The Grunion Gazette featured Grades of Green and the Waste Campaign!

Communications Contractor Justin addresses the importance of environmental education in his interview with the Grunion Gazette by stating:

“When students take the lead and pursue environmentally conscious projects, it really encourages people and other students to do more projects like this.”

Students in Grades of Green’s Waste Campaign have an opportunity to not only learn about waste issues, but to do their own research to see what they can do to improve their own environment. Long Beach Grades of Green Mentor Cathy states:

“This contest isn’t just calling for students to get out and pick up trash- that’s a good thing of course, but Grades of Green is trying to get young kids to think deeper about helping the environment.”

Read the full article HERE

The Community Creates

Cal State LA students created a series of community documentaries focusing on environmental efforts in Los Angeles. Grades of Green, Green Technology, and Communities for a Better Environment all worked with Cal State LA’s talented and passionate students throughout the semester to create videos showcasing their work. Many non-profits depend on the talented and compassionate volunteer work from teams like the CSU LA media team and we cannot thank them enough for their efforts!

Come Watch with Us

Grades of Green staff and board members will be watching these videos at their premier. Grades of Green’s video will be showcasing our semester long campaigns that tackle an issue like water issues. The showing is open to all audiences at no cost- join us by registering to join the event HERE

December 15, 2018

7:30 PM – 8:30 PM PST

Hauser & Wirth

901 East 3rd Street

Los Angeles, CA 90013

Remember to register to join the event and we will see you there!

Hello, my name is Gaby and I am a Junior at Marlborough School in Los Angeles. Last year, I joined Grades of Green and this year I am participating in the Water Campaign. This summer, I had the incredible opportunity to attend the Climate Reality Leadership Conference, which is part of Al Gore’s greater movement to combat Climate Change. There were over 2,000 people in attendance, but less than 100 of them were under the ages of 18; I was so excited to be there!

One remarkable thing about the conference was seeing how much solidarity there was in fighting for the environment. It really gave me a lot of hope and inspired me to find more ways in which I can make an impact. My plans beyond the conference are to make presentations and educate on Climate Change, join my local chapter of Climate Reality leaders, participate in the Grades of Green Water Campaign, learn to use my social media to advocate for environmental change, champion electric cars and solar panels in my school and house, and hopefully plan a smaller scale Climate Change summit for high schoolers in my area.




I know that Climate Change is big and scary, but one of the most important things I learned was that we are the generation that needs to make physical changes to heal our planet.





Here are my top tips for how you can combat Climate Change:

  • 1. Get involved with an environmental club or nonprofit like Grades of Green or Climate Reality.


  • 2. Use public transportation. I use app called “Transit” that helps me find the best routes. And if you need a car, buy and electric or hydrogen option! More and more charging stations are popping up every day.
  • 3. If you are a homeowner, consider installing solar panels. Although they are an upfront cost which can kind of be intimidating, they will eventually save you money!


  • 4.Get a smart thermostat for your house if you don’t already have one.


  • 5. Eat less meat and buy food from your local farmers market.
  • 6. Go to marches and call your local representatives!
  • 7. Educate yourself on Climate Change issues. There are millions of resources at the touch of your fingertips with the help of the internet! Once you know more, share your knowledge with others.

    • Lets not have Climate Change be taboo any longer. Talk to your friends, family and neighbors about it and share things about it on social media. You have a voice, use it!



    If you have any questions, ideas or would like to talk to me further on my experiences Email info@gradesofgreen.org and the Grades of Green team can connect us.

    At Grades of Green, we love a good eco-competition. Each school year, we host our Trash Free Lunch Challenge to see which school in southern California can be the best at reducing its lunchtime waste. In addition, we host our Water Challenge every semester to see which school across the globe can be the best at reducing its water usage. In the spirit of eco-competitions and the new year, Grades of Green decided to host a Zero Waste Week Challenge between our Los Angeles and New York-based offices to see which office could create the least amount of waste over the first week of 2018!



    Here were the rules of Grades of Green’s Zero Waste Challenge Week:

    1. Collect all single-use packaging and containers in a collection bin at the office and a bin at home.

    2. Wash out all dirty containers before putting them in the bin.

    3.Recyclable single-use containers are still counted as waste and should be collected. Why? Recycling takes up our natural resources, and only a small percentage of what is put in the recycling actually ends up being recycled. Only 9% of plastic waste is actually recycled!

