Feature image: The first in-person Green Schools Conference since 2020 gave educators and school officials an opportunity to learn and network. Image credit: Zack Smith.

The 2023 Green Schools Conference convened in person for the first time since 2020, bringing together over 400 attendees for three days of in-depth learning, sharing and networking.

To further attendee peer-to-peer connections, conference co-host Green Schools National Network (GSNN) curated content for the educators and school leaders peer-cohort track, which ran concurrently over a day and a half with three other peer-learning programs.

What attendees were excited to learn about

Conference participants learned about how the New Orleans school district (NOLA) used Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) funds to rebuild and refurbish a majority of their school buildings since 2005; leveraged deep community partnerships to close the achievement gap at a record pace; and created a system of small school networks within the larger system that have been able to respond to the needs of students through climate, safety and health emergencies.

GSC attendees were excited to take part in the many learning opportunities the conference had to offer.

In addition to learning about the critical moves the district made to address these concerns, participants were able to visit four New Orleans schools designed to address the health, equity and sustainability needs of students and families. Each school had distinct opportunities for learning:

New Harmony High School shared its deep understanding of how to address the social, emotional and mental health needs of students through building hope with community action and service.
Rooted School shared its efforts to prepare students for a healthy economic future by ensuring that all students graduate with a career pathway, a job and a diploma.
The Living School provided participants with the opportunity to learn from local students about how they are creating a food forest to address the food desert in their neighborhood.
The Willow School provided an excellent example of how a comprehensive high school can integrate sustainability into all of its programming, including the arts, to empower student voices.

After undergoing immersion experiences at local schools and forming new relationships, participants spent time on the final afternoon discussing and planning how to deepen their own sustainability initiatives when they returned home, using GSNN’s GreenPrint framework as a guide to address leadership, curriculum and instruction, school climate and culture, and facilities and operations.

What attendees are saying

This was the first year of peer-cohort tracks at GSC. Attendees of the educators and school leaders track expressed gratitude and excitement about their experiences at this year's conference:

“What I found most valuable was learning about GSNN’s Green[P]rint framework and then working on individual goals and sharing with a colleague.” —Track attendee
“My favorite experiences at the conference were visiting the schools…The Living School was so impressive…Thank you for a wonderful experience! This was my first GSC and I look forward to attending again!” —Track attendee
“I appreciated the time to envision my own goals and to talk to some peers in other schools and places. Learning about NOLA’s schools was fascinating and gave invaluable context for the school visit. In all, what an amazing assembly of people over these two days!” —Track attendee

We also received constructive feedback from attendees that we can’t wait to apply to next year’s programming.

What attendees took away

GSNN wanted attendees to deeply engage in learning opportunities that would help them gather knowledge on what building a sustainable future for education can look like. Attendees mentioned several things that really stood out to them about this year's conference, including

Opportunities to hear how schools are successfully implementing the GreenPrint framework.
Experiences during the school visits, especially as part of a series of place-based learning experiences.
The four-person panel of school leaders, which was truly inspirational and helped inform attendee thinking and encourage action for more sustainable schools.
Dedicated work time with colleagues and peers to reflect and start on goal setting and action planning.
Hearing educators from other schools talk about their goals during the sharing portion of the program.

Stay up to date on announcements and plans for the 2024 event

Recap: The Educators and School Leaders track at GSC