Tips for Greening Schools

From eco-conscious school supplies to creative projects using recycled materials, inspire students to think critically about their environmental footprint.

Engage students in learning about the vital role of bees and other pollinators with these engaging activities for World Bee Day. From exploring the bee life cycle to creating pollinator inventions, these hands-on projects cater to various grade levels and learning styles.

Imagine this. Students, teachers, and administrators working together to achieve a common goal – improving the environmental quality and sustainability of school campuses. Now imagine …

Spring has sprung, which means now is the perfect time to start a classroom garden! Learn how to get your garden growing with minimal resources while engaging students with hands-on learning.

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.

Soil is unbelievably important for forests and all of life on earth. Help youth understand the negative effects of erosion and encourage soil development with our article and student activity ideas.

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.

Four teachers share their experiences from students’ GreenWorks! projects to help pollinators with native plant gardens, a bee keeping operation, and constructing bat houses.

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.

Thirty-two percent of the plastics produced each year flow into our oceans. Here are a few ways you can encourage your students to reflect on how much plastic they use and how they can reduce their plastic consumption to protect the environment.

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.

As the leader of the Green Team at my high school, I’m proud of the collaborative efforts of over 100 students, the principal, and volunteers.

Give “reduce, reuse, recycle” a whole new meaning by incorporating this concept into many subject areas. Many of these hands-on project ideas can be adapted for any grade.

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.

Ready, set, plant! Tree planting tips for your class, community group, or family to use when planting trees.

What does the recycling symbol represent? If you answered, “reduce, reuse, recycle”, that is incorrect! Read on for more recycling myths busted…

The Greene School has a final “e” in the name because of its location near the village of Greene, Rhode Island (named for colonial leader …

A Master Gardener shares his check list of things to do in the garden in September.

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.

“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.

‘Ewa Makai Middle School’s vision: Empower, Explore, Excel Together! In becoming a green school, faculty and students work together to make the vision a reality.

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

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 successful service-learning project is more than just volunteering—it involves students applying knowledge and skills to make a difference in their communities.

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.