Last week, the Center for Green Schools at the U.S. Green Building Council officially announced the first ever Green Apple Day of Service, a global call to take real action in support of healthy, sustainable schools. On Saturday, Sept. 29, the Green Apple Day of Service will engage students, teachers, parents, business leaders, elected officials and others in volunteer activities at schools and campuses in their communities.

The Green Apple Day of Service was announced last Friday at Green School in Bali, Indonesia, the Center’s selection as the “2012 Greenest School on Earth.” The international school offers a child-centered and holistic education with a strong focus on sustainability and the environment. Green School’s structures are built from local, renewable bamboo; the campus runs primarily on solar energy sponsored by the Akuo Foundation and utilizes bio-intensive organic farming; and among other noteworthy projects hosts a breeding sanctuary for endangered local birds, including the nearly extinct in the wild Bali Starling.

“The Green Apple Day of Service is a perfect platform for empowering communities around the world to take real, measurable steps to improve learning environments,” said Rachel Gutter, director of the Center for Green Schools at USGBC. “We could think of no better place to announce our Day of Service than Green School in Bali, which exists in perfect harmony with the earth it sits on and possesses a deep connection with the surrounding community. By committing a single day to all work together, we underscore that the health and well-being of the billions of people who walk into schools and colleges every day are a top priority.”

More than 700 million children are enrolled in primary education worldwide according to the UNESCO 2011 Global Education Digest, and 25 percent of Americans walk into schools and colleges every day. The Center is anticipating at least 2,500 service projects taking place with more than 20,000 volunteers around the world.

The Center for Green Schools was established to drive the transformation of all learning environments into safe, engaging and comfortable facilities that enhance a student’s ability to learn and a teacher’s ability to teach, and the Green Apple Day of Service is a tangible way to further advance the mission of green schools for everyone within this generation, according to USGBC.
,br>Early support from USGBC chapters, policy makers, K-12 and higher education institutions as well as global corporate partners, including the Center’s founding sponsor United Technologies Corporation, Interface and Haworth, have already signed up to have their employees participate in acts of service on Sept. 29.

To learn more, visit mygreenapple.org. Follow the Center for Green Schools on Facebook and Twitter (@mygreenschools) and join the conversation by using the #greenapple hashtag.