“Today’s students are tomorrow’s leaders. However, it is this generation who must act now to ensure that the problems our children face as adults are not insurmountable.”
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Welcome To GSA
The GSA started because ONE little boy wanted to celebrate Earth Day in his first grade class at Allen-Stevenson, and because ONE mother wanted to make EVERYday Earth Day for him.
It started because ONE extraordinary astronaut, who hung upside down under the Earth on one toe fixing the Hubble said, “There are infinite complex life forms in this infinite universe, some survive and some don’t. I’m afraid we may not make it—what are YOU willing to give up?”
The GSA started with ONE school facility manager who thought that energy was the right way to challenge HIS community, and ONE Business manager who understood the financial implications on institutions and the need to support a collaborative effort. It started with ONE Headmaster who had the vision, understanding and determination to change his corner of the world.
The GSA started with ONE Music Director at The Town School who began a Green group, and ONE Science Director at Browning who joined him. It started with ONE Trustee at Calhoun who thought a green roof was a great idea, ONE person at Fieldston who caught the bug, and ONE headmaster at St Hilda’s and St Hugh’s who signed on for renewable energy hoping it could make a difference.
It started with ONE child and ONE teacher at Hewitt who began a community recycling drive and contacted PerScholas, an organization in the S. Bronx that collects and restores old computers and distributes them to those in need, and it started with ONE second grader at Chapin who conspired with her best friend to make a recycling video.
The GSA started as an idea, a dream, then a possibility, and now because of every single ONE who has come with their story, their curiosity, interest or experience, who want to make a difference one small step at a time — it has become a reality. Well, we’re not taking small steps any longer. Coming together as one, to create a green school community, is ONE BIG LEAP! E Pluribus Unum: from the many ONE. WE are the Green Schools Alliance!
We understand that the education community can play a unique and key role in adverting disaster and we recognize the collective strength of individual action. We have an opportunity at this unique moment, to join our individual concern into collective action to maximize our shared benefit.
The 40+ independent schools that came together for the New York pilot, the 30+ schools who took part in the Green Cup Challenge, and the collective actions of individual schools across this country, reflect an unprecedented demonstration of our community’s desire to address the climate change challenge head-on.
Launched on World Environment Day June 5, 2007, the GSA recognizes and will support the leadership role that schools, as a critical mass, can play in solving our environmental and climate challenges.
Inspired by Mayor Bloomberg’s challenge to reduce carbon by 30% in 10 years, the GSA Climate Commitment Pledge and Four-Point Program addresse sustainability, Climate Change, what Schools can do to help, and identifies some of the resources, tools and incentive programs available to support us.
Greening our schools is a commitment, but it’s not a competition. It’s not about winners, or losers, or who gets there first, or does it best, or most. It’s about celebrating our successes, sharing our experiences and collaborating to build a community and learn together how to do it better. If there are winners and losers then we’re all losers, and we can’t afford to loose. Our survival depends on it. We are a TEAM—OUR TEAM.
With the guidance of many individuals and organizations including the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment, NAIS, NYSAIS, the USGBC, and NRDC, the GSA has developed the pilot K-12 Green Schools Climate Commitment.
This Pledge will be launched to schools nationwide at the NAIS Annual Conference in NYC at Radio City Music Hall in February. It’s a Call-To-Action to America’s schools to recognize the need to become carbon neutral in 10 years, and to begin by reducing our carbon footprint by at least 30% in the next 5 years.
It’s a goal that can be achieved thanks to the support of the many no-cost/low-cost energy and carbon reduction programs and related incentive programs immediately available to all our schools.
With the support of local, state, and national resource partners, the goal of the Pledge is not only possible and practical, but critical. We hope that you will contribute to this effort and become a member of the GSA by taking the Pledge.
The GSA is about joining our individual concern into collective action to protect our shared future.
The mission of the GSA is to galvanize pre-K to grade 12 school’s individual concerns about climate change and the environment into collective action to protect our shared future.
Introduction
The Green Schools Alliance (GSA) is a program of GEO: Global Environmental Options, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that was founded in 1994 inspired the Greening of the White House Initiative, the first major gathering of the green building community around one project. GSA is working in a similar fashion to coordinate our nation’s over 120,000 Pre-K to grade 12 public, private and independent schools to address climate change and the environment.
The GSA is comprised of students, parents, school heads and administrators, business officials, facility managers, trustees and school boards, teachers, and staff, working together to ensure a safe and healthy environment for tomorrow’s generation through the implementation of sustainable, energy-smart solutions today.
The GSA was inspired by Mayor Bloomberg’s challenge to NYC institutions to reduce their carbon footprint by more than 30% by 2030. First proposed on World Environment Day, June 5, 2007, the GSA was launched with support from the Mayor's Office of Long Term Planning and Sustainability, the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) and other national, state and local partners.
GSA programs are designed to meet school needs, while simultaneously maximizing the environmental benefits to the greatest number. GSA is unique because it evolved from the schools, by the schools, for the schools—a community of schools working together for change. GSA members are leveraging their collective experience, expertise and will, to create a measurable difference through the integration of education and action.
Problem Statement
Uncontrolled carbon emissions are leading to unmanageable climate change with significant impacts on weather patterns, food supplies, species survival, sea level rise, spread of disease, etc. Scientists say that to forestall unmanageable climate change, we need to stop the growth of -- and begin to reduce -- total greenhouse gas emissions no later than 2015 to 2020.
