Organizational Culture:

Communication & Outreach

START Metric #10:

Outreach Campaigns

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Ideas & Resources

Outreach campaigns are an impactful way for schools to connect with and improve the wider community while advancing sustainability goals. This START metric focuses on organizing annual sustainability-related campaigns that pursue measurable results and include active and educational components. Examples might include No Idling Campaigns to reduce emissions, electronics-recycling drives to divert e-waste, or community gardening projects that foster biodiversity and food security. Unlike single-day events, these campaigns typically last several weeks or months and conclude once they achieve their specific objectives.

Through outreach campaigns, schools can inspire action, raise awareness, and build meaningful relationships with the community. These initiatives provide students with hands-on opportunities to contribute to sustainability efforts while learning about the importance of advocacy, collaboration, and measurable impact.

Strategies for Organizing and Running Outreach Campaigns

NOTE: This is not a prescriptive list; it just offers ideas to inspire action and can be tailored to fit the unique needs of each school.

  • Define Campaign Goals and Objectives

    • Identify a clear aim for the campaign, such as reducing idling near the school by 50% or collecting 500 pounds of e-waste.

    • Ensure goals are measurable, achievable, and aligned with broader sustainability priorities.

  • Engage Stakeholders Early

    • Collaborate with students, staff, parents, and local organizations to develop and support the campaign.

    • Involve key stakeholders in planning to build buy-in and ensure diverse perspectives.

  • Plan Educational Components

    • Include workshops, presentations, or materials that educate participants about the campaign’s purpose and impact.

    • Use the campaign as an opportunity to teach sustainability concepts and inspire long-term behavior change.

  • Choose the Right Format

    • Select a campaign structure that fits the school’s goals and resources, such as a drive, competition, or awareness campaign.

    • Combine action-oriented activities (e.g., planting trees) with awareness-raising efforts (e.g., distributing informational flyers).

  • Promote the Campaign Widely

    • Use social media, newsletters, posters, and school announcements to raise awareness about the campaign.

    • Highlight key dates, goals, and ways for people to get involved.

  • Collaborate with Community Partners

    • Partner with local government, non-profits, or businesses to amplify the campaign’s reach and access additional resources.

    • Use these partnerships to enhance credibility and provide expertise or funding.

  • Provide Hands-On Opportunities

    • Incorporate active components, such as volunteering, workshops, or events, that allow participants to engage directly with the campaign’s goals.

    • Ensure activities are accessible and inclusive to maximize participation.

  • Track Participation and Progress

    • Use metrics, such as the number of participants or items collected, to measure the campaign’s impact.

    • Share progress updates throughout the campaign to keep momentum and enthusiasm high.

  • Involve Students in Campaign Leadership

    • Encourage students to take ownership by designing, organizing, and leading campaign activities.

    • Use the campaign as a platform for leadership development and community engagement.

  • Celebrate Milestones and Achievements

    • Recognize contributions and successes through events, awards, or public acknowledgments.

    • Use celebrations to inspire further involvement and highlight the campaign’s outcomes.

  • Integrate Technology

    • Use apps, online platforms, or social media challenges to engage participants and track impact digitally.

    • Create interactive tools, such as digital leaderboards or live progress trackers, to encourage ongoing involvement.

  • Create Lasting Impact

    • Design campaigns with long-term benefits, such as community gardens or waste reduction initiatives that continue after the campaign ends.

    • Share lessons learned and resources to enable participants to sustain the campaign’s goals independently.

  • Reflect and Evaluate

    • Conduct a post-campaign review to assess its success and gather feedback from participants.

    • Use insights to improve future campaigns and share the results with the school community.

  • Tie Campaigns to Curriculum

    • Connect outreach campaigns to academic subjects, such as environmental science, social studies, or health.

    • Use campaign activities as experiential learning opportunities for students.

  • Repeat and Scale Successful Campaigns

    • Replicate campaigns that have proven effective in subsequent years, refining and scaling them for greater impact.

    • Share best practices and templates with other schools to expand the reach of successful initiatives.

Additional Resources

  • Guidelines for Excellence Community Engagement

    From NAEE, key principles to strive towards in your environmental education outreach, including success stories and lessons.

Schools hold the key to a healthy, sustainable and regenerative future.

They are role-models and incubators that that nurture, educate and prepare each generation for adult life.

Schools have a unique opportunity and profound responsibility to become part the transition to a sustainable, regenerative future in which people and planet can thrive.

But how do we get there?

START: Sustainability Tracking, Analytics & Roadmap Tool was created by schools, for schools, to help them develop comprehensive programs for step-by-step progress towards sustainability, regenerative practice, and student empowerment.

START provides a Roadmap for School Sustainability:

It breaks down school sustainability into clear actions (‘metrics’), such as Minimizing Waste, Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions, and supporting Sustainable Transportation options.

However, research shows it’s not enough for a school to simply reduce its environmental impact.

Students and staff also need to learn about sustainability, and practice it in day-to-day activities, because this impacts their attitudes and behaviors when they leave school. That’s why START includes metrics like Sustainability Events for Students, Sustainability Course Content, and Sustainable Purchasing Practices.

How sustainable is our school now?

Schools use START to measure how sustainable they are now. A school’s START team investigates how their school currently operates to find their ‘sustainability baseline’ for each metric. For example, is our school a beginner, intermediate or advanced in sustainable water use? START enables schools to benchmark, track and visualize their current sustainability levels, as well as hard data around their waste, water, energy and greenhouse gas emissions.

Where should we go next, and do we collaborate for success? 

What do we need to do to ‘level up’ in each metric?  Once schools have their baselines, START helps them to set goals and plan for progress. START provides a central hub for school members to collaborate, document, and plan their school’s sustainability journey.

START is a subscription-based Whole School Sustainability dashboard.

It requires at least one adult school member to create a school’s START account, but it will need a team (students, teachers and staff) to grow a Whole School Sustainability program.

Interested schools can sign up for a demo or apply to set up an account.

Learn more about START here, and consider sharing the brochure with your school.

Let’s create a better future, one school at a time.

Contact us at guides@greenschoolsalliance.org if you have a free resource to contribute or recommend that can help schools take action around this specific sustainability metric.