By PLT Staff

PLT recently awarded nearly $85,000 in GreenWorks! grants to 56 schools and youth organizations across the country for community-based environmental projects. Elementary through college age students in 25 states and the Virgin Islands will design native plant gardens, restore streams and riparian habitat, construct hiking trails, start composting projects, and investigate alternative sources of energy.  GreenWorks! is PLT’s service-learning program that engages PLT educators and their students with their local community in “learning-by-doing” neighborhood improvement projects.

Since 1992, PLT has distributed more than $500,000 to fund over 780 grant projects in communities across the country. This year, approximately $150,000 will be awarded in two funding cycles.  Proposals for the Spring 2008 grants are due on April 30.  Grants up to $5,000 are available.

This year, Esurance (an online insurance provider) helped PLT extend GreenWorks! grants to exciting and worthwhile projects that may not have been able to go forward otherwise.  Esurance supported projects in five communities where it has offices.  The schools are located in or near Atlanta, Dallas, Phoenix, Sacramento, and Sioux Falls, SD.  Esurance volunteers will volunteer with the local projects as needed by their local schools. 

“When teachers and their students work with their community to investigate and take action to improve an aspect of the environment in the places they live, everyone benefits,” said Al Stenstrup, Director of Curriculum Programs for Project Learning Tree. “Student leadership, service-learning, and community participation are at the core of PLT’s GreenWorks! projects.”

For a complete list of environmental service-learning projects taking place now in communities across the country, see the current GreenWorks! grant awardees.

More information about GreenWorks! (including grant guidelines and an application)