Green Schools

Our Green Schools program is devoted to bringing the fundamentals of sustainability education to students and schools in our region at varying age levels through workshops, volunteers, and micro-grants to provide sustainable needs for campuses.

“By fostering the value and the necessity of sustainability to the youth, we are not only teaching sustainable solutions but are also building more mindful citizens for our future.”

The Sustainability Fundamentals education sessions provide a high-level overview of the concepts around sustainability to primary and secondary school students through a 90-minute workshop delivered by experts from our member base of sustainability professionals. The workshops introduce students to the goals, principles, and practical applications of sustainability covering various topics. Access the full curriculum overview here.

As a follow up to the workshops, each teacher receives an email with a variety of resources that they can access to continue to further sustainability education in their classrooms, including free USGBC-LA memberships for students, teachers, and school staff, free access to the USGBC Learning Lab with more than 580 sustainability lessons across all K-12 grade levels and multiple subjects in English and Spanish.

To date, USGBC-LA has been presenting Sustainability Fundamentals workshops to schools in the greater LA region since 2021, impacting over 1000 K-12 students.

We also invite you to check out the USGBC National Learning Lab Website with valuable FREE resources for students, educators and parents that can be used for distance learning during this global pandemic time. 

Our Green Schools Program now provides fun and interactive hands-on kits, that demonstrate experiential learning following our sustainability fundamentals workshop. 

The project kits are designed as student-centered tasks. Students are encouraged to use their creativity and newfound knowledge from the workshops to reimagine ecosystems, create art with upcycled materials, and plan urban design. Read more about the kits below!

Elementary School

Terrarium Ecosystems

Terrarium ecosystem is an interactive project that teaches students how life exists and what is essential for building a fully functioning ecosystem. 

Middle School:

Creating with Waste – Upcycling

Creating a usable product from waste or unwanted items can turn trash into treasure! This project will teach students the importance of reducing waste and increasing the useful life of existing resources.

High School:

Sustainable Improvements

Students begin applying skills and knowledge they have learned through the curriculum to become “city planners” and upgrade a “city” by applying sustainable design practices to creating the city layout, building plans, and a 3D city model using various upcycled materials.

The Green Apple Day of Service is an annual event that brings together volunteers, parents, teachers, students, companies, and local organizations to contribute to sustainability projects in local schools that create a lasting impact. The Green Apple Day of Service is your day of action!

Want $500 To Help Green Your Child’s School?

Every year, the USGBC-LA Green Schools Committee opens applications for microgrants for green schools’ projects to be completed in the School Year. Successful past projects have included:

• Tree planting
• Garden installation/expansion
• Green wall installations
• Mural painting
• Dishwasher installation to reduce the use of disposable dishware
• In-Classroom education
• Air quality testing
• Energy, water, and waste audits