Go Green Initiative

Help us name our next guidebook! 📚

We're putting together a new resource on indoor air quality and student success, and we've narrowed it down to 8 possible titles. Now we want YOUR help picking the winner.

Which titles would make you want to read or share this guide? Vote for your top 3, it will take less than a minute:
👉 https://bit.ly/GGIGuidebook

The winning title will come with the subtitle "A Practical Guide to Indoor Air Quality and Student Success," a resource made for school leaders, teachers, and parents who care about the air kids breathe every day at school.

Voting closes August 25, so cast your vote soon!

Healthier air. Healthier schools. Healthier futures.
Learn more at: GoGreenInitiative.org/IAQ

Back to school means new supplies, new teachers, and new opportunities. It should also mean cleaner air.

For the 1 in 13 school-age children with asthma, the air quality inside their school building has a direct impact on how they feel, how often they attend, and how well they learn.

This fall, Go Green Initiative is making it easier than ever for school districts to take action. Our free IAQ resource hub at GoGreenInitiative.org/IAQ includes an IAQ Management Plan template, school board policy tools, free courses, and information on a funding opportunity coming soon that could bring up to $40,000 to qualifying districts.

Plus, districts that submit a new IAQ Management Plan this fall are on track to compete for the 2027 NSBA Magna Awards. Nominations close October 31, 2026.

Share this with a parent, teacher, or school board member who wants healthier schools in your community:
👉 GoGreenInitiative.org/IAQ

Access the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s free, on-demand webinar library for additional information:
👉 EPA.gov/iaq-schools/ondemand-training-webinars

Rural schools deal with the same aging buildings as anyone else, often with a lot less help. 🏫

That's why we're excited about one session at this year's National Forum to Advance Rural Education: "Breathe Easy: Essential Indoor Air Quality Tools for Rural Schools," happening October 19, 2026, from 11:15 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. CT.

It's a free, practical walk-through of how to build an air quality plan for your school, funding options included, plus real stories from rural districts who've already done it.

This session brings together two organizations from GGI's National Partner Network working side by side. The National Rural Education Association (NREA) is hosting the whole event, and the CFGS Center for Green Schools at the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) is leading this session. Both have spent years helping schools, especially rural ones, get access to the resources they need, and it's exactly the kind of partnership that makes real progress on healthy schools possible.

Early Bird pricing has ended, but registration is still open!

📍 San Antonio, TX | October 19-21, 2026
🔗 https://cvent.me/nLE24v

Healthier air. Healthier schools. Healthier futures.
Learn more at GoGreenInitiative.org/IAQ

Is your school showing its age?

You're not alone, and there's a place to start that doesn't cost a fortune.

Across the country, school buildings are aging and repair budgets just aren't keeping pace. That's a facilities problem, but it's also a health and learning problem. Poor indoor air quality has been linked to more asthma symptoms, more absences, and even lower concentration in class.

The good news: districts don't have to wait for a big renovation budget to make a difference. An Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) Management Plan is a practical first step that helps schools spot risks early and plan smarter for the future.

This is especially important for schools in lower-income communities and Native American communities, who often have the oldest buildings and the fewest resources to fix them fast. But honestly, most districts are feeling this squeeze in some way.

Our new blog breaks it all down, plus free tools to help your district get started (courtesy of EPA and GGI!). Want to go deeper? The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) also offers free on-demand Tools for Schools training webinars covering IAQ basics and beyond.

📖 Read the full post: https://gogreeninitiative.org/blog/iaq-management-plan-aging-schools
🎥 Watch EPA's on-demand webinars: epa.gov/iaq-schools/ondemand-training-webinars
🗂️ Free tools, templates, and plan submission: GoGreenInitiative.org/IAQ

Go Green Initiative — supporting healthier schools through leadership, education, and action.
📧 [email protected]

Here's something most school districts don't know about The National School Boards Association 2027 Magna Awards:

You don't have to do it all at once.

Completing just one lesson from GGI's free IAQ course library earns points toward the application. And the more points your district earns, the more competitive your application becomes. Every step forward counts.

There are five ways to earn points, all with free training available:

📋 IAQ Management Plan: Up to 100 points
🌿 GHG Emissions Documentation: Up to 50 points (points scale with % of schools covered)
🏫 In-Person NSBA Training: Up to 100 points
💻 Online IAQ Courses: Up to 130 points (10 points per course; highest single category)
🎙️ Monthly IAQ Webinars: Up to 120 points (12 points per webinar)

Already working on an IAQ Management Plan? GGI is available to review it at any stage of completion, not just when it's finished. Early feedback can make a real difference.

