About Us

Who is the Green Schools Alliance?

The Green Schools Alliance (GSA) is a global network of “schools guiding schools,” working together to address 21st Century environmental and climate challenges through the implementation of sustainable, energy-smart solutions.

Driven by the concept that schools can change the world, GSA members and chapters work together to set and meet their environmental goals through education, leadership and the exchange of best practices. A non-profit organization uniquely created by schools for schools -- students, faculty, business and facility managers, administration, staff and parents -- the GSA is working with and through schools worldwide on the local, state, and national level to raise environmental awareness and empower students, as well as faculty and staff, and to implement sustainable and energy-smart solutions.

GSA began with a handful of schools. Today, it’s become a global grassroots movement with nearly 3,000 public, private and independent K-12 school members and chapters -- reaching more than 2 million students in 40 U.S. states, 11 countries -- by word of mouth alone!

Why is The Green Schools Alliance Unique?

Schools trust schools best! In a world with unlimited opportunity and resources, the GSA is the audience for existing programs and resources and is about schools guiding schools to make smart choices. This allows us to tap into our members' considerable experience, expertise and passion, and to enable them to share their progress and best practices with ALL schools in order to create momentum and drive a movement. Schools with advanced greening knowledge mentor other schools to set goals and share progress. As a result, the GSA has the attention and trust of schools which is translating into real action, and quantifiable change.

What is The Impact of the Green Schools Alliance

There are more than 120,000 public and private K-12 schools in the U.S. that directly touch the lives of more than 80 million people every day. According to the U.S. Department Of Energy, taxpayers spend $8 billion dollars on energy for schools each year. Green schools can reduce these costs by an average of 35%. Nationally, this could equal nearly $3 billion dollars, EACH YEAR, while providing students with hands-on learning opportunities, and empowering them for the future.

What are the Goals of the Green Schools Alliance?

Uniquely created by schools, GSA’s goals are to: 1) Accelerate the implementation of sustainable, energy-smart school building and operation solutions; 2) Build community across boundaries through peer-to-peer programs and the sharing of best practices; 3) Create healthy learning environments that connect students and nature; and 4) Empower student leaders with the skills, knowledge and tools necessary to address natural resource challenges and better serve their schools and communities.

GSA Programs Inspire Action

GSA programs integrate education and action, quantify progress, and aggregate success, while reaching across geo-political, socio-economic and generational boundaries. Best practices ripple outward from schools, to families, to the workplace. GSA goals are supported by programs such as: the Green Cup Challenge®; Student Climate & Conservation Congress (Sc3) and Sc3 Community Corps; regional and local conferences, workshops and resource events; and GSA On-line Network.

Created by member schools, GSA programs are open to member and non-member schools alike and involve the whole school community -- faculty, students, business officers, facility managers, heads of school, administrators, staff and parents -- in a broad range of sustainability and energy actions. Using the building, campus and community as a teaching tool, students work alongside faculty and staff doing everything from recycling, weatherizing, conducting energy audits, changing lights and replacing old boilers, to improving science and technology education, restoring wetlands and planting green roofs.

GSA Membership

Membership to the GSA is FREE and built around a climate and sustainability “Leadership Commitment” which asks schools to set and meet their sustainability goals. Members become more aware of the connection between their choices and are empowered to take action now and into the future. As a result of being created and driven by the schools themselves, the GSA has the respect and credibility of the school community, needed to accelerate Commitment and meaningful change. Through GSA Student and Faculty Coordinators, and an increasing number of local chapters, GSA’s growing volunteer network enables schools to share best practices, celebrate progress and become global leaders in their own communities.

The Green Schools Alliance: A global alliance of public, private and independent schools uniting to solve 21c environmental problems through sustainable and energy-smart solutions.

The GSA brings together ALL members of the school community with corporate, NGO and government partners, to develop programs that produce meaningful, quantifiable results -- participants measure, reduce and report progress. The GSA community is comprised of public, private and independent schools that together are building a green community across socio-economic, cultural, political and generational divides.

GSA member schools' public commitment to reducing carbon emissions and sustainability means that they spend more time and resources focusing on green issues at every level. The issues that GSA addresses are urgent. As such, GSA seeks to remove obstacles to participation. Resources and membership are free and GSA programs are open to all schools, not just GSA members.

GSA provides a menu of opportunities that engage all members of the school community including: students, administrators, faculty, plant managers, business officers and parents. Integrating education and action, GSA's institutional and grassroots initiatives build confidence, inspire environmental stewardship and create quantifiable change. GSA programs work with schools to set goals and reach them. Students work alongside faculty and staff, to do everything including benchmarking energy, changing lights and restoring wetlands. Through GSA, schools and students become global leaders in their own communities.

The Green Schools Alliance is a global alliance of public, private and independent schools uniting to solve 21c environmental problems through sustainable and energy-smart solutions.