All 29 founding members committed to establishing and leading a national coalition for green schools within their respective countries. The common goal is to promote a shared vision of green schools for all within this generation. The coalition facilitates information sharing that will help build these values into the education system. That includes sharing best practices, resources and case studies; providing tools and infrastructure to the network; and introducing programs, initiatives and campaigns that can be replicated worldwide.

Because the term “green school” can have several meanings in different cultures, the coalition identified three pillars that help define a green school: minimize environmental impact, optimize human health and performance and foster a generation of environmentally literate students. By highlighting how sustainability can be woven into infrastructure, culture and curriculum, the Global Coalition aims to foster these ideals in schools around the world.

“As members of the Global Coalition for Green Schools, we are united in our common pursuit of healthy, safe, resource-efficient schools that educate sustainability natives,” said Rachel Gutter, director of the Center for Green Schools at USGBC, in a statement. “But what inspires us and keeps us humble is seeing how much we have to learn from one another. Our approaches to greening schools may look very different, but what we all desire is to give our children every possible opportunity to succeed.”

In addition to the USGBC, the other 28 members are: Argentina GBC, GBC Australia, Botswana GBC, GBC Brasil, Canada GBC, Chile GBC, China GBC, Colombia GBC, Croatia GBC, Egypt GBC, Emirates GBC, Global Communities, GBC Ghana, Hong Kong GBC, Indian GBC, GBC Italia, Israel GBC, Jordan GBC, Kenya GBC, Mauritius GBC, Namibia GBC, Peru GBC, Qatar GBC, Romania GBC, Singapore GBC, GBC Slovenia, SUMe and Turkish GBC.

The post Global Coalition for Green Schools Announced at Greenbuild appeared first on School Construction News.