School custodial staff is responsible for cleaning schools. Some teachers choose to do additional cleaning. Here is how to ensure those efforts tackle dirt and germs safely and effectively.

Resources from ASHRAE and others on buildings, filtration/ disinfection, transportation, and reopening.

As a school nutrition professional, how can I protect myself and slow the spread? For school nutrition professionals and volunteers working in meal preparation and/or distribution at a school/school district site or other public settings, potential sources of exposure include close contact with co-workers, students, and families with COVID-19 and touching your nose, mouth, or eyes after touching contaminated surfaces or handling items that others infected with COVID-19 have touched. Currently...

This is the first in a series of blogs from Green Schoolyards America, highlighting outdoor activities that are well-suited to our current social distancing situation.

Thanks to the development of affordable, compact, and user-friendly 3D printers, consumer use is booming, particularly in classrooms. 3D printers have become a valuable tool in K-12 classrooms because they inspire creativity and problem-solving by bringing students’ ideas and designs to life. But, as with so many new technologies, there are also unintended safety consequences to consider. Research conducted by Chemical Insights (an Institute of Underwriters Laboratories), a not-for-profit...

Earth School provides free, high-quality educational content. Initiated by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and TED-Ed, Earth School takes students on a 30-day “Adventure” through the natural world. The curated Earth School content features videos, reading materials and activities — translated into 10 languages — to help students gain an understanding of the environment while considering their role within it. This is the biggest online learning initiative in UNEP’s history and...

Crayola and schools across North America are banding together to help kids understand the importance of their role in protecting the environment. That’s why we launched Crayola ColorCycle. Through this initiative, students in K-12 schools across the continental United States and parts of Canada can collect and repurpose used Crayola markers. ColorCycle is also a great opportunity for teachers and their students to explore ecofriendly practices. Specially developed standards-based lesson plans...

B-WET regional funding opportunities are offered through local NOAA host offices and generally published in late summer or fall each year. Funded projects provide Meaningful Watershed Educational Experiences for students and related professional development for teachers. MWEEs support regional education and environmental priorities.

Buildings account for nearly 40% of the energy consumed in the United States (EIA n.d.), and reducing that energy use offers many benefits to owners, occupants, and communities. The number of zero energy (ZE) buildings—which are so energy efficient that on-site renewable energy (usually solar photovoltaics [PV]) can meet or exceed their annual energy needs—is growing steadily as the hurdles of getting to ZE are better understood and more easily overcome. Thanks to the focus on energy...

In light of BP 3514 and AR 3514, and in light of the harmful health impacts associated with exposures to chemicals found in commonly used consumer products, these guidelines are developed to provide fundamental action steps to ensure the: Enhancement of student learning by providing a healthy school environment; Reduction in the amount of hazardous materials and chemicals used, released, and exposed to students and staff; Improvement of Indoor Air Quality in classrooms and other rooms district...

The Advanced Energy Design Guide—Achieving Zero Energy series provides a cost effective approach to achieve advanced levels of energy savings. The four-color Guides offer contractors and designers the tools, including recommendations for practical products and off-the-shelf technology, needed for achieving a zero energy building which is defined as a building that, on an annual basis, draws from outside resources equal or less energy than it provides using on-site renewable energy sources.

LAUSD aims to be the most sustainable and environmentally-friendly large urban school district in the Country. In 2007, the Board of Education passed a resolution titled Green LAUSD, which directed the superintendent to establish a "green" accountability system outlining measurable outcomes for sustainability. In response, the Sustainability Initiatives Unit (SIU) was developed in 2008 as a part of the Facilities Services Division

Austin ISD recognizes that it is uniquely poised to balance the needs of the environment, the diverse community we serve, and available financial resources through sustainable practices. The district’s first sustainability staff was hired in 2014 and has since worked with the Austin ISD Environmental Stewardship Advisory Committee (ESAC) to develop the Austin ISD Sustainability Plan to achieve the Board’s commitment to: Ensure responsible stewardship of energy, water, and other natural...