College Students Take Cross-Country Road Trip to Promote Sustainability in America's Schools

Students@Greenbuild bus tour joins USGBC's Center for Green Schools to host local school service projects at stops along the way

ITHACA, N.Y., Nov. 5, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Starting today, 25 college students from across the United States will join the Center for Green Schools at the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) on a cross-country bus tour to USGBC's annual Greenbuild International Conference & Expo in San Francisco. The 100 percent carbon offset bus pulls up today in Ithaca, NY, at Cornell University, and will proceed to pick up students from Penn State University, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Kirkwood Community College, Colorado State University, University of Utah and Weber State University en route to the final destination in California.

The student volunteers are participating in school service projects at each pit stop along the way to create healthier, more sustainable schools and campuses as part of the Center's new cause marketing-initiative, Green Apple. Green Apple aims to put all students in schools where they have clean and healthy air to breathe, where energy and resources are conserved and where they can be inspired to dream of a brighter future. The bus tour provides an environment for college students to pair with the K-12 community to work together toward sustainable design, connect students to one another and create a teachable moment for everyone involved. Students on the bus tour can expand conversations from within their campuses to their local communities and contribute to the sustainability dialogue.

"Students are working on one of the most visible youth-driven projects to promote healthy, sustainable schools our nation has ever seen," said Rick Fedrizzi, president, CEO and founding chair, USGBC. "Shared experiences draw students together and nurture long-term collaborative relationships, and this bus tour brings new voices to our movement."

The bus tour gives students real-life experience working on a national campaign and enables them to raise awareness that "where we learn matters." Led by students from Cornell University Sustainable Design (CUSD), participants on the bus tour have been actively involved in coordinating events and local media outreach and designing project materials and videos, including a docu-style video on their journey that will be played at Greenbuild.

"It is always inspiring to work with passionate students and see them become leaders who actively put into motion the change they want for their schools" said Rachel Gutter, director of the Center for Green Schools at USGBC. "It's enormously beneficial for the entire green building community to see young people leading the charge to not only green their campuses but the communities that they live in."

More than one quarter of all Americans walk through the doors of a school every day, but instead of walking into places of opportunity, millions enter buildings where the air they breathe is filled with toxins and mold, classrooms are poorly lit and overcrowded and resources are limited and outdated. Many children are learning in buildings that are compromising their health and ability to succeed. Green Apple enables individuals, companies and organizations to transform all schools into healthy, safe, cost-efficient and productive learning places.

The carbon offsets for the bus were generously donated by Sterling Planet. To learn more about Green Apple and keep up with the bus tour, visit us online at mygreenapple.org/getonthebus, @mygreenschools and Facebook.com/centerforgreenschools.

About Green Apple

Green Apple is a cause-marketing initiative of the Center for Green schools at USGBC to put all children in schools where they have clean and healthy air to breathe, where energy and resources are conserved, and where they can be inspired to dream of a brighter future. Green Apple gives individuals, companies and organizations the opportunity to transform all our schools into healthy, safe, cost-efficient and productive learning places, and is powered by volunteers who participate in community-based efforts; promoted by media partners, like-minded NGOs and high-profile ambassadors; and funded by corporate partners. For more information, visit mygreenapple.org and use the Twitter hashtag #greenapple.

About the Center for Green Schools at USGBC

The Center for Green Schools at USGBC is making sure every student has the opportunity to attend a green school within this generation. From kindergarten to college and beyond, the Center works directly with staff, teachers, faculty, students, administrators, elected officials and communities to drive the transformation of all schools into sustainable places to live and learn, work and play. For more information, visit centerforgreenschools.org or find us on Twitter and Facebook.

About Greenbuild 

The U.S. Green Building Council's Greenbuild International Conference & Expo convenes the industry's largest gathering of representatives from all sectors of the green building movement. Three days of extensive educational programming, workshops, a vast exhibition floor and ample networking events provide unrivaled opportunities to learn about the latest technological innovations, explore new products, and exchange ideas with other professionals. Greenbuild is the four-time recipient of IMEX Green Meetings Award and the 2012 show will be held on Nov. 14-16, in San Francisco, Calif. Last year's conference in Toronto, Ontario, drew more than 23,000 attendees and featured a sold out exhibit hall floor with more than 1,700 exhibit booths. For more information, visit greenbuildexpo.org and follow us on Twitter @Greenbuild, and Facebook at facebook.com/Greenbuild.

Contact: Marisa Long
External Relations Manager, USGBC
[email protected]
202-552-1500

Hilary O'Byrne
212-299-8965
hilary.o'[email protected]

Follow us on Twitter @mygreenschools

SOURCE U.S. Green Building Council