Green Leader Achievement Unit (AU) Menu Activity General Information and Application August 30, 2016

Green Leader Achievement Unit (AU) Menu Activity

General Information and Application

August 30, 2016
There is increasing evidence that school-wide involvement in greening and sustainability activities, practices and education are beneficial to students, teachers and staff. These benefits include increased engagement among students and staff; higher achievement on statewide tests; compliance with Maryland’s Environmental Literacy Standards; meeting the sustainability goals of 21^st Century School Buildings Plan; and increasing awareness of students about their role in the environment.
The Green Leader Achievement Unit program is designed to align with the Maryland Green Schools Award Program of the Maryland Association of Environmental and Outdoor Education (www.MAEOE.org/green-schools). This provides a framework and helps schools develop strong applications should they decide to pursue the award.
AUs will be awarded to teachers who lead greening efforts. The number of units awarded will vary depending on the work completed, with a minimum of 1 and a maximum of 4. Teachers in all grade bands and subject areas are eligible to apply. A maximum of three teachers at a single school may apply and receive AUs; the more teachers receiving AUs, the more robust the work is expected to be.
For additional information, resources and ideas, see www.baltimorecityschools.org/sustainability and www.baltimorecityschools.org/internal_sustainability
Key information

School year	2016-17
Number of AUs	Minimum of 1 and up to 4; the number will depend on successful completion and documentation of your work
Coordinator	Joanna Pi-Sunyer, Green Schools Coordinator [e-mail]
Application date	Sept 30, 2016 to Joanna via email, using application form at the end of this document (which must be signed by your principal)
Documentation submission dates	1^st quarter by Nov 11 2^nd quarter by Jan 27 3^rd quarter by Apr 7 4^th quarter by May 12 (note this period is short, required to submit final AU numbers to Human Capital by the end of May) Coordinator will provide feedback within 15 days using the feedback form at the end of this document
Documentation format	All documentation must be submitted via a dedicated school website made at www.weebly.com See below for additional information.

Sustainability Ambassadors
Each school must designate at least one person to be its Sustainability Ambassador, per the Sustainability Administrative Regulation ADG-RA (see http://www.baltimorecityschools.org/Page/30647). That person may apply for one or more Green Leader AUs if desired.
Training
Several optional training sessions will be held in September and October regarding Sustainability Ambassador and Green Leader AU responsibilities. Dates, times, and locations will be announced in early September.
Activity Areas
Select from the list below of activities that you will pursue.
NOTE: AUs will be awarded in only one area if an activity crosses multiple areas (e.g. if a teacher gets a Green, Healthy, Smart Challenge grant [see # 2 below] that focuses on recycling [see # 5.5.3 below], s/he may earn 2 AUs for the grant but not 1 AU for recycling).

1. 
   Sustainability Ambassador – 1AU
   

Be the point person at school for greening, sustainability and environmental issues. This AU is most appropriate for the School Sustainability Ambassador. Duties include but are not limited to:

• 
  Prepare a Sustainability Plan (see template at http://www.baltimorecityschools.org/Page/30647) for your school that at minimum addresses how your school will recycle and conserve energy; additional projects may also be included.
  
• 
  Complete an annual sustainability survey from City Schools’ district office about school practices (see draft at same link above)
  
• 
  Regularly inform students, staff, and families of your role via newsletter, email, posters, morning and afternoon announcements, etc.
  
• 
  Coordinate and facilitate community meetings or workshops to share opportunities for school greening with students, staff and community members
  
• 
  Meet with principal and/or assistant principal at least twice per year to review sustainability and greening strategies or plans
  
• 
  Share information and resources provided by City Schools’ Green School Coordinator, the Baltimore Office of Sustainability, and other local, state or national entities with your school community
  
• 
  Answer questions for students, teachers and staff, e.g. explain which items are recyclable, share ways to conserve energy, provide referrals for student outdoor experiences, identify possible project resources
  
• 
  Advocate for green practices, e.g. minimizing paper use through double-sided printing, reducing energy use through use of natural light, etc.
  

