Greenschools Investigations: Students Lead the Way

Project Learning Tree’s GreenSchools program empowers youth to improve the environment and their health at school, at home, and in their community. Student-led Green Teams apply STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) to create greener and healthier schools—and save schools money!

At the heart of the program is a set of GreenSchools Investigations that provide a blueprint for student Green Teams to examine their school’s energy use, waste and recycling, water consumption, school site, and environmental quality.

Each investigation details specific things for students in grades 6-12 to measure and observe, along with student worksheets to fill out and guidance on how to combine data collected into a school-wide analysis. Using the results of their investigations, students select, design, and implement one or more action projects, and measure their impacts. Thus, students apply their skills to the real world and it gives them a voice and the knowledge that they can make a difference, all while improving students’ academic performance in STEM subjects.

What’s Included

This book includes an Adult Leader Guide and a set of five hands-on, student-driven investigations. Using critical-thinking and problem-solving skills, students will analyze their school’s Energy, Water, Waste and Recycling, School Site, and Environmental Quality.

Adult Leader Guide — This section includes information on the benefits of becoming a green school, who to involve, how to form a Green Team, the steps to take to support students in conducting the Investigations, and ways to obtain grants for action projects.

Energy Investigation — Students investigate how much energy their school uses, the main sources of that energy, and ways to implement energy-saving strategies.

Environmental Quality Investigation — Students investigate areas where improvements can be made in indoor air quality, transportation, chemical use, and more.

School Site Investigation — Students investigate natural habitats, wildlife, trees, grounds maintenance practices, and ways to to improve their school site, including planting trees and creating outdoor classrooms.

Waste & Recycling Investigation — Students investigate how much waste their school generates and where it goes, as well as renewables, recycling and composting efforts.

Water Investigation — Students investigate the source, cost, and quality of their school's water supply, and ways to enhance current water conservation practices

Features

The PLT GreenSchools Investigations have been carefully designed to make them visually appealing and easy for students to use. Each investigation includes:

• Green Team Guide that prepares students to lead the Investigation, including a checklist of what students will do, streamlined directions, background information, a list of related careers, and a glossary.
• Investigation Worksheets that contain straightforward directions, data gathering surveys, analysis questions, and structured data collection charts for Green Team members to collect and record data on the five environmental topics.
• Links to helpful “how-to” videos. These videos explain how to use a variety of tools and equipment to collect data for the Investigations. For example, in the Energy Investigation, an option is to use a watt meter to find out which devices in a classroom use the most energy. The video “How to Use a Watt Meter” shows students using this device with step-by-step instructions. In another video “Discover iTree” you’ll see how easy it is to calculate the dollar value and ecosystem benefits of the trees on your school grounds using a simple online tool.
• Action Plan template that Green Team members can use to list and prioritize their action project ideas.
• Green Your Home handouts with tips on how students and their families can work together to improve their home environment.

The Adult Leader’s section suggests who to involve, including teachers; students; custodial, maintenance and cafeteria staff members; parent volunteers; and community members. The Adult Leader Guide highlights how the Investigations encourage hands-on STEM learning, and it provides:

• Information on the importance of greening schools to make them healthier places for students and teachers to learn and work.
• Specific examples of how the GreenSchools Investigations support STEM education.
• A list of supporting activities from Project Learning Tree that can be used to enrich and extend the learning on each Investigation topic.
• Correlations to academic standards, including correlations organized by grade level for each Investigation to Performance Expectations of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) and to the national knowledge standards for Social Studies.
• Connections to the U.S. Department of Education’s Green Ribbon Schools (ED-GRS) program.

Every year, many schools who have utilized Project Learning Tree’s GreenSchools Investigations are honored with the U.S. Department of Education’s Green Ribbon Schools award that recognizes schools, faculty, and students for their innovative efforts to reduce environmental impact and utility costs, improve health and wellness, and ensure effective environmental and sustainability education. ED-GRS is part of the U.S. Department of Education’s effort to identify and communicate practices that result in improved student engagement, academic achievement, graduation rates, and workforce preparedness. More than 5,000 schools nationwide currently participate in the PLT GreenSchools program. A quarter of U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools are PLT GreenSchools.

Students Investigate and Take Action to Green Their Schools

PLT’s GreenSchools Investigations empower youth to improve their environment and their health. Importantly with PLT GreenSchools, it’s students who lead the way. Students in grades 6-12 analyze their school’s energy use, waste and recycling, water consumption, school site, and environmental quality – and establish benchmarks. Using the results of their investigations, students identify areas for improvement. They select, design, and implement one or more action projects, and measure their impacts. Students use STEM, critical-thinking, and problem-solving skills to save their school money and make it greener and healthier.

Here are some examples of student action projects resulting from PLT GreenSchools Investigations.

Energy Investigation — Students install photo sensors and motion sensors to turn off lights when natural light is adequate or when rooms are not in use. They delamp (reduce the number of light bulbs) in areas where the quantity of light exceeds recommendations. The school purchases energy-saving light bulbs, computers, and appliances with ‘Energy Star’ labels.

Environmental Quality Investigation — Students advocate for chemical-free garden care to reduce the use of herbicides and pesticides on school grounds. They work with school administrators to encourage the use of green cleaning products. They make sure ventilation is appropriate and grow indoor plants to reduce carbon dioxide levels. They establish ‘no idling’ zones.

School Site Investigation — Students convert paved areas to green spaces; build outdoor classrooms; improve wildlife habitat; plant pollinator gardens; establish vegetable gardens; start farm-to-school programs; and plant and care for trees that help capture and store carbon and provide shade to cool buildings, among other benefits.

Waste & Recycling Investigation — Students compost cafeteria waste and cut down on disposables. They recycle batteries, milk containers, plastic bags, and other items. They educate others at school and in their community about reducing waste, for example, cutting down on single use plastics.

Water Investigation — Students work with school administrators to fix water leaks and install automatic water-efficient faucets. They install rain barrels and create rain gardens. They control stormwater runoff from parking lots. They educate the community about their local watershed and restore riparian areas to improve water quality.

Visit Project Learning Tree’s website to read stories of students’ action projects. Hear from students about their green school’s journey, and from teachers about lessons they learned along the way, as well as their tips for others interested in implementing similar projects.

Benefits

The benefits of a green school are multiple and varied, for students, teachers, parents, and the community, including:

For students:

• Improved health and well-being
• Leadership skills
• Introduction to green careers, including green building and natural resources jobs
• Application of STEM to the real world
• A voice and knowing they can make a difference
• Solid foundation for a lifetime of environmental stewardship and commitment to sustainability

For facilities:

• Improved indoor air quality
• Operational cost savings
• Improved energy efficiency
• Lower Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions
• Less waste
• Lower water consumption

Project Learning Tree® (PLT) is a long-established, award-winning environmental education program that advances environmental literacy, stewardship and pathways to green careers using trees and forests as windows on the world. Through interactive and engaging activities, suitable for all ages and settings, PLT builds understanding and appreciation of the natural world and supports getting youth into nature in ways that are meaningful. PLT is designed to help young people learn how to think not what to think about complex and pressing environmental and sustainability issues. PLT also offers high-quality professional development to help teachers integrate teaching about the environment into their lesson plans and become comfortable teaching outdoors edition.