Imagine a mighty collaboration among these organizations around the vision of edible playgrounds at every MPS school!

www.edibleschoolyard.org

• Growing Power
• Outpost
• Urban Ecology Center
• Food Reclamation Society
• Domes
• Other Possible Partners:
  • Milwaukee Urban Ag Council
  • Michael Fields
  • Environmental Consortium Member Organizations

We might even consider coupling this with the recycled computer and internet empowerment projects, teaching the kids how to use a wiki web site to plan, present, track, and promote their gardens.

And Milwaukee became known as
The Holy City of the Sweet Water Seas,
Because some people taught the children
How to grow food in the playground.

Living according to the way comes natural
For children taught to create
Good food and beauty.

What say to a mighty collaboration to accelerate
The transformation of MPS asphalt school grounds
Into gardens the children help design, create, nurture,
Harvest and eat!

Here is news of an international movement around this theme!

www.ecoschools.com/KeyOrgs/KeyOrgs_wSidebar.html

Many organizations around the world are working to make schoolyards greener. Some of them have national and international programs that address this issue on a large scale, while others are focused on their own local city, state, or region. Many of these organizations produce written materials and guidebooks that are designed to help schools start their own greening processes.

The list of “schoolyard greening organizations” below, arranged by country, includes some of the organizations that I have found most useful in my own research. The second list, “environmental education organizations,” presents additional groups that are working toward a broader environmental education mission.

Schoolyard Greening Organizations

• The School Learnscapes Trust

“A non-profit organization dedicated to helping schools develop their grounds for learning.”
Australia

• Evergreen

Canadian national non-profit organization with “a mandate to bring nature to our cities through naturalization projects.” Evergreen’s Learning Grounds program applies this idea to school grounds. They have written a number of excellent publications that are available through this website.
Canada

• Green Teacher Magazine

“Green Teacher is a magazine by and for educators to enhance environmental and global education across the curriculum at all grade levels.” The magazine is produced four times per year and some back issues are archived on their website. Many articles focus on school grounds.
Canada

• Greening Canada’s School Grounds, Tree Canada Foundation This program that seeks to improve school grounds by planting trees and other greening methods. Canada

Greening Schoolgrounds, Wild Bird Trust of British Columbia
A program of the Wild Bird Trust of British Columbia, working to make BC’s school grounds greener.
British Columbia, Canada

• Nova Scotia Model Schools Project, Ecology Action Centre “The Model Schools Project aims to restore habitats; to develop local communities; and to enhance the health of school children within the province of Nova Scotia by naturalizing school grounds through a collaborative and multi-sectoral approach.” Nova Scotia, Canada

• School Grounds Transformation, Canadian Biodiversity Institute “The Canadian Biodiversity Institute helps schools transform their grounds into stimulating, biologically-diverse outdoor classrooms and healthy enjoyable play and social spaces…by developing demonstration school sites, providing comprehensive how-to materials, offering expert advice and training, and facilitating networking.” Canada

• Eco-Schools

Eco-Schools is a green school grounds program run by the Foundation for Environmental Education, a European organization with branches in 21 countries.
Europe

• Children’s Landscape

Website with excellent content, links and photographs from projects around the world.
Norway

• Living School

A green school demonstration project sponsored by the Agricultural Univ. of Norway and the National Gardening Society.
Norway

• The Association of Nature Schools in Sweden

An organization that coordinates the work of the 70 nature schools in Sweden, focused on outdoor education
Sweden

• Naturskolan in Lund

“Naturskolan encourages schools in and around Lund, Sweden to study the natural world in the classroom, the school grounds, the local community and on the county and international levels.”
Lund, Sweden

• Skapande Uterum

Organization devoted to greening school grounds in Sweden. (Website is in Swedish)
Sweden

• Eco-Schools, UK

Branch of the larger European Eco-School organization
United Kingdom
Learning through Landscapes
LTL is a large, nonprofit membership organization that is working to improve school grounds in the UK. They encourage schools to develop multifaceted outdoor teaching resources, and have written many excellent publications that are available through the website.
United Kingdom

• Center for Environmental Education of Antioch New England Institute

CEE’s mission is to create greener K-12 schools and communities through its online resource center and programs with individual schools in New England (north eastern USA).
USA

• Kidsgardening, National Gardening Association

Promotes green schoolyards while concentrating mainly on school gardens and composting
USA

• National Clearinghouse for Educational Facilities

NCEF’s website lists resource “links, books, and journal articles on the design, construction, and maintenance of school grounds.”
USA

• Natural Learning Initiative, North Carolina State University, College of Design Organization helps communities to create exciting places for children to play and learn. Emphasis on environmental education and outdoor learning environments. Program director: Prof. Robin Moore. USA

Schoolyard Wildlife Habitats, National Wildlife Federation
Promotes green schoolyards while concentrating mainly on schoolyard wildlife habitats
USA

• Boston Schoolyard Initiative

Promotes green schoolyards in Boston, Massachusetts, using a participatory planning process
Boston, Massachusetts, USA

• San Francisco Green Schoolyard Alliance

Coalition of organizations in San Francisco, California working to make the city’s schoolyards greener. Related websites: 1, 2
San Francisco, California, USA

• D.C. Schoolyard Greening Consortium

“The D.C. Schoolyard Greening Consortium (SGC) is a group of nonprofit organizations, government agencies, teachers, and concerned individuals interested in green spaces at schools and expanding the outdoor educational opportunities for Washington, D.C. students. The mission of the D.C. Schoolyard Greening Consortium is to increase and improve schoolyard green spaces to promote ecological literacy and environmental stewardship among students, teachers, parents and the surrounding community.”
Washington, DC, USA

Environmental Education Organizations

• Environment and School Initiatives A network of environmental education organizations in Europe Europe

• North American Association for Environmental Education A network of professionals and students in North America; hosts annual conferences, publishes related works, etc. North America

• EE-Link EE-Link is a collection of environmental education-related resources on the internet, and is a project of the North American Association for Environmental Education. North America