Dream in Green is a South Florida based non-profit whose mission is to inspire and empower individuals, particularly K-12 students, to respond to climate change and other environmental challenges facing local and global communities. The Green Schools challenge was developed in 2006 to address that mission by utilizing K-12 schools as living laboratories to foster the next generation of environmental stewards.

The Green Schools Challenge aims to engage students, teachers and administrators in hands-on educational activities that teach them about the links between resources, sustainability and their communities. Students are encouraged to think creatively and design initiatives that foster an environmentally sustainable future and promote the ‘green’ message to the entire school, their homes and throughout their community.

We develop and provide 3 free curriculum designed specifically for each elementary, middle and high schools. Our topics focus on energy efficiency, water conservation, waste reduction, alternative transportation, green living (building & careers) and food security. The Green Schools Challenge is designed as a competition so each activity the students complete will gain them points which we highlight winners at an awards ceremony at the end of the year.

Dream in Green offers professional development trainings for teachers to help implement the program. We partner with the STEM office at Miami-Dade County Public School District (MDCPS) to align our activities with the District’s pacing guides and we provide which benchmarks they fall under. Participation in our program will also count towards a school’s efforts to apply for STEM designation through MDCPS.

Every school enrolled in the Green Schools Challenge will be eligible to apply for grants of up to $400 to support green initiatives at their school. These grants ask students and teachers to conceptualize a project, develop a proposal and budget and evaluate the effectiveness of their idea.

By participating in the Green Schools Challenge:

- Schools will reduce utility costs by becoming more energy and resources efficient.

- Students will be exposed to environmental literacy.

- Teachers will learn how to integrate environmental education into ongoing instruction.

Schools can enroll in the program by filling out an online form (https://forms.gle/d6DMBdR7XDZx7Q1Z6) or visiting our website (www.dreamingreen.org). Please contact the Program Manager, Alexandra, at alexandra@dreamingreen.org for any additional questions or information.