Go Green Initiative
All schools prepare our children for the future…
But Go Green schools prepare the future for our children.

An Overview of the GGI

Historical Background
· The Organization
Began in 2002 with a
PTA President who…
– Was concerned about
children’s health, both
now & in the future
– Had a desire to teach
kids good environmental
behavior
– Wanted to create change
without legislation &
taxation – no
government impact

Intended Results
· Teach children to be
responsible caretakers
of the Earth
· Heighten community
awareness of, and
participation in,
environmentally
responsible behavior

What is the
Primary
Function of
Our Schools?

Why a Schools Program?
· As population increases, there
will be fewer natural resources
per capita
· Schools are a significant source of
waste generation in most
communities
· Schools can have a long-term
impact
· Schools act as a catalyst for the
community at large

What Makes the GGI
Unique…
·Child-centric
·Market Driven
·Measurable Environmental
Benefits
·Great Customer Satisfaction
·The Source of our Funding
·Media Relations

What are Schools Saying About
Go Green Initiative?
 It’s simple & quickly becomes the
school’s MO
 Easily integrated into every classroom
 It’s flexible & respectful of site autonomy
 Promotes teamwork
 Full-service menu of resources & training
 It is complete, panoramic and 3-D

Who is Involved with the GGI?

U.S. State PTA’s That Have
Formally Partnered
with the GGI
•Texas
•Georgia
•Ohio
•Illinois
•New York
•Missouri
•Pennsylvania
•Hawaii
•California

Top Sponsors & Partners

How Do We Know the GGI is
Effective?

Market Share – 2009
· 50 U.S. states, 35 countries, 5 continents
· 1983 schools, 64 businesses, 25 NGO’s, and
10 homes
· Affecting the daily lives of 2.1 million
students and 251,704 teachers.
·ON A BUDGET OF LESS THAN 2 CENTS
PER STUDENT SERVED

Measurable
Environmental Impact
of GGI School Recycling
2005-2008
Go Green schools recycled the
following:
Paper 7,626,334 lbs.
·
Cardboard 922,911 lbs.
Aluminum 99,380 lbs.
Plastic 172,171 lbs.
Printer Cartridges 19,002
Cell Phones 15,418
Mixed Recyclables 636,621 lbs.
Food Waste 254,848 lbs.

Measurable
Environmental Impact
of GGI School Recycling
Go Green schools conserved
2005-2008
the following:
· 3,836 metric tons of greenhouse
gas emissions
·27 million gallons of water
·34,500 barrels of oil
·67 billion BTU’s of energy
·14,104 cubic yards of landfill space

Components of PR &
Outreach Capability
· Website – 9.6 million hits this
year
· Newsletter - 5,000+ opt-in
recipients
· Go Green Radio – weekly on
VoiceAmerica.com (largest
internet talk radio in U.S.)
· Social Media – e.g. Facebook,
Twitter, and many more
· Media Hits – see “Pressroom”
on gogreeninitiative.org

Frequently Asked Questions

What
About
Curriculum?

How will
my school
pay for
this?
***The Go Green Initiative is free to schools***
But if your school wants to raise $ to support your Green Goals, you can use GGI
materials to acquire funding from:
•Grants
•Sponsors
•Environmentally responsible fundraisers

Will the Go
Green
Initiative
Create More
Work for
Teachers?

How Can
Our School
Join the
GGI?

The Building Blocks of the GGI

The Five GGI Principles
• Generate compost
• Recycle
• Educate
• Evaluate environmental
impact
• Nationalize principles of
responsible paper
consumption

Generate Compost
• Children learn nature’s
way of recycling
• Basic composting
• Vermicomposting
• Lessons in ecology,
biology, and important
principles of waste
reduction

Generate Compost
Quantifying Success
• Quantify composting efforts on
campus by:
• # of staff trained to compost
• # of classrooms with
bins/bins in garden
• # of teachers integrating
composting into curriculum

Recycle
• Never throw away
anything that can
be reused
• The “domino effect”
of recycling at
school = good
behavior
throughout the
community

Recycle
Quantifying Success
• Quantify recycling &
waste diversion by:
• Amount of each material
removed from waste stream
per year
• Process for engaging student
participation

Educate
• Educate students,
parents, and school
officials
• Choose educational
materials that
address local
environmental issues

Educate
Quantifying Success
• Quantify Education by:
• # of classrooms engaged in
habitual environmental
education
• # of teachers attending staff
development training
• # of families attending Family
Eco activities
• Results of parent/teacher surveys

Evaluate
Environmental Impact
• Protect children from harmful
products and practices
• Evaluate the impact of every activity
• Examples:
• Indoor Air Quality (IAQ)
• Pesticides
• Non-recyclable products at school
functions
• Energy consumption

Evaluate
Environmental Impact
Quantifying Success
• Quantify Evaluation efforts
by:
• # of teachers reporting environmental
evaluations in class
• Variety of campus activities in which
environmental impact was incorporated
into plans
• Issues brought to school administration
related to environmental impact
• e.g. pesticides, energy consumption,
carpooling, Styrofoam

Nationalize Principles of
Responsible Paper
Consumption
• Encourage
Recycled-content
Paper Purchasing
• Maximize online
communication
• Provide Internet access to
families

Nationalize Principles of
Responsible Paper
Consumption
Quantifying Success
• Quantify responsible
paper consumption
by:
• Use/purchase recycled content
paper
• Recycle paper
• Use double sides
• Maximize paperless
communication