Two weeks ago, the Center for Green Schools (@mygreenschools) had the pleasure of virtually sitting down with the Green Sports Alliance (@sportsalliance) and the Seattle Mariners (@Mariners) over Twitter to talk green sports, the Green Apple Day of Service and more. In case you missed it, we've got you covered with a recap of our favorite questions of the day: Green Sports Alliance (Alliance): Let’s get started with a question to Scott Jenkins from the Mariners: How are your team and...

We just wrapped up this year's Campus Conservation Nationals (CCN) - the nation’s largest energy and water reduction competition - and the 300,000 students who participated have a lot to be proud of! Through efforts from students acting on their commitments to reduce energy and water use on campus, CCN 2013 participants saved 2.4 million pounds of carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere, reduced their energy use by 2.1 GWh (equivalent of taking 187 homes off the grid for a year...

As we continue leveraging the cultural influence of sports to advance green building, we’re taking to social media to engage players and fans alike. Join the Center for Green Schools (@mygreenschools) for a twitter chat with the Seattle Mariners (@Mariners) and Green Sports Alliance (@SportsAlliance). We’ll be celebrating the sustainability initiatives of sports organizations and encouraging our followers to partake in their own.  Log onto twitter May 23 from 4-5 p.m. EDT...

The NSSEA community - thought leaders in the movement to transform schools into healthy, high-performing learning environments - understands the importance of building and renovating schools that will promote healthy living and maximize learning. That's why we're pleased to once again be offering an opportunity for decision-makers at a school, college or university involved in any part of the design, building or renovation of an educational facility to apply for an NSSEA Educational...

On May 8, Maryland Delegate Liz Bobo visited the campus of Howard Community College (HCC) to receive a tour of the LEED Certified Health Sciences Building, learn what the USGBC Students group has been up to and speak with students about the local sustainability issues. In addition to the USGBC Students group members, we were joined by faculty and facilities personnel from HCC and students from the environmental club, making it a diverse group of key stakeholders for campus sustainability. We...

Trying to green the operations of all of the various buildings on a college campus can be a bit like trying to get all of your family members to go on a healthy diet and exercise program at the same time. It can be a daunting task. They have a range of ages, sizes, shapes and activities; they consume different things in different quantities and their aspirations vary widely. Some are ready for the quinoa salad and a marathon right now, while others are passionate about their red meat and haven...

This week, the Center for Green Schools honored 10 teachers who are leading the way in environmental education. Our brand new "Trailblazing Teacher" award aims to honor teachers across the country who are working to bring sustainable learning into the classroom and their students' lives. We were flooded for applications for this award, and were humbled by the incredible work educators are undertaking to introduce creative ways to incorporate environmental components into their classrooms...

Earth Day has been around my whole life. This year, we celebrated 43 years to the day from the first one, April 22, 1970. What’s changed? And is anything better? Sure, we recycle and more people drive increasingly efficient cars or use public transportation. We buy CFL and LED bulbs and wait for the day that LED bulbs are cheaper. We compost, we garden, we buy local or organic food and we educate about human environmental impacts. But there are more and more people making more and more...

By Cory Trusty, President of USGBC Students UCSD. Did you know that the Mission Bay Aquatic Center (MBAC) at UC San Diego is the largest waterfront instructional facility in the world? Well lucky for us, we now have another bragging right. MBAC recently achieved LEED EB: O&M Platinum certification, quite the milestone for both the students and faculty involved in the process. The best part about it? The certification was coordinated by only two staff members, with...

In 106 days, Team Capitol DC will be presenting Harvest Home, an off-the-grid showcase of all things sustainable in Irvine, California for the Department of Energy’s bi-annual Solar Decathlon from Oct. 3-13. Team Capitol DC is a joint effort of the Catholic University of America (CUA), George Washington University (GW) and American University. CUA leads with architecture and design, GW covers landscape and engineering and American is on point for communications and...

Last month, members of the Center for Green Schools team had the opportunity to take a hard-hat tour of 100-year old Cardozo High School in Washington, D.C., which is undergoing renovation as part of the D.C. Education Reform Act of 2007. When the school reopens in August for the 2013-14 academic year, it will feature larger, reconfigured and technologically updated classrooms, a new gym and central staircase, two enclosed courtyards used as a cafeteria and a refurbished auditorium. This...

Every once in a while, it’s kinda nice to see that over 300 colleges and universities are taking action based on the work you're doing. That’s exactly what happened last week when the Congressional Green Schools Caucus hosted a reception at the U.S. Capitol honoring higher education institutions featured in The Princeton Review’s Guide to 322 Green Colleges: 2013 Edition. Now in its fourth year of publication, the guide highlights exceptional colleges and universities for...