    4. Food waste can be composted and doesn’t count in the Challenge.

    5. Sanitary items (such as toilet paper) don’t count in the Challenge.



    Which office do you think won the Zero Waste Week Challenge, Los Angeles or New York? Check out our social media channels (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter) on Tuesday, January 16 to find out which Grades of Green office will earn the title of Zero Waste Week Challenge champions! Feeling inspired? Check out Grades of Green’s Waste Activities and encourage your school community to go zero waste too!

    Grades of Green  Youth Corps Eco-Leadership program students participated in their first meet-up of the year at the Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanic Garden. Eco-Leaders were guided through a leadership workshop, and then discussed their next steps in their chosen Grades of Green Activity. The theme of the day was creating a vision, which included a session on crafting goals to meet each student’s vision for their activity. Of course, everyone got to go on a tour to explore the beautiful arboretum, and to check out the peacocks roaming the property! Take a look at photos from the afternoon here.

    Thank you to the incredible sponsors who help us make this program possible:  City of Santa Monica,  County of Los Angeles 3rd district, County of Los Angeles 4th district,  Arconic Foundation, Continental Development, Subaru Pacific, Klean Kanteen, Fresh Brothers, and Grow.

    Are you a student who is ready to take on a Grades of Green Activity in your school, but you don’t live in Los Angeles? Not to worry; Grades of Green offers support to students across the globe! You can schedule a meeting with one of our Advisors anytime by clicking here.

    The 2017-2018 Trash Free Lunch Challenge officially kicked off at our 7th annual Training Day event. Grades of Green Team representatives from the 23 Los Angeles schools competing in this year’s Challenge visited the Sanitation Districts of Los Angeles County to explore best practices in helping their school to decrease lunchtime waste. The Sanitation Districts gave attendees a tour of the closed down Puente Hills Landfill and Materials Recovery Facility to give the students, teachers, parents, custodial staff, and administrators alike a better understanding of how waste is managed, and the importance of reducing waste.

    Along with the tour, school representatives came away from training day with a Trash Free Lunch Challenge Handbook, the inside scoop about best practices for the Challenge, and big prize bag of goodies from our partners including products from Algalita, Dabbawalla Bags, Funkins, Dopper, Green Toys, Go Green Lunchbox, Legends Socks, To Go Ware, Klean Kanteen, Planet Wise and U Konserve.

    Interested in seeing Training Day in action? Click here to check out the photos!

    Thank you to our incredible partners who help us bring the Trash Free Lunch Challenge to life. A special shout out to the Sanitation Districts of Los Angeles County, Northrop Grumman, City of Santa Monica,  County of Los Angeles 3rd district, County of Los Angeles 4th district, Kings Care Foundation, Carton Council, and the Johnson Ohana Charitable Foundation for making the Trash Free Lunch Challenge possible!

    Interested in getting the inside scoop on some of the best practices discussed at Training Day? One of the crucial components of the Trash Free Lunch Challenge is setting up a solid Grades of Green Team. Join us for a free, interactive webinar on October 12th, 2017 to learn best practices! For more information about the Getting Started Webinar, click here.

    Did you know that between 2011-2016, nearly 50% of plug-in electric vehicles sales in the US were in California? Chances are you know someone who has an electric vehicle. If you’re an electric vehicle enthusiast or just want to learn more about electric vehicles, visit the National Drive Electric Week event in Los Angeles on Saturday, September 16th! Attendees will have the opportunity to drive a range of electric vehicles, learn more about electric vehicle federal and state incentives, and network with electric vehicle enthusiasts. Food trucks and kids’ activities will ensure this is a great event for the entire family! Click here to register or learn more, or view their event flyer here.

    School may be out, but Grades of Green never takes a break from carrying out its mission to inspire and empower kids to care for the environment! Last week, Grades of Green educated 300 students from the Los Angeles Expo Center’s summer programs about the importance of reducing waste. Students learned about the 4 R’s and even played some of Grades of Green’s favorite eco-games. When playing the How Long Until It’s Gone game, students were surprised at how long it takes different manmade items to decompose in landfill. From plastic bags to glass cups, the Natural Resources Matching Game taught students where their everyday items come from in nature.



    Interested in bringing some fun eco-activities into your classroom? Click here to register and unlock Grades of Green’s 40+ Eco-Activities!

    Tune into KIIS FM (and the affiliated stations below) this Sunday, October 30th to hear the latest Grades of Green happenings! KIIS FM’s Alex On The Mic interviewed our very own Megan about everything Grades of Green.

    THE INTERVIEW TAKES PLACE THIS SUNDAY, (10/30):

    -KIIS FM 102.7 at 7:20 AM

    -KYSR FM 98.7 at 6:10 AM

    -KLAC AM 570 at 6:30 AM

    -KRRL FM 92.3 at 7:00 AM

    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.