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Oregon Green Schools

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The Hillsboro School District is dedicated to supporting our schools and support buildings in the journey towards resource conservation. Oregon Green Schools is an ideal opportunity for incorporating best practices and education about conservation and sustainability.

The OGS Regional Coordinator for Hillsboro is Mia Hocking, Resource Conservation Manager for HSD. 

The Oregon Green Schools Mission

Oregon Green Schools activates climate and sustainability leadership by providing an inclusive network and resources for students, schools and communities.
Are you interested in taking your school down a certification track? You may be surprised to learn that your school may already be on the way to certification. Here is how to make your hard work count towards certification:
 
  1. Choose one of the following OGS TRACKS. In an effort to promote equity and foster authentic engagement, OGS provides certification in a range of sustainability areas including Waste, Reuse, and Recycling, Green Lunchrooms, Walk and Roll to School, Gardens and Grounds, Energy Conservation, and Water Conservation and Pollution Prevention. 
  2. Request an application. When you are ready to become an Oregon Green School, please request an application below. A unique link to our online application system will be created and emailed to you from our Program Coordinator and your school name will be added to our website indicating certification is in process. Remember to have fun, engage your students, and come up with realistic and ambitious goals to make a difference at your school and within your community.
  3. Get certified. Once completed, your regional coordinator will review your application and submit it to Oregon Green Schools for approval at which point you will receive your personalized certificate. Each time your school certifies in a new track you will receive a pink badge on our website next to your school name. Can you collect all six badges? Certifications are valid for 3 years from the month of certification.
  4. Co-certify with the National Wildlife Federation. Oregon Green Schools proudly partners with National Wildlife Federation and Eco-Schools USA to offer reciprocal certification status in Waste, Reuse and Recycling and Gardens and Grounds. Please contact Oregon Education Manager, Morgan Parks, with questions or to learn more about co-certifying.
  5. Re-certify. In order to recertify and maintain active status, schools are required to complete a check-in questionnaire to gauge progress made towards their action plan and identify areas for improvement. In addition, your regional coordinator will contact you annually, or perhaps more often, to check-in on your school’s progress and offer support. We recognize that sustainability isn’t a linear journey but an ongoing process and that recertification might not be the right choice for every school. If your school chooses not to recertify after 3 years, the badge next to your school name on our website will turn from pink to grey recognizing the effort your school has put in and honoring the changes you have made at your school while acknowledging that you are no longer actively engaged in new goal setting.
  6. Here is a slideshow presentation that walks through the steps- How to Become a Certified Oregon Green School