Trailblazers for Whole School Sustainability Case Studies of Educators in Action

What does it take to prepare students, teachers, and school staff to shape a just and sustainable future? In Trailblazers for Whole School Sustainability, you will meet educators and school leaders who are on the front lines of re-imagining school through the lens of sustainability.

This book features inspiring stories from around the country, from urban and rural schools and districts, that highlight best practices and lessons learned from teachers, administrators, and students as they transformed their school communities for a just and sustainable future. These stories are structured around a practical framework that demonstrates how this work allows schools and districts to work smarter, not harder, by integrating sustainability and systems thinking into leadership; curriculum and instruction; culture and climate; and facilities and operations.

While each school and district?s story in this book is different, the passion that drives each one to embrace sustainability in everything they do, from operations to curriculum, remains the same. Trailblazers for Whole School Sustainability shows what is possible when educators resolve to blaze a trail to re-imagine K-12 education for a just and sustainable future.

Section 1: Leadership 1. The Philadelphia Sustainability Story: Drivers for a Large Urban Public School District’s Sustainability Plan 2. Leadership and Autonomy Drive a Sustainable Future at Encinitas Union School District 3. Teaching Our Cities: Place-Based Education in an Urban Environment 4. Food Waste Inspires a Shift to Whole School Sustainability at the School of Environmental Studies Section 2: Curriculum and Instruction 5. Places, Projects, and Problems, Oh My! An Integrated Approach to Sustainability Curriculum at Prairie Crossing Charter School 6. Planting Seeds for Engaged 21st Century Citizens: Civic Education through Place-Based Education at The Cottonwood School of Civics and Science 7. Student-Centered Assessment Empowers Students as Agents of Positive Change for a Just and Sustainable Future 8. California’s Plumas County Connects Students to Place through Outdoor Core Mountain Kid Section 3: Culture and Climate 9. Building Resilience through a Trauma-Informed Lens at Codman Academy 10. Adventure and Experiential Learning Take Flight at Evergreen Community Charter School 11. Fostering Healthy Relationships and Sustainability Mindsets in a Climate of Care 12. Cultural Change is the Key Ingredient in Building a Sustainable Food System at Austin Independent School District Section 4: Facilities and Operations 13. Discovery Elementary School: A 3D Textbook Comes to Life 14.Waste Not, Want Not: Boulder Valley School District's School Food Project Leads the Way in K-12 Food Waste Reduction 15. Academy for Global Citizenship’s Living Campus Reimagines Public Education 16. From LEED to Leader: Virginia Beach City Public Schools Sets the Bar for Divisionwide Sustainability

Jennifer Seydel is Executive Director of Green Schools National Network and editor of the Green Schools Catalyst Quarterly, the only peer-reviewed journal for the K-12 green schools community.Shehas been an educator for over 40 years.

Cynthia L. Merse is a freelance writer and editor based in Knoxville, Tennessee. She also serves as assistant editor for the Green Schools Catalyst Quarterly.

Lisa A. W. Kensler is the Emily R. and Gerald S. Leischuck Endowed Professor for Educational Leadership at Auburn University, USA.

David Sobel is Professor Emeritus of Education at Antioch University New England, USA. He consults and speaks widely on child development and place-based education.