The Project
TO VALUE AND SUSTAIN
EMPOWERING STUDENTS
TEACHING AND
THEIR NATURAL WORLD
Through lessons and activities in:
The 4R's (Reducing, Reusing, Recycling and Refusing)
Energy and resource conservation
Electric and human powered transportation alternatives
Solar, wind and wave energy
Watershed and marine stewardship
Sustainable food production and healthy eating
Equity in climate change policy
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Power2Sustain is a non-profit organization that supports K-12 public, charter and independent schools in teaching environmental literacy by providing lessons, activities and programs free-of-charge. All activities are grade-leveled and aligned to the Common Core Content Standards. The environmental literacy concepts are integrated into English Language Arts, math, social studies and even social-emotional lessons, so that students learn to value and sustain their natural word right along with learning the other core subjects.
At the end of the units of study, each student receives a reusable shopping bag and special fabric paint sticks and illustrates something they learned or a message that they have for their world. Empowering students with knowledge and a voice, each bag "speaks" to the rest of us to begin to change our habits and conserve and sustain more often.
The project is open to any K-12 teacher in the US and abroad and is free-of-charge.
Created by teachers for teachers
Integrated into core subjects
Project reach: 21,074 K-12 students
(Spring 2018) 328 teachers
180 schools
38,970 parents and families
Additional Programs
In addition to the original Power2Sustain Project, we offer participating schools the option of an additional sustainability education program such as:
Zero-Waste Lunch implementation
Recycling enhancement
Green Team implementation
Energy reduction campaign
Walk/ride share to school program
Quarterly school and home waste audit
Sustainability Integration
Part of Power2Sustain's mission is to help schools and school systems integrate sustainability policies and programs within their school culture as a whole, and within their facilities and infrastructure. As public school educators for over 25 years, we understand the working of schools and education systems and are eager to help your community navigate this systems for efficient and comprehensive sustainability integration. For more information and a consultation please click HERE.
Who We Are
Power2Sustain is a registered non-profit educational organization that was founded in 2008 in New York City by a small group of public school teachers and administrators. This group was concerned with the gap in environmental learning in K-12 schools. They believed that all students deserved the chance to learn about the issues and begin to problem solve, and set about creating a project model that they themselves would use.
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CURRENT PROJECTS
Fall 2018
Monterey Bay Aquarium
Ocean Plastics Summit for K-12 Teachers
100 teachers, 28 sustainability advocates
Funded entirely through the sales of Bagito
Winter 2018
Wat Leu Village & Siem Reip, Cambodia
in conjunction with Gina Orlander and the Wat Leu Village Children's Fund
Garbage sorting and trash disposal lessons
60 students and assorted teachers
Funded entirely through donations form Bagito
Summer 2017
Curriculum development - High School lessons
6 teachers, 2 schools in 1 state
Funded entirely through donations form Bagito
Winter/Spring 2016
Curriculum development and testing
288 students, 12 teachers, 6 schools in 4 states
Funded entirely through donations form Bagito
For past projects click HERE
OUR STORY
Power2Sustain was formerly
called "BagSpeak"
Support the Power2Sustain programs by buying a Bagito. Bagitos are full-sized reusable shopping bags that stuff down into a micro-size pouch and are designed to hang on your key ring; making them very hard to forget!
Made from 100% rPet (recycled plastics), strong and durable, a meaningful percentage of each bag sale goes directly to the Power2Sustain project.
Bagito School Fundraiser
Imprint your school's logo/message on Bagitos and sell as a fundraiser. Your school makes 50% in profits and support Power2Sustain at the same time. Email or call for more info: or
(831)-536-4160
NEWS
P2S Develops New Targeted Sustainablity lessons for High School Students
June 2017
High School teachers have been telling us that there are not readily accessible lessons on sustainability practices for High School students. We are taking care of that by developing a series of "do-now" action based lessons and activities that teachers across the subject areas can present to their students with immediate results.
The US Embassy in Bogota Colombia and Power2Sustain discuss joint pilot K-12 environmental literacy project for 3 cities in Colombia.
November 2015
Power2Sustain has recently begun discussing a collaborative K-12 environemtal literacy project with the US Embassy in Bogota and with a local Colombia NGO project. Mitch Barlas, the director of the Power2Sustain project traveled to Colombia to meet with Susan Bell, Director of Education programs at the US mission and other staff members on what a pilot project might look like. They are hopeful of beginning a project in the Spring of 2016 or in the Fall of the 2016/2017 school year. Mitch is busy creating lessons and activities in Spanish and that align with the Colombia government and society's priorities in terms of sustainable practices in that country.
US Embassy in Indonesia supports the Power2sustain project by purchasing Bagitos
December 2014
The US mission to Indonesia in Jakarta, along with US AID Indonesia purchased 500 custom imprinted Bagito reusable shopping projects to use for their in-house education programs with students and families. A percentage of the funds Bagito earned from this project went directly to fund 4 Power2Sustain environmental literacy projects in 4 different elementary schools in Sulawesi.
SUSTAINABILITY TIPS
Choose a 'greener' mattress
Going with a greener mattress is not only a healthier choice, it's also much better for our environment. Look for certification and read more here.
MEATLESS MONDAY
Make all meals on Mondays, meatless. Help reduce the carbon producing effects of beef, pork and poultry production by giving up meat at least once a week.
Thank you to our supporters and collaborators:
