Become a Certified Oregon Green School
STEP 1: Sign Up as an Oregon Green School
By signing up as Oregon Green School, you’ll be connected with a regional coordinator for support, added to our newsletter list, and receive access to your own working folder for sharing resources and documentation.
Unsure if your school might already be an Oregon Green School? Contact us to find out!
STEP 2: Choose a Certification Track
Each certification track has its own resource guide with suggested action items, curriculum, community partners, etc. to assist your student team in certification.
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Gardens & Grounds
Aligns with Eco-Schools USA Schoolyard Habitats Pathway
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Green Lunchrooms
Aligns with Eco-Schools USA Consumption & Waste and Sustainable Food Pathways
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Reduce, Reuse, & Recycle
Aligns with Eco-Schools USA Consumption & Waste Pathway
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Walk & Roll to School
Aligns with Eco-Schools USA Transportation Pathway
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Energy Conservation
Aligns with Eco-Schools USA Energy Pathway
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Environmental Justice
Aligns with Eco-Schools USA Climate Change Pathway
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Water Conservation & Pollution Prevention
Aligns with Eco-Schools USA Water and the Watersheds, Oceans & Wetlands Pathways
STEP 3: Take Action
Take these actions to complete your certification:
Plan your project. Use Certification Form Part 1 to plan your sustainability project (submit to OGS at the beginning of your work). Decide what problem you’re trying to solve, how you want to solve it, and how you’ll share your success.
Implement your project. Work with your team to implement your project. Ensure that you document your baseline and demonstrate your impact through qualitative or quantitative data. Reach out to your regional coordinator if you have questions.
Summarize and evaluate your results. Use Certification Form Part 2 to summarize and evaluate your results (submit to OGS at the end of your work). Remember to include any supporting documents with your certification form including qualitative or quantitative data, auditing forms, data tracking sheets, posters, photos, etc.
Receive recognition and promote your success. After your application is approved, you’ll receive a plaque to recognize your team’s certification. Celebrate your success at a school assembly, by writing an article for your school newsletter, etc. Be creative!
Remember: Have fun, engage your students and school community, and come up with realistic and ambitious goals to make a difference at your school and within your community. This is about changing systems so it will take time and your plans may evolve as you go.
STEP 4: Keep Up the Good Work!
Maintain your project and continue to measure results. Think about expanding your project, setting new goals, or making other changes to strengthen your impact. Consider pursuing a new certification track and/or a new project in a certification track you’ve already tackled.