The Center for Green Schools at USGBC Announces Inaugural Green Apple Day of Service

On Sept. 29, 2012, participants from all over the world will volunteer to make the schools and campuses in their communities healthier and more sustainable

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The Center for Green Schools at the U.S. Green Building Council have officially announced the first ever Green Apple Day of Service, a global call to take real action in support of healthy, sustainable schools. On Saturday, Sept. 29, 2012, the Green Apple Day of Service will engage students, teachers, parents, business leaders, elected officials and others in volunteer activities at schools and campuses in their communities.

The Green Apple Day of Service was announced last Friday at Green School in Bali, Indonesia, the Center’s selection as the “2012 Greenest School on Earth.” The international school offers a child-centered and holistic education with a strong focus on sustainability and the environment. Green School’s structures are built from local, renewable bamboo; the campus runs primarily on solar energy sponsored by the Akuo Foundation and utilizes bio-intensive organic farming; and among other noteworthy projects hosts a breeding sanctuary for endangered local birds, including the nearly extinct in the wild Bali Starling.

“The Green Apple Day of Service is a perfect platform for empowering communities around the world to take real, measurable steps to improve learning environments,” said Rachel Gutter, director of the Center for Green Schools at USGBC. “We could think of no better place to announce our Day of Service than Green School in Bali, which exists in perfect harmony with the earth it sits on and possesses a deep connection with the surrounding community. By committing a single day to all work together, we underscore that the health and wellbeing of the billions of people who walk into schools and colleges every day are a top priority.

More than 700 million children are enrolled in primary education worldwide according to the UNESCO 2011 Global Education Digest, and 25 percent of Americans walk into schools and colleges every day. The Center is anticipating at least 2,500 service projects taking place with more than 20,000 volunteers around the world. The Center for Green Schools was established to drive the transformation of all learning environments into safe, engaging and comfortable facilities that enhance a student’s ability to learn and a teacher’s ability to teach, and the Green Apple Day of Service is a tangible way we are working to further advance our mission of green schools for everyone within this generation.

Early support from USGBC chapters, policy makers, K-12 and higher education institutions as well as global corporate partners, including the Center’s founding sponsor United Technologies Corporation, Interface and Haworth, have already signed up to have their employees participate in acts of service on Sept. 29.

To learn more about how you can get involved, sign up for service projects in your area, connect with other volunteers and share ideas around the Green Apple Day of Service, visit mygreenapple.org. Follow the Center for Green Schools on Facebook and Twitter (@mygreenschools) and join the conversation by using the #greenapple hashtag.

About the Center for Green Schools at the U.S. Green Building Council
The Center for Green Schools at the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) is how USGBC is making sure every student has the opportunity to attend a green school within this generation. From the kindergartner entering the classroom, to the Ph.D. student performing research in a lab, the Center provides the resources and support to elevate dialogue, accelerate policy and institute innovation toward green schools and campuses. High-performing schools result in high-performing students, and the Center works directly with staff, teachers, faculty, students, administrators, elected officials and communities to drive the transformation of all schools into sustainable places to live and learn, work and play. For more information, visit centerforgreenschools.org, or connect on Twitter and Facebook.

About Green School of Bali
Green School was founded by John and Cynthia Hardy, award-winning jewelers, sustainable business pioneers and 30-year residents of Bali who recognized a unique opportunity to create something truly inspiring and outside of the structural, conceptual, and physical limitations of most traditional schools. Set on a beautiful campus of open-air bamboo buildings amidst Balinese forest, gardens, and rice fields, the school opened its doors to 100 students in 2008 and today boasts an enrolment of nearly 250 students from 25 different countries in classes ranging from Pre-K to Grade 12. Students learn traditional subjects including math, science, literacy, and computers, but classroom academics at Green School come wrapped in rich layers of experiential and environmental learning, inspiring a strong sense of connection to and responsibility for the natural world while at the same time delivering core skills and content. The Green School vision is based on a concept developed by the New Zealand educator Alan Wagstaff, who recently joined the project as Learning Manager, the person responsible for guiding academic direction. Under Alan's guidance, the school is implementing a student-centered curriculum designed to engage and challenge all of a child's human capacities and thus spark a life-long love affair with learning. For more information, please visit www.greenschool.org or contact Ben Macrory: [email protected].

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