U.S. Mayors Get Behind Green Schools
Facilities, meals, safe routes to school, indoor air quality, resource use....Green schools have a lot of moving parts, and they need plenty of local support. Now the nation's mayors are stepping up.
In response to the 2007 U.S. Conference of Mayors resolution calling for green schools for all children within a generation, the former mayors of Miami and Seattle engaged other mayors and the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) to form the Mayor's Alliance for Green Schools.
The primary aim of the new Alliance is to make green, healthy schools
a national priority, starting with coordinated local efforts.
To get there, Alliance members will develop partnerships with local businesses to help schools realize their greening goals to implement school gardens, install solar panels, reduce waste and take other eco-friendly steps.
Mayors in the Alliance will also develop policies
and legislation that result in promotion of the local green school agenda, whether it's construction of green school buildings, safe routes to school, or healthier food for school cafeterias.
The mayors hope to "harness the leadership and creativity of community leaders across the country to promote the benefits of green schools." The Alliance works in conjunction with the USGBC and its 79 chapters, for a total network of 26,000 people. With those numbers, the Alliance could have a big positive impact.
Is your Mayor a member of the Mayor's Alliance for Green Schools? If not, urge him or her to join the Alliance and get to work greening your local schools.
Is your Mayor taking part?