GreenNotes
Getting Started with a Schoolwide Mindfulness Program
Mental health is top of mind for many in the United States these days and schools are taking steps to support the mental health of their teachers, staff, and students. One way that schools are offering support is through the implementation of schoolwide mindfulness...
How to Distinguish Outdoor Learning from Learning Outside
Over the last several years, teachers have been shifting their classes outdoors in response to safety protocols spurred by the COVID-19 pandemic. This has been beneficial for student health and well-being for sure but learning outside could be so much more if it...
Q&A with a Network Partner: Boulder Valley School District’s Sustainable Facilities and Operations
Ghita Carroll, PhD Sustainability Coordinator, Boulder Valley School District (Boulder, Colorado) This blog post is the last in a series of Q&As that feature GSNN partners describing best practices and lessons learned on topics tied to each of the impact systems...
Go Green with Your Cleaning Routine: Starting a Green Cleaning School Program
A healthy school environment is key to supporting the well-being and academic performance of all students. Keeping schools clean and safe is essential to maintaining such an environment, especially as schools return to in-person learning. However, many...
Zero Waste 101: A Brief Guide to Adopting the Five Rs of Zero Waste at Your School
Waste reduction is a big deal for K-12 schools – and schools produce a lot of waste! To meet sustainability goals, schools may add a recycling program, or even a composting program if local infrastructure allows. Now, more schools are beginning to aim for zero waste –...
Mitigating Climate Change through Food: How to Serve Climate-Friendly Meals in K-12 Schools
Nora Stewart, Friends of the Earth As the climate crisis intensifies, the need to make healthier and climate-friendly food choices is more urgent than ever. How? Changing what’s on school menus is a great place to start! School food is a daily source of nourishment...
Q&A with a Network Partner: Supporting a Diverse and Inclusive School Community at Centreville Elementary School
Josh Douds, Jennifer Killingsworth, and Rachel Forte, Centreville Elementary School (Centreville, Virginia) Throughout the upcoming months, we will be running a Q&A blog series that features GSNN partners describing best practices and lessons learned on topics...
Fostering Culturally Responsive Social-Emotional Learning at Zuni High School
Zuni High School and Twin Buttes Cyber Academy SEL Curriculum Writers (Zuni, New Mexico) Zuni Pueblo, located in southwestern New Mexico, is home to the proud people of the Zuni or A:Shiwi, as we refer to ourselves. Archaeological findings and oral stories suggest...
Q&A with a Network Partner: A Focus on Health and Wellness Supports the Entire School Community at Encinitas Union School District
Andree Grey, Superintendent, Encinitas Union School District (Encinitas, California) Throughout the upcoming months, we will be running a Q&A blog series that features GSNN partners describing best practices and lessons learned on topics tied to each of the impact...
Practices that Shape Health, Equity, and Sustainability Mindsets: An Introduction to the GreenPrint’s Culture and Climate System
Walk into a healthy, equitable, and sustainable school and you will immediately notice something “in the air,” a certain quality or feeling that you just can’t put your finger on. That certain something is the school’s culture and climate. A school’s culture is deeply...