By Kyle Cooper

Students are leading the way to improve their school environment, save their school money, and teach others best practices.  Below we highlight four model PLT GreenSchools! around the country:

Paul Middle School ~ Washington, D.C.
In December, students at Paul Middle School had a unique opportunity to participate in a live distance-learning session with college students that were panelists at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, Denmark. The students shared their experiences using PLT’s GreenSchools! Investigations and their ideas for reducing energy use at their school as a practical way to reduce CO2 in the atmosphere.

In March, the Green Team student leaders from Paul Middle School traveled to Philadelphia to present with the National PLT Staff at the 2010 National Science Teachers Association Conference. Courtney McCrimmon and Meheret Mekonnen created and delivered a PowerPoint presentation.  Forty science teachers from across the United States were enthralled to learn from students about ways to implement Project Learning Tree and GreenSchools! programs in their schools. Afterwards, the students hosted a question and answer session and were met with a standing ovation!  Following their presentation, the students showed hundreds of conference participants in the exhibit hall how to use some of the GreenSchools! monitoring equipment. 

“The GreenSchools! students have accepted the call of action to change the mentality of youth and adults regarding their environmental practices at school, in the community, and at home. If we all work together we can make a change for the future,” says Julia Vereen, Science Coordinator at Paul Middle School.

Scuola Vita Nuova Charter School ~ Kansas City, Missouri
In April, Scuola Vita Nuova’s (SVN) Green Team student leaders presented with the National PLT Staff at the 2010 National Youth Leadership Conference in San Jose, California. Officials from Learn and Serve America were impressed with SVN’s GreenSchools! presentation and invited SVN’s Green Team President Zayra Soto, an 8th grader, to join the Youth Speaker’s Bureau program that supports youth who speak publicly about the positive effects service-learning can have on youth, institutions, and communities.

“The GreenSchools! program has made a remarkable difference in our impact on our environment,” said Zayra. “Because we live in the Heartland, we show “heart” in everything we do, and we have had a wonderful time serving our Earth and learning about how we can become better citizens through our stewardship of natural resources. We look forward to more exciting ways to serve our school, our community, and our planet.”

Low Country Preparatory ~ Pawley’s Island, South Carolina
For six weeks, five Green Teams collected school-wide data relating to the GreenSchools! Investigations. For example, students measured lumens in various light sources and delamping seemed possible to them. The team changed all 600 bulbs in the school to CFLs to save over $5,000 per year! They also discovered that their school’s more than 55 computers were left on 24/7, costing their school $216 per computer per year.  One team member found a “shut-down and boot” timer online that’s now been installed on each computer.

One Green Team sponsored a “Greenest Grade” recycling contest. The grade level that recycled the most received recognition and an award. The team used spring scales to measure school waste and bestowed the “Greenest Grade” award to the 5th grade for their aggressive recycling campaign.

Student teams also drew up plans for an “ideal campus” and were excited to present their ideas to the school’s Board of Trustees.

Bicentennial School ~ Nashua, New Hampshire
For two years, NH Project Learning Tree has been working closely with Bicentennial Elementary School to embed study of the environment into their curriculum at every grade level, provide sustained teacher professional development, and build stronger connections between the school and its surrounding community.  PLT’s GreenSchools! Investigations and environmental improvement service-learning projects have been incorporated into this “whole-school” work.  Driven by the school’s Green Team, which is a volunteer student group comprised mostly of 5th graders, teams of students and teachers have investigated their school’s solid waste and recycling, water, and energy.

In an email to the school staff in September, Principal Kyle Langille said, “It is with great excitement and pride I let you know our NECAP [New England Common Assessment Program] Science scores for grade 4 show significant improvement.   Our renewed emphasis on the science GSEs, our continued partnership with Project Learning Tree and your highly motivating and engaging lessons, are all contributing factors.  Congratulations!  It takes a collective effort to see this kind of change.”