2. 
   Green Grant Implementation – 2AUs
   

Implement a sustainability grant by applying in the fall of the school year for a Green, Healthy, Smart Challenge Grant from the Baltimore City Office of Sustainability and/or an Energy Grant from the Baltimore Energy Challenge. Duties include, but are not limited to:

• 
  Develop project idea with at least 5 students
  
• 
  Gain principal support and approval for project
  
• 
  Write application with students
  
• 
  Implement project with students
  
• 
  Write grant report including summary of expenditures and inclusion of receipts
  
• 
  With students, prepare poster presentation and participate in GreenScape (spring celebration of school greening)
  

Examples include:

• 
  4th and 5th graders created energy conservation story books to read to younger students, and created posters to spread the message to the school
  
• 
  9^th-12^th grade students made their own recycled paper note cards from paper collected at school, sold them, and visited an environmental education center
  
• 
  Elementary school students built and maintained an herb garden, harvested herbs for use in a student cooking project
  
• 
  6^th graders studied recycling and made a sculpture for the school lobby from recycled materials; students repaired several raised beds and grew herbs
  
• 
  3^rd, 4^th and 5^th grade students made posters about composting in the cafeteria, planted a “living wall” in the lobby and measured indoor air quality
  
• 
  7^th and 8^th graders conducted an energy audit of their school, investigated energy sources and educated school about energy conservation
  
• 
  5^th grade students investigated solar tubes, 1^st graders decorated trash and recycling bins, Green Team Ambassadors (various ages) presented to 300 students about recycling
  
• 
  9^th grade students focused on litter and water quality; they painted a storm drain, planted 32 trees, made a Public Service Announcement, passed out flyers, and picked up trash
  

3. 
   MAEOE Green School Application – 2AUs
   

Lead effort to earn the Maryland Green School Award from the Maryland Association for Environmental and Outdoor Education (MAEOE) – see http://maeoe.org/green-school-application/#gs_ap_guides. Duties include but are not limited to:

• 
  Set up Weebly electronic application (free website template used by MAEOE)
  
• 
  Upload documentation to Weebly electronic application
  
• 
  Submit intent to apply by December 16, 2016 with $75 fee
  
• 
  Hold at least one Green Team meeting per quarter with students, staff and community members
  
• 
  Hold at least two meetings with school principal and/or assistant principal to discuss green goals, action items and application progress
  
• 
  Implement green practices within school
  
• 
  Document practices within the school
  
• 
  Share professional development opportunities with teachers and staff
  
• 
  Recruit and manage external partnerships, e.g. a nonprofit helping to build a garden, a neighborhood association providing materials, a public entity hosting an outdoor lab experience
  
• 
  Submit complete application by March 17, 2017, including metrics survey
  

Examples of successful City Schools applications may be viewed at http://www.baltimorecityschools.org/Page/25709

4. 
   Advise a Green Team, Environment Club, or Outdoor Club – 1AU
   

Advise a group of students interested in environmental, greening and sustainability issues. Duties include but are not limited to:

• 
  Convene the group of at least 10 students at least six times per year
  
• 
  Help students set the priorities and goals for the year
  
• 
  Publicize work of the club to the full school, e.g. presentations, newsletters, posters, website, email blast, etc.
  
• 
  Promote student leadership or coordinate specific leadership development components
  
• 
  Team or Club completes at least one distinct project or outing
  
• 
  Lead an outing with students to explore, look at and/or interact with a natural place, e.g. a park, a conservatory, an office with green practices
  

NOTE: Teachers receiving 2AUs for a grant that requires a green team (see #2 above) may only receive this additional 1AU if the team is significantly larger and takes on additional projects or tasks than those required by the grant.

5. 
   Specific items from the MAEOE Green School application
   

Details for these items can be found in the MAEOE Application Guide at http://maeoe.org/green-school-application/#gs_ap_guides.

1. 
   Curriculum and instruction – 1 AU
   

Duties may include, but are not limited to:

• 
  Obtain environmental issue instruction (learning modules, lesson plans, curricula) for at least every grade level in elementary or middle school, or in at least four subjects for high school
  
• 
  Share instruction with teachers for use in their classrooms at staff meetings, individual meetings, email, professional development days, etc.
  
• 
  Document that instruction is being used via examples of student work
  

2. 
   Professional development –1 AU
   

Duties may include, but are not limited to:

• 
  Arrange for and promote environmentally-related professional development opportunities for teachers and school leaders
  
• 
  Research relevant opportunities for teachers and staff, such as inviting providers to school to train teachers and/or staff and/or finding off-site providers that offer classes or courses
  
• 
  Promote opportunities at staff meetings, in school-wide communications, and one-on-one
  
• 
  Work with staff and school leadership to ensure that at least 10% of teachers participate in at least one opportunity
  

3. 
   School-wide environmental behavior change – 1 AU
   

Duties may include, but are not limited to:

• 
  Promote use of electronic newsletters and use of text and email messages to parents
  
• 
  Institute double-sided printing for 75% of the printers in the building
  
• 
  Promote more energy efficient lighting (use of daylight, use of task lighting, de-lamping, turning off lights, etc.)
  
