Boeing has extended their sustainability and innovation efforts by awarding a grant to Grades of Green, an environmental education nonprofit. The Boeing Corporation is helping make Grades of Green’s Water Campaign possible, providing environmental leadership resources for students around the world. Their eco-commitment doesn’t stop there – to reduce Boeing’s environmental footprint, facilities ship reusable plastic containers back to suppliers rather than to a landfill. A Boeing facility in Everett, Washington even uses wetlands to assist with storm water management at facilities and Boeing’s Santa Susana Field Laboratory was nationally recognized for their storm-water treatment systems.

Prioritizing water management aligns with Grades of Green’s Water Campaign. Student changemakers around the world research local environmental issues, innovate sustainable solutions, and educate their community on the importance of conservation. Students have successfully advocated for the ban of single use plastics in their district, secured reliable water sources, and made environmental sustainability second nature within their schools.

The Boeing Company’s commitment to the next generation of innovators is evident through their abundance of educational resources available on their website. Per Boeing’s 2018 Environmental Report, Boeing’s goal is to harness “the natural curiosity of young people through investments, partnerships and volunteerism to show them how science and engineering can help solve real-world problems.”

By sponsoring Grades of Green’s Water Campaign, The Boeing Company is committed to creating the next generation of environmental leaders. Join our next campaign [here] to be part of the movement!

Interested in implementing a Grades of Green Activity this school year but need a little more funding? Sign up for Green Apple Day of Service where parents, teachers, students, companies, and local organizations from around the world will unite to implement volunteer projects and promote healthy and sustainable learning environments!

This year, Green Apple Day of Service participants make a commitment at the start of school and name their own project date for any time throughout the school year. To help with fundraising, Green Apple Day of Service is using the DonorsChoose.org platform to drive donations to schools, and the Center for Green Schools and its partners are providing thousands of dollars in match funding to projects that receive donations from their communities. Projects receive tailored guidance for their specific project date and project type, and they are eligible for prizes just by keeping up with planning and executing their project.

You can learn more about Green Apple Day of Service and sign up at greenapple.org.

Did you know the production of disposable water bottles uses 17 million barrels of oil a year? Purchasing water bottle filling stations for school campuses are not only a great way to provide fresh drinking water to students, but they can also help conserve natural resources, teach kids about the impact of single use plastics, and encourage the use of reusable water bottles. In fact, by encouraging students to use reusable bottles, families can save up to $300 every year!
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Do you know a school in Los Angeles County, CA that’s been wanting to purchase a water bottle filling station?  For a limited time,  our friends at the West Basin Municipal Water District will award grants – up to $1,000 maximum per applicant – for the purchase of a Water Bottle Filling Station! Applications will be continuously accepted on a first-come first-served basis. To see if your school is eligible and for more information, view their flyer here or visit their website here.

Want help choosing the right water bottle filling station for your campus and encouraging students to use it? Whether you’re in Los Angeles County or on the other side of the world, click here to register and unlock Grades of Green’s Water Refill Station Activity and receive one-one-one support from a Grades of Green Advisor!

At the beginning of the 2016-2017 school year, Metropolitan Water District provided a grant to Grades of Green which helped our Youth Corps Eco-Leaders install a native garden on campus to save water! You can read the Manhattan Beach Sun article about their garden by clicking here, or you  can view the PDF version here.




Interested in joining our Youth Corps Eco-Leadership Program and taking on an environmental activity of your own? Email us at info@gradesofgreen.org or call our office at (310) 607-0175 for more information! Applications for the 2017-2018 program are open until September 15, 2017.

Lush highlighted Grades of Green’s Trash Free Lunch Challenge and our mission to inspire and empower kids to care for the environment. Thanks to their sponsorship, Grades of Green was able to help schools across southern California reduce their lunchtime waste by an average of 70%! Read the full story by clicking here, or you can view a PDF version here.

Interested in signing your school up for the Trash Free Lunch Challenge? Email us at info@gradesofgreen.org or call our office at (310) 607-0175 for more information!

Teachers, you could be working alongside scientists on a fully funded field research expedition next summer! The Earthwatch Institute’s Teach Earth Fellowship will send extraordinary teachers from various subject areas to the field to collect data regarding important issues such as climate change. They hope this experience will inspire teachers to integrate science literacy and environmental awareness in the classroom. Get excited if you’re a K-12 teacher who is passionate about education, has an interest in environmental issues or conducting scientific research, and would like to play a part in improving science/environmental education.

Fill out this interest form to get started. Qualified teachers will be contacted to complete an application that will be due by December 18, 2016. Know a teacher that would be interested? Nominate them here!

Raising environmental awareness and stewardship can happen post-expedition or even right now at your school: if you feel positive change is in the air, help assemble a Grades of Green Team at your school to empower students as they green the school. Register to gain access to downloadable resources to use to inspire and empower your students to care for the environment!

Calling Los Angeles high school sophomores and juniors: a two-week, all-expenses-paid scientific expedition for next summer has your name written all over it! The Earthwatch Institute’s Ignite LA Student Science Awards is interested in sending 50+ students to conduct hands-on research: collect data in the field that will impact important environmental issues. It’s also an opportunity to absorb lectures on sustainability issues, bond with your peers and research staff, and experience the natural landscape around you. Recent expeditions have been based in Acadia National Park’s Schoodic Education and Research Center, the Sagehen Creek Research Station in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, as well as the Southwestern Research Station in Arizona.

Applications with two recommendations are due by December 1, 2016.

Apply here!

Looking to explore somewhere closer to home? A Field Trip is an easy-to-customize Grades of Green Earth activity! You’ll learn about environmental/sustainability issues close to home and get inspiration to affect positive change.

Do you love teaching about our forests in urban environments? Do citizen science projects tickle your fancy? If you are a K-12 educator or teacher in the Greater Los Angeles region, this could be your chance to acquire a grant ($400-$800) for piloting and sharing your lesson plans involving hands-on urban forestry activities. The Earthwatch Institute is offering several grants for lesson plans using the materials developed by its Urban Resiliency Program.

Start small, think big: native, drought-resistant gardens are one way to impact urban environments and increase resiliency at a smaller level of green space. Grades of Green’s “Drought Tolerant Garden” activity is an interactive lesson in water conservation, soil sustainable practices (for example, lowering pesticides and fertilizers used), and local biodiversity enrichment.

Lesson proposals are due by October 3, 2016, but keep in mind that the proposal should have pilot lessons plans for implementation in the classroom setting before February 1, 2017. The urban resiliency lesson plan should include an activity that collects urban tree data for analysis in the classroom. Apply here.

For more information about the grant, check out this document!

Need help tending your school’s garden? You can empower your students for caring about the environment by assembling a Grades of Green Team to work on a variety of green activities.