Green Schools Challenge for Elementary Schools
Mission:
Dream in Green’s mission is to empower individuals to respond to climate change and other environmental challenges facing local & global communities by assisting diverse organizations, such as schools, households, governments and businesses to reduce their environmental footprint. Dream in Green has served the South Florida community since 2006 by using hands-on education as a tool to implement our mission.
The program is aligned with the Florida State Standards, focusing on STEM disciplines. Additionally, many lessons are interdisciplinary and engage students of various abilities and interests.
Why Become a Green School?
Reduce school’s utility costs by becoming more energy and resource-efficient
Improve management of school facilities and resources
Expose students to environmental literacy
Provide a healthy environment for school occupants
Program Goals:
Educate students about the relationships between water and energy consumption, waste generation and their environmental footprint.
Reduce water and energy consumption and waste generation through behavioral change to help participating schools, students’ homes and communities save money and take action on environmental issues.
Introduce resource-efficient behaviors that become part of the students’ daily routine.
Core Principles:
Provide low-to-no-cost solutions that help people change behaviors and tackle environmental challenges.
A team of students, parents, teachers, administrators and facilities staff work together to implement the program guided by a common purpose.
Green Teams develop and implement plans that support their school’s unique needs, opportunities and priorities.
Outcomes:
Students – Increase appreciation for, connection to, and knowledge of their environment with intent to become environmental stewards
Teachers – Increase interest & skills in environmental education with intent to integrate environmental education into ongoing instruction
School/Community – Increase interest and knowledge of environmental policy & public engagement when dealing with environmental problems
17 Goals to Transform Our World
Dream in Green is proud to support the United Nations in its pursuit of a more equitable society. The Sustainable Development Goals are a call for action by all countries – poor, rich and middle-income – to promote prosperity while protecting the planet. They recognize that ending poverty must go hand-in-hand with strategies that build economic growth and address a range of social needs including education, health, social protection, and job opportunities, while tackling climate change and environmental protection. More important than ever, the goals provide a critical framework for COVID-19 recovery. Read more here
This year, each of the topics in the GSC is aligned with one or more of the UN's goals for 2030. Look for the icons at the end of the topic descriptions and make sure to visit the UN's website for more information on each.