Experts estimate that over half of the energy used in buildings is wasted and can be cost-effectively eliminated using currently available technology and other strategies. According to the U.S. EPA 2006 Emissions Inventory, the CO2 emitted from burning fossil fuels (coal, oil & natural gas) represents over 90% of net U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. The U.S. DOE calculates that buildings consume over 40% of total energy—including 70% of America’s electricity—and account for 38% of carbon emissions in the US. Our nation's K-12 schools are challenged to serve growing student populations and rising community expectations with aging buildings, constrained operating budgets, and ever-increasing energy bills. Consequently, these buildings expose students, faculty and staff to high levels of pollutants, put their health and productivity at risk, and simultaneously waste a significant amount of energy which contribute to climate change and environmental degradation.
Opportunity Statement
There are more than 120,000 public, private and independent pre-K to grade 12 schools in the United States that directly touch the lives of more than 80 million people. When friends, relatives and their local communities are factored into the equation, the aggregate impact of school communities is significant.
If inspired to think globally and act locally, students and their broader school communities, can be empowered to become stewards for the environment who can play a measurable role toward impacting climate change and our future on this planet. According to the U.S. DOE, each year, taxpayers unnecessarily spend $6 billion on energy alone for schools — about 25 percent more than needed. That $1.5 billion could be redirected to hire 30,000 new teachers or purchase 40 million new textbooks annually. Teachers could incorporate their school's green features, such as energy, into their curriculum, providing students with hands-on learning opportunities about the environment, and educate their school communities about the important role each person can play to build a safe, sustainable future.
What Makes Us Unique
The GSA is in a unique leadership position. As the only K to grade 12 national school alliance focusing on the environment that was created “from schools, by schools, for schools,” the GSA reflects an unprecedented demonstration of the this sector’s desire to address environmental and climate change challenges head-on.
Green Schools Alliance Background
According to the National Center for Education Statistics, in the fall of 2006:
72.7 million students were enrolled in American schools and colleges
4.5 million were employed as elementary, secondary & college faculty
5.0 million were employed as professional, administrative & support staff
33.9 million students are enrolled in grades PreK-8
6.1 million students are in the private/independent school system.
Of the 95,726 school buildings in the U.S., 34,682--or 27%--are private/independent schools.
The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) forecasts record levels of total elementary and secondary enrollment through at least 2015, as the school-age population continues to rise.
A healthy, green learning environment is a critical component of a student’s ability to learn and a teacher’s ability to teach, and must be included in any discussion on improving academic performance. According to the U.S. DOE, our schools are failing energy 101. Our nation's K-12 schools are challenged to serve growing student populations and rising community expectations with aging buildings, constrained operating budgets, and ever-increasing energy bills. Each year, taxpayers unnecessarily spend $6 billion on energy alone for schools — about 25 percent more than needed. That $1.5 billion could be redirected to hire 30,000 new teachers or purchase 40 million new textbooks annually.
High-performance Green Schools cost 50% less to operate than traditionally designed schools. Designed to save energy and reduce environmental impacts, they address resource efficiency, recycling, materials selection, green cleaning, indoor air quality, healthy food and a curriculum that integrates sustainable practices and principles.
On the building scale, Green Schools integrate efficient lighting and daylighting systems, advanced windows, roofing, insulation, and mechanical and ventilation systems, as well as renewable energy systems, water conservation features, recycling and waste management systems, and use of environmentally-sensitive building products and systems . Teachers can incorporate their school's green features, such as energy, into their curriculum, providing students with hands-on learning opportunities about the environment.
The GSA recognizes the leadership role that students and schools can play to solve our environmental challenges and has designed Programs that integrate education and action to address these complex environmental problems. Designed to help to mitigate climate change through sustainable solutions, GSA Programs work with schools to set goals, create measurable results, and leverage their critical mass to maximize the environmental benefits to the greatest number. Our long-term goal is to ensure a safe and healthy environment for future generations by implementing sustainable, energy smart solutions today. In an effort to protect our shared future from unmanageable climate change and environmental degradation, GSA programs:
BUILD a critical mass that unites our individual concerns into collective action.
CREATE a framework that encourages and supports the goal of Carbon Neutrality by 2020.
EDUCATE the broadest range of stakeholders about the environmental issues facing our world and the benefits of making sustainable choices.
INSPIRE environmental stewardship, personal responsibility, leadership & cooperation.
EMPOWER our school communities to become part of the environmental solution.
The Climate Commitment
The Green Schools Climate Commitment, with two levels of commitment, is the cornerstone of the GSA program. It was developed to engage all Pre-K to grade 12 schools as global climate leaders in their own communities. This Pledge is a roadmap that supports schools to reach their carbon reduction goals by establishing benchmarks for success. By asking schools to reduce their carbon footprint and to document their on-going progress with the GSA, others will learn from their efforts. In partnership with national, state and local resource providers, the GSA supports its Signatory Schools by directing them to the tools and resources they need to implement solutions.
Green Cup Challenge
The Green Cup Challenge is an interschool energy conservation challenge designed to measure a reduction in average campus electricity use. The goal of this challenge is to educate school communities about the environmental and economic impact of one’s actions, specifically in relation to global climate change, and to reduce campus emissions of greenhouse gasses. The competition is designed to be student-driven, but also encourages the participation of the entire campus community.
GSA Energy and Sustainability Workshops
Coordinated and presented by some of the nation’s leading energy and sustainability experts, GSA Workshops were developed to help schools implement sustainable, Energy-Smart solutions. These customized Workshops connect schools with national, state and local, public and private partners to develop programs that meet school needs, while maximizing the environmental benefits to the greatest number.