• 
  Document the efforts
  
• 
  Institute a nonstudent-led recycling program, energy conservation program, green cleaning program, outdoor classroom or nature play space, etc.
  

(If activities are student-led, see below)

4. 
   Celebration or event, such as Earth Hour in March, Earth Day in April, etc.– 1 AU
   

Duties may include, but are not limited to:

• 
  Establish goals of the event, involvement of which teachers and students, how integrated to curriculum
  
• 
  Plan event logistics
  
• 
  Implement event
  
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  Evaluate success of the event
  
• 
  Impact at least one grade
  

5. 
   Student-driven sustainability practices
   

1. 
   Water conservation and/or pollution prevention – 1AU
   

Duties may include, but are not limited to:

• 
  Students research, plant, and monitor rain gardens or conservation landscaping
  
• 
  Students research, install and use rain barrels
  
• 
  Students create and hang signs near school sinks to encourage conservation and throughout school to educate students and staff about storm water runoff
  
• 
  Students make a display or diorama to demonstrate water conservation and pollution prevention
  
• 
  Student help design and participate in a hands on experiment about water conservation and pollution prevention
  

2. 
   Energy conservation – 1AU
   

Duties may include, but are not limited to:

• 
  Students label light switches throughout school to encourage conservation
  
• 
  Students conduct an energy audit of a portion of or the entire school
  
• 
  Students plant trees so that in time they provide shade for the school
  
• 
  Students form an energy patrol to weekly monitor classrooms, offices and school and encourage conservation, e.g. lights and electronics off when not in use; turning window air conditioners off, reporting hot rooms to facilities staff rather than opening windows
  
• 
  Students help install power strips to turn off computers and other electronics in the evenings, weekends and holidays
  

3. 
   Solid waste reduction – 1AU
   

Duties may include, but are not limited to:

• 
  Students educate the school about what can and cannot be recycled
  
• 
  Students regularly monitor, track and/or manage recycling bins
  
• 
  Students organize drives to recycle ink cartridges, cell phones, etc.
  
• 
  Students assist with compost program in cafeteria
  
• 
  Students promote re-use of materials to reduce volume of solid waste
  
• 
  Students assist with carton recycling program in cafeteria
  

4. 
   Habitat restoration – 1AU
   

Duties may include, but are not limited to:

• 
  Students plant or tend a native plant garden
  
• 
  Students plant trees or native plants
  
• 
  Students install and monitor bird, bat or butterfly boxes
  
• 
  Students maintain and use schoolyard habitat, e.g. a garden to attract butterflies, a bioretention pond to collect rain water, a native species garden that does not need to be watered
  
• 
  Students meet with community partners and present to school leaders, students and area community association to acquire support and report on work completed
  

5. 
   Structures for environmental learning – 1AU
   

Duties may include, but are not limited to:

• 
  Students regularly hold class in an outdoor classroom during the school day
  
• 
  Students help maintain an outdoor classroom through cleaning, weeding, etc.
  
• 
  Students grow food in gardens at school
  
• 
  Students create outdoor artwork for schoolyard and/or outdoor classroom
  
• 
  Students help build, or create signage for and promote use of, a nature trail around their schoolyard
  

6. 
   Responsible transportation – 1AU
   

Duties may include, but are not limited to:

• 
  Students survey, analyze and implement carbon-reducing actions to improve school transportation issues, e.g. carpooling, installation and use of bike racks, no idling in carpool lines
  
• 
  Students educate school and community about hazards of car and bus idling, by posting signs, distributing fliers
  
• 
  Students routinely go on walking field trips, i.e. they walk to a location off-site, and learn about their reduced impact on the environment
  

7. 
   Healthy school environment – 1 AU
   

Duties may include, but are not limited to:

• 
  Students make, use, and distribute non-toxic or green cleaning products for classrooms and home
  
• 
  Students plant, care for and maintain a host of indoor plants
  
• 
  Students create a campaign to encourage healthy eating choices, e.g. posters, song, rap, or skit
  
