First envisioned on World Environment Day, June 5, 2007, the GSA was created in response to Mayor Bloomberg’s challenge to New York City institutions to reduce their carbon footprint 30% by 2030. On October 11, 2007, hosted by the Allen-Stevenson School, forty six schools gathered to explore Climate Change and What Schools Can So About It. The Green Schools Leadership Commitment was first introduced to 21c environmental challenges through integrated sustainable and energy-smart solutions and, with support from The Mayor’s Office of Long Term Planning and Sustainability, the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS), the National Business Officers Association (NBOA), and other local, state, national and global resource partners, the GSA was launched.

All of EDN’s activities, whether greening schools or promoting green economic policies at home and abroad, inform and energize populations so they will act to secure a healthy future for themselves and their children. With its partner organizations, EDN provides civic engagement opportunities at the local, state, national and global levels. At every turn, EDN works to broaden the definition of “environment” to include all issues that affect our health, our communities and our environment, such as greening deteriorated schools, creating green jobs and investment, and promoting activism to stop air and water pollution.

Project Learning Tree (PLT) is a program of the American Forest Foundation that uses forests to engage young Americans and provide them with environmental education. PLT provides curriculum, programs, and other resources to educators so that they can introduce their students to an array of complex