Green Education Foundation (GEF) is an international non-profit organization committed to creating a sustainable future through education. GEF aims to identify key factors and impediments influencing sustainability education, evaluate existing approaches, and develop effective educational materials and programs to promote behavior change towards sustainable practices.  GEF offers free programs that provide curricula and hands-on activities to inspire K-12 students and teachers to think holistically about global sustainability concerns and solutions.

Today, GEF’s community of over 9,000 educators represents more than 5 million students who, through GEF’s programs, learn the principles of waste reduction, energy and water conservation, green energy, and sustainable building. In addition, GEF works to empower the teachers who guide K-12 students, helping them understand and integrate principles of sustainability into their curricula. GEF offers educators the tools they need to enhance their sustainability knowledge, incorporate sustainability into education subjects/standards, and collaborate with sustainability-focused faculty nationwide.

History

GEF received its non-profit status in October of 2008. Since that time, GEF has grown extensively - quickly becoming the fastest growing sustainability education non-profit organization in 2010 and a leader in providing standards based sustainability education curriculum and resources.

In October 2011, GEF launched GEF Institute, a virtual classroom established to meet increasing market demand for sustainability focused courses. The Institute builds on GEF's expertise in K-12 sustainability education and STEM concepts by offering affordable courses in sustainability to educators, students at the high school and undergraduate level, and professionals.

In addition to individual online courses, the Institute offers certifications in sustainability concepts. The Institute's online courses are available for professional development or academic credit.

Major Programs

National Green Week
GEF's flagship program, National Green Week is designed to empower students to be leaders of their own sustainability campaign. Schools chose any week between the first week in February through Earth Day to be their Green Week. During this time, schools adopt sustainability curriculum and participate in GEF eco-challenge programs. In 2011, over five million students mobilized to reduce waste, energy and water and green their school.

Green Energy Challenge
The Green Energy Challenge is an academic year-long program that calls on schools to improve their energy efficiency through simple changes in habit. Participation includes free tools to teach and encourage behavior change, such as curricula, audits, and classroom activities. In 2011, over 250,000 students took on the role of energy auditors in their schools and homes and implemented changes that resulted in thousands of dollars in energy cost savings within just a few months.

Green Thumb Challenge
The Green Thumb Challenge connects children with nature through gardening while providing teachers the curriculum to incorporate sustainable gardening as a teaching tool in the classroom. The "turn-key" garden plan provides participants with beginner-friendly resources to plant gardens of any size, as well as fun activities and standards-based lessons.

I Ride Green
The central goal of I Ride Green is to inspire families and individuals to develop lifelong habits for sustainable transportation and eco-travel that promote the health of the environment, the economy, and people. I Ride Green invites participants to start easy-to-adopt green habits that can lead to lifelong healthy behaviors.

K-12 Sustainability Lesson Clearinghouse
GEF, with the support of the Center for Green Schools at the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), created an online community for teachers to download and share K-12 sustainability education curriculum. Lessons are organized by grade and subject. Educators can upload their own, comment and provide feedback on posted curriculum, fostering an online social network that promotes best practices in sustainability education.