• 
  Students organize and implement a community clean-up that involves at least 10% of the student body
  
• 
  Students participate in the Asthma Friendly Schools program and/or the Air Quality Flags program
  

6. 
   Community partnerships, awards and special recognition – 1AU
   

Duties may include, but are not limited to:

• 
  Community partnerships: Ongoing, sustained partnerships, where partners are active in the school and the school is active in the community
  
• 
  Awards and special recognition: The school or students have received awards or special recognition, or received grant awards or in-kind services from public or private entities
  

6. 
   Other activities – 1AU
   

To be determined and approved by the Green Schools Coordinator
Time Commitment
Each AU awarded equals approximately 15 hours of work. Those 15 hours may be completed over the course of a full school year, or over a shorter time period. Documentation provided must indicate the level of effort of each teacher seeking the AUs.
Application
Submit application (see below) by September 30 to the Green Schools Coordinator with a principal signature. Up to three teachers at each school may apply for and receive credits.
Documentation
Your work must be documented so that the reviewers can fully understand the scope and impact of your work.

• 
  All work must be documented via a dedicated green school website used for the MAEOE Green Schools Award application (using the Weebly or a comparable template), even if the school is not applying for the award
  
• 
  The website must have one page dedicated to each AU that the teacher is seeking
  
• 
  If more than one teacher at a school is seeking AUs, work must be clearly attributed to each teacher so AUs may be allocated fairly
  
• 
  If a school already has an active website, new work must be clearly dated on existing or new web pages so credits may be allocated fairly
  
• 
  If the school is seeking the MAEOE Green School award, a separate Green Leader AU page is required to document a teacher’s work (MAEOE is familiar with this AU program requirement)
  
• 
  Documentation must be thorough and clearly explained/identified and may include:
  

• 
  Lesson plans and curricula, labeled with teacher name, grade, evidence of its use, and a description of how the environment is a context for learning
  
• 
  Professional development agendas, lesson plans, dates of completion, evidence of teacher participation, grades taught by teachers, length of the PD, and provider information
  
• 
  Photographs of the green practices being implemented, accompanied by explanatory captions of date, activity, grade level of students, etc.
  
• 
  Photographs of students, staff and/or partners actively implementing green practices, accompanied by explanatory captions of date, activity, grade level of students, etc.
  
• 
  Email or other correspondence with staff, partners or others
  
• 
  Newspaper or newsletter articles
  
• 
  Awards
  
• 
  Agendas/plans/programs for meetings and events
  
• 
  Student work and reflections
  
• 
  Avoid lengthy narratives describing projects, activities, or work, unless they are a student essay demonstrating knowledge of a relevant subject
  

Feedback
Each quarter, each teacher must email a link of his/her website to the Green Schools Coordinator so progress may be reviewed (see first page for dates). Within 15 days, the Coordinator will respond using the feedback form (attached) indicating “on track/off track/more information needed” for the first three quarters, or “approved/denied” for the last quarter.
If each teacher does not email the link to the Green Schools Coordinator, the Coordinator will NOT review the site and the AUs are at risk of not being awarded.
Pre- and Post-Surveys
Each participating teacher is required to complete a short survey via K12Insight at the start and the end of the year.
Print, complete, and scan this form by September 30, 2016 to

Joanna Pi-Sunyer, Green Schools Coordinator, at [e-mail]

Teacher name
School name and number
School year
Teach which grade(s)
Teach which subject(s)
Teacher signature
Date of submission
Principal name
Principal approval signature & date
Which AU activities are you seeking?
Activity Number e.g., 4	Activity Name e.g., Advise a Green Team, Environment Club, or Outdoor Club		AUs e.g., 1 AU
Narrative explaining goals for the year (150 words max):

This is the form the Green Schools Coordinator will return to you each quarter providing you with feedback on your progress toward earning AUs.

Teacher
Other teachers at same school, if any
School name and number
Date of review	Q1 –	Q2 –	Q3 –	Q4 –
Reviewer
Website address
Activity Number, Name, AUs e.g., 4, Advise a Green Team, Environment Club, or Outdoor Club, 1AU	Q1 –	Q2 –	Q3 –	Q4 –
* For quarters 1-3 indicate “On Track/Off Track/More Information Needed” * For quarter 4 indicate “Approved/Denied”
Notes: