The Center for Green Schools new Building Learners program empowers k-12 students to use their buildings as learning laboratories and master STEM concepts. Students use Arc to collect and analyze data, and they conduct real-world investigations that inform sustainability improvements at their school. Working with their school’s facility manager and a volunteer green building professional serving as a mentor, students get exposure to sustainability careers and build positive relationships with members of their community.
Piloted for two years, in fall 2019, the two-year Building Learners program was purchased by six schools, to become the inaugural class. A program of the US Green Building Council, Green Schools is rooted in the idea that all students deserve sustainable schools that improve their health and prepare them for 21st century careers.