unique Climate Action Plans at the Summit to implement climate solutions in their schools and communities.

Download the flyer to learn more about how your school can attend! 
Bring the ACE Assembly to Your School Today!

The ACE Assembly is a live, multimedia assembly presentation for high schools on climate science and solutions.  It's climate science that puts teenagers at the center of the story and combines air-tight science with pop-culture entertainment.  Using references from peer-reviewed publications and cutting-edge storytelling techniques, we explain the science behind climate change and show the stories of young people whose lives have been affected by it.  But we don't stop there -- climate change without solutions makes for apathetic, disengaged students.  We end with a vision of our world without climate change and how young people are going to get us there with every student having the opportunity to take action. 

Since 2009, the ACE Assembly has been delivered to more than 2 million students at thousands of high schools across the country.  Learn more and book your ACE assembly today at: www.acespace.org/assembly.
Enable Students and Parents to Fight Local Air Pollution With Free New Curriculum + Web Site
Vivergy wants to help Green Schools members in their air pollution education efforts! Vivergy is a free new site that allows individuals to  control their impact on local air pollution. Did you know that living in the Boston area is like *living with a smoker for three months of the
year*? They are trying to change that! The URL is joinvivergy.com. The big idea is to help parents and students understand the consequences of fossil fuels on their community and their health.  Learn More
Connecting for Change Conference
October 23-24, 2015 in New Bedford, MA 
There's still time to register for the conference!

Connecting for Change networks young leaders with a unique mix of innovators, elders and youth to inspire and support them in authentic engagement and leadership. New leaders are often prime movers of social change and leaders in innovation. They push boundaries, watch, listen, create, express, and ask hard questions. Connecting for Change networks people like you with nonprofit professionals and other attendees to co-create an unparalleled opportunity to explore and experience authentic leadership that is balanced and sustainable, including self-care and spiritual connection. 

Watch Julia Butterfly-Child -Past Keynote Speaker

Check out the program

Special student rate for just $25 a day. Scholarships available!

Volunteer and attend at no cost
Resources
Start a National Green Schools Society Chapter TODAY!
Now is the time to sign up for a National Green Schools Society Chapter for your school and students. Complete a NGSS Application TODAY. 
National Green Schools Society (NGSS) provides a k-12 student recognition and awards program for environmentally focused students who are creating extraordinary impact in schools, organizations, and 
communities. Many of our students join NGSS to receive recognition for environmental service projects, environmental activism and leadership, environmental STEM projects (E-STEM), school projects that focus on the environment, and group projects. NGSS often is the catalyst to start or restart an environmental club in a school, and it serves as a continual motivator for students and advisors to maintain the club each year. This year we worked with students in public, private, charter, and home school.

For 2014-2015 school year, we recognized an array of student projects that include:
  • Environmental service project building trails in the Puerto Rico rainforest
  • Recycled art and ocean project
  • Elementary education program created and delivered by high school students
  • School garden programs and outdoor classrooms
  • Student-led divestment from fossil fuels activism on a state-wide level
  • Student leadership working with a town sustainability committee
  • Science experiments looking at global warming and ocean acidification impacts
Superintendents, administrators, and teachers say that NGSS is a no-brainer - it helps them to recognize environmentally focused students and highlight their achievements.
Engage Your Fellow Students!
Ask your fellow students to join the NGSS Chapter! Put up this flyer around your school with information on your chapter or team's next meeting. 
Check Out Our Partners

When you become a National Green Schools Society Chapter you can get started right away with environmental service projects from our outstanding partners. We know that it is common for students and advisors to wonder about where to go for project ideas or they may have a hard time getting the environmental club started during the first few months of the year. To help you get started and keep the momentum going, check out our partner programs and pick one. We have carefully selected these partner programs because they are well supported, easy to implement, and really deliver on environmental impact in schools and communities. At the end of the year, apply for NGSS recognition using the projects and programs from our partners or use your school-based projects! All of these programs are FREE.


Eco-Schools USA
Eco-Schools is an internationally acclaimed program that provides a framework to help educators integrate sustainability principles throughout their schools and curriculum.

 

Alliance for Climate Education (ACE)
ACE does two things best. First, it teaches climate science that puts teenagers at the center of the story. The live, in-school assembly is award-winning and proven to work. Second, it gives every student a chance to take action. 


 The Center for Green Schools at the US Green Building Council (USGBC)

Green Apple Day of Service
Green Apple is a global movement to put all children in schools where they have clean and healthy air to breathe, where energy and resources are conserved, and where they can be inspired to dream of a brighter future. 


 Green Schools Alliance

Green Cup Challenge
The Green Cup Challenge invites all K-12 schools to measure and reduce energy use, improve recycling and waste reduction and promote water conservation. 

Planet Aid
Planet Aid is a nonprofit organization that collects and recycles used clothing and shoes to protect the environment and support sustainable development in impoverished communities around the world. 

 

Click to learn more about each partner 
Grant and Scholarship Opportunities

 The Karma for Cara Foundation is encouraging kids 18 and under to apply for funds between $250 and $1,000 to complete service projects in their communities. Whether it is turning a vacant lot into a community garden, rebuilding a school playground or helping senior citizens get their homes ready for winter, they want to hear what project you're passionate about. Learn More


VolunTEEN Nation International Service Project Grants - Dealine: Rolling 

Students (ages 13-22) from the United States going abroad to volunteer or study in a developing country are encouraged to apply for an international service-learning mini-grant from VolunTEEN Nation. Grants are for up to $300 to create a service project in a developing country while you are visiting that country. Learn More
  

Sincerely,

Robin Organ

Founder and Executive Director

Green Schools