Volunteers Improve Local Schools on USGBC Green Apple Day of Service

Oct. 15, 2013
Thousands of volunteers participated in nearly 2,100 service projects at schools in all 50 states and more than 30 countries.

Thousands of volunteers participated in nearly 2,100 service projects in all 50 states and more than 30 countries for The Center for Green Schools at the U.S. Green Building Council's second annual Green Apple Day of Service Sept. 28.


Taking place the last Saturday in September, Green Apple Day of Service is an initiative encouraging students, teachers, parents, elected officials, organizations, companies, and more to take action in their communities through service projects at local schools, with the intent of transforming all schools into healthy, safe, cost-efficient, and productive learning environments. 



This year's projects included:

• The Day of Service flagship event at Payne Elementary School in Washington, D.C. Volunteers from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) and the local community planted a garden, painted rainwater barrels, made crafts from recycled materials, and more.

• The Utah State University USGBC student chapter and the university’s sustainability council hosting a booth at the Open Streets Festival. The club distributed flower bulbs in packages containing information about the USGBC, the Green Apple Day of Service, and sustainability.

• Students from Mohammadpur Preparatory Higher Secondary School in Dhaka, Bangladesh, planting flowering trees and painting posters.

• Fifth-grade students from Atholton Elementary in Columbia, Md., partnering with the local non-profit Patapsco Heritage Greenway to conduct stream studies, complete a stream clean-up, and participate in a nature scavenger hunt.

• Woodland Primary School in Gages Lake, Ill., celebrating its recent LEED Silver certification.

For more information about Green Apple Day of Service and to start a project, visit mygreenapple.org/dayofservice.



About the Author

Scott Arnold | Executive Editor

Described by a colleague as "a cyborg ... requir(ing) virtually no sleep, no time off, and bland nourishment that can be consumed while at his desk" who was sent "back from the future not to terminate anyone, but with the prime directive 'to edit dry technical copy' in order to save the world at a later date," Scott Arnold joined the editorial staff of HPAC Engineering in 1999. Prior to that, he worked as an editor for daily newspapers and a specialty-publications company. He has a bachelor's degree in journalism from Kent State University.