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of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

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    ​Pathways to Green Schools

    Partner Organizations

    There are numerous organizations and resources available for you as you move along the path to becoming a more sustainable school.  The organizations listed are our partners in the efforts to help schools to become more sustainable.  Each organization will have numerous resources available for use.

    Partner Organizations

    Eco-Schools USA

    Through school-based action teams of students, administrators, educators and community volunteers, Eco-Schools combines effective "green" management of the school grounds, facilities and the curriculum. 

    We are partnering with Eco-​Schools USA as a way for schools to become a sustainable school and help with the process of applying for the ED-Green Ribbon School award.  The Seven Step Pr​ogram of Eco-Schools USA helps to structure steps in becoming an Eco-School and ED-GRS.  A school can apply for any one of these levels depending on the level of criteria it has met under each of the seven steps. The Bronze Award Criteria, Silver Award Criteria and Green Flag Award Criteria, will help to give schools an idea of what stage they have reached and next steps.

    What are the Sev​en Steps?

    • Establish an Eco-Action Team
    • Perform an Environmental Review / Audit
    • Develop an Eco-Action Plan
    • Monitor and Evaluate Progress
    • Link to Educational Curriculum
    • Involve the Entire School and Larger Community
    • Create an "Eco-Code," or a Mission Statement

    Eco-Schools USA has identified a variety of areas of primary focus or "pathways" to help schools become an Eco-School.  The Eco-Schools USA Pathways to Sustainability include:

    • Energy Pathway
    • Water Pathway
    • Climate Change Pathway
    • Transportation Pathway
    • School Grounds Pathway
    • Consumption and Waste Pathway
    • Healthy Living Pathway  
    • Healthy Schools Pathway
    • Biodiversity Pathway
    • Sustainable Food Pathway
    • Watersheds, Oceans, and Wetlands (WOW) Pathway
    • Learning about Forests (LEAF) Pathway

    We encourage you to utilize the resources of Eco-Schools USA to begin your pathway to becoming a sustainable school.

    Looking for local resources? Visit PA Green & Healthy​ Schools Resources.  These are some of the most valuable, high-impact programs currently available for schools and stakeholders. These resources are grouped according to the three pillars defined by the U. S. Department of Education's Green Ribbon Schools. 

    PA Green and Healthy Schools Partnership is a collaborative effort formed to promote healthy and high performing places of learning across the Commonwealth.  PAGHSP brings together a network of non-profits, governmental agencies, and others who are committed to ensuring that all schools are healthy, environmentally friendly and cost efficient places of learning.

    Green Schools - Project Learning Tree (PLT) The Green Schools program inspires students to apply their STEM and investigative skills to create greener and healthier schools – and save schools money. Importantly with PLT Green Schools, it's students who lead the way. Students learn they can make a difference in the world as they are empowered to make changes and take ownership of the projects, they lead to reduce their school's environmental footprint.  To view and download each of the Investigations for free, register as a PLT Green School. For more information or to schedule a workshop, Contact the Pennsylvania's PLT State Coordinator.

    Green Strides - A dynamic and user-friendly web portal created by the US Department of Education's Green Ribbon Program and USGBC's Center for Green Schools to connect all school communities with the free, publicly available resources from a variety of sources that these recognition award honorees effectively use. The Green Strides portal is intended as a one-stop-shop for resources, webinars, case studies, promising practices and collaboration so that all schools can make progress across every Pillar of the award.

    Projects for A Healthy School Environment @ Bay Backpack  - Pennsylvania is an active participant in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement and are a beneficiary of the collective works of the NOAA -Chesapeake Bay Office's work to help support environmental literacy and sustainable schools since approximately 50 % of our state is within the Chesapeake Bay watershed.  All project resources on Bay Backpack (and others) align with the PA Pathways to Green Schools and the U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools "pillars" of healthy schools. No matter where you are in Pennsylvania, these resources will help you learn more about how to pursue initiatives to improve school health indoors and out and help students and staff utilize the school and school grounds as a learning tool to connect to the environment, improve health and performance, and develop the knowledge and skills to address sustainability and environmental issues in their community.

    US Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools (ED-GRS) is to inspire schools, districts and institutions of higher education (IHEs) to strive for 21st century excellence, by highlighting promising practices and resources that all can employ.

    The Center for Green Schools at the US Green Building Council advances green schools and provides materials and training for school districts and education leaders seeking to create sustainable, healthy, resilient, and equitable learning environments. Support is provided through professional development, peer networks, research, and advocacy. gives them access to educational opportunities and a community of green building experts.

    Resources

    GREEN STRIDES, is a collection of support and resource materials provided by the US Department of Education and the Center for Green Schools, designed to connect all school communities with the free, publicly-available resources from a variety of sources that these recognition award honorees effectively use. The Green Strides portal is intended as a one-stop-shop for resources, webinars, case studies, promising practices, and collaboration so that all schools can make progress across every Pillar of the award.

    Arc in Schools is a free and online building performance platform that assists school s in collecting, auditing, and communicating a school building's sustainability performance data in one easy-to-read score and graphic: energy, water, waste, transportation, and air quality. 

    Recycle My Battery (RMB), is a non-profit organization that has received international recognition for their work to educate about the benefits of battery recycling.  Founded Nihal Tammana, at age 10, and now lead by a cooperative of students and advisor, RMB is actively working to reduce contaminants related to battery use in the waste stream and provide resources for Battery Free Schools. Through strategic partnerships with Call2Recycle, school superintendents, and fiscal donors, RMB provides schools and other NGOs recycling bins and awareness campaign resources to over 250 locations across the USA.​