Green Our Planet

Green Our Planet launched four years ago this month in Las Vegas, with the mission of using school gardens as a way of improving students' understanding of science and nutrition and as a way of connecting them with nature. If you learn how to create, care for, and tend a garden--then there's a good chance that later in life you'll be healthier and will care more about the extraordinary planet we call home.

Launched in 2013, Green Our Planet's Outdoor Garden Classroom Program not only helps schools to fund and build teaching gardens, but also helps create a comprehensive garden program at those schools. The program consists of provding an 800-page STEAM curriculum (science, technology, engineering, the arts and math), teacher training, the creation of regular, student-run farmers markets and chef demos, before and after-school garden clubs, hydroponics, and more. If there is one thing we have learned from launching our nonprofit, however, it's that it takes a community to build a city-wide school garden program: and the Las Vegas community continues to deliver!

Some of Green Our Planet’s accomplishments to date are:

• Built more than 100 Outdoor Garden Classrooms in Southern Nevada.

• Currently planning the largest student-run farmers market in the nation, with more than 400 students attending (on May 4th).

• Raised $1.6 million for school gardens and for other green projects in Nevada, the U.S., and even in Peru.

• Created the first School Garden Conference in Nevada, now in its 4th year.

• Helped spearhead Nevada's first student-run farmers markets, run by 5th graders. In 2015-2016, students ran more than 125 farmers markets in So NV.

• Created Nevada's first PreK-5th grade STEAM curriculum, to Next Gen Standards, so teachers can teach outside in a garden.

• Helped fund and create Nevada's first Vocational Garden Curriculum, for special needs students.

• Winner of the 2014 USGBC "Best Community Organization Award".

• Winner of the Southern NV Health District’s 2014 “Public Health Hero of the Year” award.

• Winner of the 2015 Consumer Electronics' Award for "Best Green Organization."

• Winner of the Compassionate Cities 2016 award for "Most Compassionate Organization."

• Partnered Title 1 Clark County schools with more than 50 local corporations to help sponsor gardens and garden maintenance costs.

• Partnered with UNLV Health Sciences Department to conduct the first school garden impact study ever carried out in Nevada. 

• Currently introducing hydroponics systems into elementary schools which will be used to stock portable salad bars.

Visit some of our Outdoor Garden Classrooms at: 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/101010090@N06/albums

Learn more about the Outdoor Garden Classroom Program at: 

http://www.greenourplanet.org/learning/school-gardens/