12 Steps to a Sustainable High School

12 Steps to a Sustainable High School is an assessment and analysis tool that can be used by classrooms to promote understanding of how the complex current issues of energy, pollution, supply and consumption, and climate change are not just global, but also local. 12 Steps can empower students to make local changes that may effect how their school is run, the quality of life within the school, and even reduce the town’s spending.

Using this lesson in your classroom

12 Steps to a Sustainable High School provides a focus for teachers to use to “Think Globally, Act Locally.” The 12 Steps assessment of your school may be used as an example of creating a scientific experiment using elements of the 12 Steps for variables by different groups. Students can act to create changes in energy use, school purchasing, waste reduction, food choices, transportation policies and land use practices, all issues that are tied to global concepts discussed in class.

Using this lesson will allow students to:

· Assess the status of sustainable actions in your school

· Demonstrate how many environmental issues are interconnected

· Explore the social, governing, and personal priorities systems which create both barriers and opportunities for change

Grade Level:

7-12

Standards:

9.2 D5
9.6 D 18
9.8 D22, D23, D24
9.9 D 25, D26
D INQ 1-10

Files

Teacher Materials
12 Steps to Sustainability Lesson (647.5 KB)
12 Steps PowerPoint (466.0 KB)
CO2 Emissions Coefficients (141.0 KB)