School Garden at Rosewood Elementary

Greening Your Campus

One of the most rewarding ways you can be a part of the District's sustainability efforts is to increase the amount of green space on your campus. 
W.E. Garden at Westminster Elementary School 

Why is Green Space important?

  • Gardens and outdoor classrooms provide a great space to learn about every subject.
  • Plants and trees improve air quality by absorbing toxins from the air and releasing oxygen
  • Plants and trees reduce global warming by sequestering carbon
  • Green spaces filter polluting water runoff by allowing water to infiltrate into the ground
  • Plants' roots prevent erosion
  • Plants and trees cool down schoolyards and classrooms with shade and transpiration
  • Gardens and outdoor classrooms provide an opportunity for hands-on experiential learning about the environment
  • Edible gardens provide fruits and vegetables and are a great way for students to learn about food and healthy eating
  • Creates peaceful places to read, think, meet quietly with friends, or even to spend a classroom period
  • Provides habitat for birds, pollinators, and other creatures
  • It is beautiful to look at!
Student watering garden at Rosewood Elementary School

What can you do?

  • Replace asphalt areas with plants
  • Plant a garden of drought tolerant native plants and/or edibles
  • Plant trees for shade
  • Build a vertical garden
  • Compost fruits and vegetables to enrich your garden and reduce its water needs
Students working on garden project at Walgrove Elementary School

Getting Started

Learn more and apply for a SEEDS garden here. You can also use the School Garden Guidebook for designing and implementing a non-SEEDS garden or greening project at your school.
Campus transformation at Dorsey High School
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