GREEN OUR PLANET
Connecting Students to the Wonders of the Universe through School Gardens
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
During the 2017-2018 school year, only 23% of Clark County School District’s (CCSD) fifth grade students were proficient in science and only 38% of 5th grade students were proficient in math (Nevada Department of Education, Nevada Accountability Portal). Some of the reasons for these low test scores include: lack of time teachers spend teaching STEM in schools; lack of teacher training in STEM concepts; and lack of suitable real-world opportunities and resources to conduct experiential STEM learning (Vallett et.al 2017). In addition, NV students have high obesity and diabetes rates and rank 43/50 in overall childhood health (Kids Count 2019). Some reasons for these high rates include: lack of teacher and student knowledge of health and/or nutrition education (Bittle et all, 2011) and the fact that many NV students live in food deserts, with little or no access to fresh foods (USDA 2011). Also, 94% of Nevadans live in an urban area, limiting children’s contact with nature (Nevada Area
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Outdoor Garden STEM Program
Green Our Planet's Outdoor Garden STEM Program raises financing for building and maintaining vegetable teaching gardens for public and private K-12 schools. The gardens are used to teach STEM, as well as health, nutrition, and conservation lessons. Green Our Planet's Outdoor Garden Classroom Program is the only STEMworks-accredited school garden program in the U.S.
Hydroponics STEM Program
Our hydroponics STEM program consists of funding, constructing, and delivering hydroponic systems for use in school classrooms. Our organization helps schools utilize the hydroponic systems as indoor
STEM laboratories," and include teacher training and a K-5 STEM curriculum. The hydroponic units are often used to provide supplemental food for school salad bars, as well as STEM teaching. Green Our Planet's Hydroponics STEM Program is the only STEMworks-accredited school hydroponics program in the U.S.
Where we work
Awards
Excellence in Community Organization 2014
So NV USGBC
Public Health Hero 2014
So NV Health Department
External reviews
Photos
Videos
Our Sustainable Development Goals
Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
Green Our Planet’s STEM Outdoor Garden and STEM Hydroponics Programs’ goals are:
To increase student academic achievement in STEM education by
Increasing time spent teaching STEM
Providing STEM teacher training
Providing teachers natural laboratories (outdoor gardens or hydroponic systems) which they can use to teach STEM experientially
To improve student knowledge of nutrition
Educate the next generation of conservationists
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
We continue to refine and expand our school garden and hydroponics programs and are currently building a new school garden every week. We also continue to seek out and partner with other complementary organizations to help further our mission.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
We continue to harness the energy of and expand our board of directors, increase our reach and revenue via strategic sponsorships and partnerships, and continue to seek and hire the most talented individuals for our staff as possible
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
Since launching its Outdoor Garden Classroom Program in March, 2013, Green Our Planet has raised more than $5 million and has used much of that to fund and build more than 164 Outdoor Garden Classrooms in the Clark County School District in Las Vegas, Nevada. Green Our Planet has also spearheaded the creation of Nevada's first PreK-5 STEM curriculum to be used in school gardens, which was written to NV State and Next Gen standards.
Here are some other achievements:
CHEF-TO-SCHOOL PROGRAM:
Green Our Planet has created the largest Chef-to-School Program in the United States, with professional chefs volunteering to provide cooking demonstrations for students using vegetables from their school gardens.
FARMERS MARKETS/“FARMPRENEUR PROGRAM":
Green Our Planet launched the first farmers market at an elementary school in Nevada at John S. Park ES in November 2013. In the fall of 2014, Green Our Planet created the “Farmpreneur Program," which teaches fifth grade students how to create and run their own farmers markets. Since the program's launch, more than 80 CCSD schools have run their own farmers markets at their schools. During the 2016-2017 school year, Green Our Planet helped schools organize 165, student-run farmers markets.
FIRST SCHOOL GARDEN CONFERENCE:
Green Our Planet hosted Las Vegas' first school garden conference on March 20, 2014. Now in its fifth year, the conference attracts more than 300 teachers and principals who share best practices from across the CCSD.
NEVADA'S FIRST K-5 HYDROPONICS STEM CURRICULUM: A K-5 Hydroponics STEM Curriculum is provided to teach K-5th grade STEM lessons. It meets Nevada State Academic Content Standards for Science Next Generation Science Standards. The hydroponic systems are tools that teachers can use to teach essential STEM skills at each grade level.
CORPORATE PARTNERS FOR SCHOOLS:
Green Our Planet has partnered schools with over 50 corporations and foundations to help fund the school gardens and for the long term benefit of the schools.
TEACHER TRAINING:
In partnership with the Regenerative Education Cooperative (REC), Whole Foods and the KJS Foundation, Green Our Planet helped fund and organize teacher training workshops that to date have trained more than 2000 CCSD teachers in how to teach STEAM standards in an Outdoor Garden Classroom.
WATER CONSERVATION AT SCHOOLS:
In a joint partnership with the Southern Nevada Water Authority, Green Our Planet has helped schools remove water intensive lawns and replace them with vegetable gardens, thus saving the Clark County School District more than 22 million gallons of water each year.
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
GREEN OUR PLANET
Board of directorsas of 10/13/2022
Mr. Kim MacQuarrie
Green Our Planet
Term: 2013 -
Ciara Byrne
Green Our Planet
Kristi Overgaard
Switch, Inc.
Mark Rowland
Roceteers
Joe Ganley
Hutchinson & Steffen
Brian Kunec
KB Home
Emily Ellis
Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck
James Bristow
Nova Geotechnical & Inspection Services
Zachary Hillberry
Assistant Director of Culinary, Caesars Palace
Gard Jameson
Author and Professor, University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Pranav Jampani
Head of Sustainability, The Venetian | The Palazzo | Sands Expo
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Yes
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
Gender identity
Transgender Identity
Sexual orientation
No data
Disability
No data
Equity strategies
Last updated: 02/26/2021GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more
- We employ non-traditional ways of gathering feedback on programs and trainings, which may include interviews, roundtables, and external reviews with/by community stakeholders.
- We have long-term strategic plans and measurable goals for creating a culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.
- We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
- We help senior leadership understand how to be inclusive leaders with learning approaches that emphasize reflection, iteration, and adaptability.
- We engage everyone, from the board to staff levels of the organization, in race equity work and ensure that individuals understand their roles in creating culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.