Growing Green Schools: Making the Green Schools Movement a District-Wide Initiative and USGBC Green Schools Conference Kick Off Party!

Join the Portland Green Schools Committee for the last panel of our 2019 discussion series: GROWING A GREEN SCHOOL. Following the panel will be a reception to kick off Portland as the host of the 2020 Green Schools Conference and Expo (GSCE). Beer, wine and great snacks will be provided.

Growing Green Schools: Making the Green Schools Movement a District-Wide Initiative  

As school budgets tighten and the need to create healthy and productive learning spaces for students and staff becomes paramount, communities are looking for constructive actions they can take to drive a district-wide initiative towards green and high performance schools. Design teams, community advocates, nonprofit organizations, government agencies and school staff can apply four catalyzing aspects of whole school sustainability to drive the green schools movement to a district-wide scale. (1) Developing a sustainability culture across the district, (2) utilizing policies and design documents to communicate absolute energy targets and goals, (3) disseminating the benefits of green school design and operations and (4) engaging teachers, staff and students through curricula sustainability teams and behavioral change can push design teams to innovate and deliver green schools on time and on budget. Panelists will share their stories of creating a district-wide movement to instill green schools practices throughout all district operations in new and existing schools.

Join the Portland Green Schools committee for the last panel discussion in the 2019 panel series “Growing a Green School”. School high performance experts from the field and district staff will discuss their success stories in driving the green schools movement beyond one or two projects to a district-wide, sustainable initiative.  This event will be followed by a reception and launch party co-hosted with the Center for Green Schools to officially kick off Portland as a host for the 2020 Green Schools Conference & Expo (GSCE).

The Green Schools Conference & Expo (GSCE) is the only national event to bring together all the players involved in making green schools a reality: people who lead, operate, build and teach in U.S. schools. Collaboration and innovation are necessary to transform schools into healthier, more sustainable places to learn. GSCE is an opportunity for green schools leaders to share challenges, opportunities and lessons learned in their continued advocacy for healthy, sustainable schools. In 2020, the conference will take place March 2-4 in Portland, Oregon at the Hilton Portland Downtown. It is hosted by the Center for Green Schools at USGBC, in partnership with the Green Schools National Network.

Moderator: Elin Shepard, Outreach Manager, Energy Trust of Oregon

Speakers:

Aaron Presberg, Senior Program Manager, Energy and Sustainability, Portland Public Schools

Meghan Borato, Sustainability Advisor, City of Gresham, Gresham Green Schools, Oregon Green Schools Board Chair

Jackie Wilson, Bend-La Pine SD Sustainability Coordinator, Youth Education Director, The Environmental Center, Oregon Green School Board Member and Regional Coordinator

Rachel Willis, Program Coordinator, Eco-School Network

Agenda:

4:30 – 5:00 Seating and networking
5:15 – 5:30 Greetings and Introductions
5:30 – 6:00 Speaker Presentations
6:00 – 6:30 Moderated Panel Discussion
6:30 – 6:50 Q&A
6:50 – 7:00 Green Schools Conference Intro from CFGS
7:00 – 8:00 Reception and Kick off Party!

Growing a Green School Series
Join the Portland Green Schools Committee for the 2019 Panel Series: Growing a Green School.  This four part series will offer guidance on navigating the complex landscape of stakeholder buy-in, funding mechanisms, design, operation and scaling green schools projects to be district-wide initiatives. These schools reduce the environmental and health impacts of schools today so that all students, teachers and administrators are given the opportunity to grow in a healthy and productive learning environment. Sessions will include presentations, case studies and moderated discussions. Participants will walk away from each session with replicable action items for integrating the green schools outcome into their school districts.

Beer, wine and great snacks will be provided!

Questions? Contact the Green Schools Committee at greenschoolsportlandor@gmail.com

More information and registration: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/growing-green-schools-growing-a-green-school-discussion-series-tickets-59852469347