Green Schools Bill

Supporting & Expanding Existing Student-Led Efforts
We know that Maine students and teachers have long been building green and sustainable schools through innovative collaborations and initiatives. The Climate Education Advocacy working group has submitted a bill this session to animate and potentially fund a statewide Green Schools network to uplift and offer more resources to the existing efforts of teachers and students, while opening doors to schools who have not been able to prioritize this work in the past.

Part of Larger Systems-Change Work
We see Green Schools in general, and a Maine Green Schools network in particular, as essential in our statewide environmental literacy, climate resilience, and climate justice efforts. A Green Schools Network would help build the necessary ecosystem to support the long-term implementation of Maine’s Environmental Literacy Plan, and help provide resources to build more statewide climate education curriculum, support schools as they implement regenerative food systems, establish schoolyard habitat, create robust place-based Wabanaki studies curriculum, act on student-led climate justice initiatives, install efficient building infrastructure and more. This is a key piece of our systems-change work to increase equitable access to outdoor learning for all Maine youth.