Missouri Green Schools helps schools set, achieve, and recognize environmental sustainability, health and learning goals.

Missouri Green Schools
Donate to MGS

Missouri Green Schools Seeking Pilot Schools to Participate Now!

Missouri Green Schools is a free tracking and recognition program designed to help PreK-12 schools in Missouri:

  • improve the health and wellness of students and staff,
  • reduce environmental impact, and
  • incorporate environmental and sustainability education.

Schools can see stronger educational outcomes and reduced costs as a result of big and small changes that also help the environment. These changes can happen throughout the school building and grounds, educational programming, and culture.

Schools with 60% or more free and reduced priced lunch programs have the opportunity for additional support, including access to one-on-one assistance in setting goals and tracking progress as well as financial support for staff professional development and through small grant opportunities.

Graphic courtesy of the Institute for the Built Environment at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, CO

Enroll

Are you interested in becoming a Missouri Green School and venturing on the path towards state and national recognition for your efforts? Schools can begin their green school journey by enrolling through this form. You can get started in just 4 easy steps!

Step 1: Complete a commitment letter
Once enrolled, the commitment letter can be signed by the head of the school or district.

Step 2: Do a Quick Assessment of your School’s Green Efforts
When you have a few people assembled for your green team, use this baseline assessment to discuss your school’s present circumstances. A list of yes or no questions, this assessment should take less than half an hour to complete but generate lots of discussion and excitement!

Step 3: Identify a Goal
Identify at least one goal for your school. This could be anything from benchmarking energy use to setting up a green team. Once you have some goals in mind, it is time to make a plan! Creating an action plan is an important first step toward achieving your goal.

Step 4: Use the Sustainability Tracking and Roadmap Tool (START)
Once a school has enrolled, they will need to set up an Energy Star Portfolio account and begin to record information in the START tool to benchmark their progress toward becoming a green school. More information on how to do this will be coming soon.

Already Enrolled

Setting up your Green Team
Your team should include multiple staff from classrooms, facility operations, health, food, PE, and/or administration. It’s great to consider student, parent, and community representation as well. Having multiple people with a variety of roles and perspectives on your team makes it possible to implement sustainable, whole-school changes.

Want some help thinking through what might motivate different people to participate? Check out this list of potential team members to recruit. Then send these fact sheets to friends and colleagues whose help you want to enlist! When talking to friends and colleagues, be sure to find out what their concerns and passions are. Pro Tip: when recruiting green team members, you should be talking ⅓ of the time and listening ⅔ of the time. There are so many entry points into sustainability, you just need to ask questions and find out the passions that drive your potential teammates!

Ready for State-Level Recognition?
The deadline to prompt the MGS team to review your materials for state-level recognition is June 30 each year. To submit your prompt for review, click here.

Ready for National Recognition?

For more information on becoming a Missouri nominee for the U.S. Department of Education’s Green Ribbon award, reach out to mgs@meea.org or click here.

MGS Levels by Lesli Moylan

Level 1: Sprout

To start your school onto its green journey, the following items must be completed:

Benefits:

  • Certificate
  • Recognized on website under year of participation
  • Invitation to MGS Celebration at Friday night social of MEEA Conference (can wait to come to conference that is held close to their location since conference location moves around the state annually)
  • 1 hour conference with a mentor

Level 2: Seedling

 

To grow into a Seedling, your school must:

  • Designate a committee to support this work
  • Benchmark a minimum of one of the following for your school: energy, waste, or water (ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager preferred)
  • Document achievements in a minimum of one Educational Programming, per the START metrics

Benefits:

Level 3: Sapling

To mature into a Sapling, your school must:

  • Benchmark all energy, waste, and water consumption (ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager preferred)
  • Demonstrate reduction of resource usage over the last 1 – 3 years within a minimum of one area: energy, waste, or water.
  • Achieve Tier 2 or 3 in a minimum of 2 Educational Programming metrics via the START tracker.
  • Tier 2 or 3 achievements in a minimum of 4 Organizational Culture metrics via the START tracker.

Benefits:

Level 4: Flowering Dogwood

To fully blossom into a Flowering Dogwood, your school must complete the following:

  • Demonstrate reductions over the last 1-3 years across energy, waste, and water
  • Tier 2 or 3 achievements in a minimum of 5 Educational Programming START metrics
  • Tier 2 or 3 achievements in a minimum of 8 Organizational Culture START metrics
  • Tier 2 or 3 achievements in a minimum of 15 Physical Place START metrics
  • Provide one contact to serve as a mentor.

Benefits:

 

Students and adults examining a crop grown in a community garden

Not a school? Still want to help?

Missouri Green Schools is seeking partners to support schools on their green and healthy journey! Find more information here!