GreenSchools

A preschool curriculum director describes her school’s focus on the outdoors and nature and how PLT helped give their teachers and students some structure and new ideas for ways to deepen study.

Bookmark these ideas for students to conduct investigations and learn about water conservation, plus tips for how to build your own rain barrel. This story highlights students in Kansas who calculated the amount of water their school uses, and the dollar savings in water bills after they installed rain barrels.

Project Learning Tree schools share lessons teachers learned after starting a class garden.

With PLT GreenWorks! grants, students in Alabama, Indiana and Michigan took the lead to restore, design and build nature trails, learning about ecosystems and forest health.

A GreenWorks! grant to Coles Elementary in Virginia sparked science learning across all grades as students investigated a soil erosion problem on their school grounds.

Young students don’t need to wait until they’re older to make a difference. Here are 13 inspiring stories that show what’s possible when young environmentalists take action.

As the pandemic has disrupted countless traditional learning environments, many have begun to move classes outdoors. But as Project Learning Tree educators know all-too-well, taking lessons outdoors offers many more benefits than just germ control!

Learn how this student got her school principal to agree to starting a GreenSchools program, and what she is doing to motivate teachers and students.

Tips for involving students in a green schools program from teachers at Two Rivers Magnet Middle School in East Hartford, CT.

Building school gardens, reconstructing running trails, creating maple sugar. Highlights from projects funded by Project Learning Tree’s GreenWorks! grants program.

The sustainable school garden project has yielded a rich harvest of home-grown vegetables, increased knowledge of potential food choices, and experiential learning opportunities.

With PLT activities infused across the curriculum and some amazing student accomplishments, this school is a model for others wanting to build a GreenSchools program.

Students in Michigan have reduced greenhouse gas emissions, implemented a school-wide recycling program, are growing produce for their school cafeteria, among many other initiatives.

Learn how students at this urban school in Newark, NJ brought nature indoors to improve air quality, connect with science lessons, and develop their leadership skills.

Exploring Mars while recycling on Earth, composting in the classroom, creating a wildlife garden. These are some highlights from service-learning projects funded by GreenWorks! grants.

“Kids can always make a difference in society” exclaimed a student from this exceptional green school in Alabama. Learn how teachers are inspiring their students.

In Washington, D.C., ABC Channel 7 interviewed students about their work outside of the classroom that’s raising the environmental awareness of their community.

Be inspired and learn what can be accomplished in a small amount of time with these tips from teachers at a middle school in Oklahoma.

The Earth Team at a California middle school diverted 40% of their school’s waste from landfills as part of a school-wide project.

“No excuses, just solutions” is the motto of McKinley Tech, a PLT GreenSchool in the nation’s capital. Read about the motto in action.

Students in an urban Baltimore high school finds creative ways to restore the Chesapeake Bay ecosystem–learning and providing a valuable service at the same time.

It’s clear why this Florida school was selected to help pilot the national PLT GreenSchools program.

A Kansas high school teacher inspires her students–and they inspire her–to seek ways to go green.

Strong support for PLT comes from the principal, teachers, and students at this Florida K-8 school.

Discovering an endangered Ozark chestnut tree (also called Chinquapin) in the woods near the school campus inspired Acorn School students to take action.

PLT GreenSchools investigations provide a firm foundation at Walden Community School in Winter Park, Florida.

Students at Alder Avenue Middle School did not just complain about the quality of a nearby river–they did something about it.

PLT GreenSchools results in a greener environment–and confident, self-assured students–at a Kansas high school.

From Landfill Larry to an “idle-free” pick-up zone, students at Dimensions of Learning Academy found innovative ways to make a difference.

McKinney, Texas, often receives quality-of-life awards. Wolford Elementary helps contribute with a conservation focus across all grade levels.

Fishburn Park students in Roanoke do indeed care for fish–as well as recycle, monitor water quality, and a whole lot more!

The Learning Gate School community, including teachers, students, and families, lives and learns by the fact that “nature is the best teacher.”

It’s important to teach students the impact pollinators have on our lives. Here are pollinator projects created by students of all ages.

Learn how a small school in New Jersey established sustainability as an integrated concept.

A Washington outdoor learning center, housed in structures built by the Civilian Conservation Corps, is still going strong.

Pairing older and younger students to create a nature trail around a New York school’s perimeter provides learning experiences for both.

This high school science teacher has “been doing green things for years.” Ever since his school became a GreenSchool, his students have accomplished much more.

Students in the Green Energy Academy at Bloomfield Vocational Technical School find ways to make their school and community even greener.

An urban school teacher in Denver adapts GreenSchools to meet the needs of her Latino students, incorporates gardening and farming at a nearby Urban Farm.

An elementary school in Louisiana proves Project Learning Tree is a powerful tool that can be used to improve student test scores.

A new outdoor space at an elementary school in Madisonville, Kentucky, provides many hands-on learning opportunities for the students.

Whether your school is just starting out or has had lots of experience being “green,” PLT’s GreenSchools Investigations can help move you forward.

Washington, D.C. might belong to the whole nation as our capital–but it also a place where kids live, learn, and go green.

Sixth grade students at Glenvar Middle School in Salem, Va., built raised beds and cooked their own food. This “Project Produce” has encouraged healthy lifestyles in the classroom and at home.

A large, diverse Title 1 public school and a small, private school in Houston both use PLT’s GreenSchools program to meet the needs of students.

Students and teachers from a South Carolina high school share tips for PLT GreenSchools success.

Sixteen schools across the country participated in the MonarchLIVE project to build butterfly gardens. Here are the stories of three of those schools.

A new volunteer program at Long Island Children’s Museum trains teens to become museum educators. The volunteers develop interactive nature and science programming for children and adults.

An elementary teacher from Arkansas shares what she’s learned from implementing a schoolyard habitat project. Organizing a committee, engaging volunteers, and publicizing the effort have all contributed to their success.

High school students in Salt Lake City, Utah, made their own biodiesel fuel from used vegetable oil for our school bus to reduce CO2 emissions.