👉 Submit your plan for review: forms.gle/JETzY1RYsXhMcAYY8
👉 Explore free training: gogreeninitiative.org/IAQ

Application deadline: October 31, 2026.

Tomorrow at 1:00 p.m. ET! Last chance to register for this one.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is hosting a free webinar with school leaders from East St. Louis School District 189 (Illinois); Salamanca City Central School District (New York); and Prince George's County Public Schools (Maryland), three districts that have made real progress on air quality in their schools. They'll talk honestly about how they got there: the budget conversations, the setbacks, and what finally got the whole district moving in the same direction.

If clean air in classrooms matters to you, this is worth carving out time for tomorrow afternoon.

📅 Date: Tuesday, August 11, 2026
🕐 Time: 1:00 – 2:30 p.m. ET
🎙️ Webinar: From Vision to Action: How School District Leaders Drive Healthy Indoor Air Quality
🔗 Register: Register.gotowebinar.com/register/8416863121634215000

Can't make it live? Our free courses cover a lot of the same ground:
GoGreenInitiative.org/Courses-IAQ

Want to see even more? The EPA’s Tools for Schools program offers a library of free, on-demand webinars you can access anytime:
EPA.gov/IAQ-Schools/ondemand-training-webinars

See you tomorrow! 🌿

Happy Friday!

One quick thing before you head into the weekend:
Mark your calendar for next Tuesday, August 11.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is hosting a free webinar where you'll hear directly from real school leaders who've made air quality a priority in their districts, and are seeing real results. Folks from East St. Louis School District 189 in Illinois; Salamanca City Central School District in New York; and Prince George's County Public Schools in Maryland will talk about what pushed them to act, the roadblocks they ran into, and how they got their whole district working toward healthier air for kids.

If you're a parent, teacher, or anyone who wants to know more about what's happening in your child's classroom, this one's worth an hour and a half of your time.

📅 Date: Tuesday, August 11, 2026
🕐 Time: 1:00 – 2:30 p.m. ET
🎙️ Webinar: From Vision to Action: How School District Leaders Drive Healthy Indoor Air Quality
🔗 Register: https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/8416863121634215000

Want to learn more before then? Check out our free course on building a healthier school:
👉 GoGreenInitiative.org/Courses-IAQ

Have a great weekend! 🌿

Why does it feel so hard to get schools the facility upgrades they need? Usually, it's not that anyone disagrees that healthy air matters. It's that "this is the right thing to do" doesn't always win a budget meeting on its own.

That's where evidence comes in, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's IAQ Tools for Schools program has a free resource built to help. Their "Making the Case for Environmental Health, Academic Performance and High-Performing Facilities" webinar lays out the research in plain terms: better ventilation is linked to higher test scores, schools without deferred maintenance see better attendance, and green schools save an average of $100,000 a year, enough to fund a teacher's salary or hundreds of new computers. 📚

If you're a parent or teacher, this is worth knowing so you can speak up with confidence at the next board meeting. If you're on your district's leadership team, it's worth watching directly (registration is free, and you'll get the link to watch on your own time).

We also put together a free template to help any district turn this evidence into an actual plan, no matter where you're starting from.

Read the full story and find the links to register and get the template 👇

Read the blog → https://gogreeninitiative.org/blog/school-iaq-funding-case

Ever notice how kids seem more focused, and just feel better, on days when the classroom air feels fresh?

That's not a coincidence. Indoor air quality has a real impact on how well kids learn and how often they're able to show up to school at all.

Next Tuesday, August 11, we're teaming up with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to bring you a conversation with real school leaders who've made air quality a priority in their districts and seen the results. Folks from East St. Louis School District 189, Illinois; Salamanca City Central School District, New York; and Prince George's County Public Schools, Maryland will share their stories: what pushed them to act, what got in the way, and how they got their whole district on board.

This is a great one for parents, teachers, or anyone who cares about what our kids are breathing at school.

📅 Date: Tuesday, August 11, 2026
🕐 Time: 1:00 – 2:30 p.m. ET
🎙️ Webinar: From Vision to Action: How School District Leaders Drive Healthy Indoor Air Quality
👉 Register: https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/8416863121634215000

Curious to learn more before the big day? Check out our free course on building a healthier school:
👉 GoGreenInitiative.org/Courses-IAQ