Prairie Trails School, Mount Prospect, IL

Prairie Trails serves preschool and kindergarten students in River Trails School District 26 and has become a model for environmental sustainability. In 2021, it completed a major renovation, becoming Mount Prospect’s first net-zero energy facility and the nation’s first renovated school to meet the PHIUS+ Source Zero standard, using 40–60% less energy than conventional buildings. Key features include rooftop solar panels that offset 100% of annual electricity use, a Variable Refrigerant Flow heating and cooling system that replaces noisy, inefficient boilers, LED lighting, and a highly insulated building envelope. The project also reduced water use dramatically, saving thousands of gallons per year, and incorporated eco-friendly practices like permeable pavers, composting, and comprehensive recycling. Health and learning benefits were prioritized through improved air quality, natural lighting, soundproofing, and the addition of a natural playground that promotes student development. Interactive displays throughout the school teach students about its sustainable features, and older district students visit as part of environmental and energy education programs. Funded in part by a $2 million Illinois Clean Energy Community Foundation grant, the project has earned multiple awards for design and energy efficiency. Prairie Trails now serves not only as a school but also as a community hub for sustainability education, inspiring environmentally responsible habits from an early age. Check out their application here.

Huntley Community School District 158, Algonquin, IL

Huntley District 158 began its sustainability journey 14 years ago to save money and improve efficiency, reducing annual energy costs from $2.5 million to $1.1 million through upgrades like lighting retrofits, occupancy sensors, and high-efficiency HVAC systems. The district achieved over $1 million in yearly savings before adopting solar power, and in 2020, it launched Illinois’ largest school solar installation with 15,100 panels, projected to save at least $4.2 million and cut 12.3 million pounds of carbon emissions annually. Transportation improvements include propane-powered buses, hybrid minivans, and a $1.4 million solar-powered electric bus charging infrastructure, supported by over $1 million in grant funding. Sustainability efforts are integrated into education through interactive solar kiosks, STEM programs, environmental service endorsements, and hands-on projects like tree planting and Tower Gardens. Students experience green practices daily, from reusable trays to recycling programs, and learn about ecological responsibility across all grade levels. The district also prioritizes wellness, partnering with Care Solace for mental health resources and embedding social-emotional learning into the curriculum. By combining environmental stewardship with cost savings, Huntley 158 reinvests in classroom programming while modeling sustainability for students and the community. Its approach demonstrates how small, strategic changes can lead to significant environmental, financial, and educational benefits. Check out their application here.

Joseph Sears School, Kenilworth, IL

Joseph Sears School has developed their school-wide waste-reduction program for over a decade, including recycling and composting throughout the school. They also used an outdoor classroom garden and introduced structured time for mindfulness and movement for both students and staff.

College of Lake County, Grayslake, IL

CLC's campus served as a “living laboratory” for sustainability; students and community members used the sustainable building practices and opportunities to experience wellness as learning opportunities. Their Climate Action Plan set goals for the college to reduce its greenhouse gases (GHGs), with the ultimate goal of GHG neutrality by the year 2042. CLC saved energy throughout campus, including in the Science and Engineering Building, which had the most green building points of any new construction project in the state of Illinois.

Meadowview Elementary School, Grayslake, IL

At Meadowview, the students served as the leaders in the Woodland Project, not only learning about but also actively maintaining the health of Meadowview's outdoor woodland classroom in collaboration with the Lake County Forest Preserve. Students also facilitated the recycling program and participate in community volunteer-led enrichment programs related to sustainability, health, and wellness.

Bloomington Public School District 87, Bloomington, IL

Bloomington Public Schools implemented a cafeteria composting and recycling initiative, donating any unopened or uneaten food to local food pantries, reducing dumpster sizes by half. They also increased sustainable kitchen practices, saving each school approximately $4,700 per year by switching to reusable trays and silverware. Students earn rewards through the recycling and composting program by properly instructing their peers and being conscious of food waste.

Loyola University Chicago, Chicago, IL

Loyola University Chicago has made a commitment to address climate change and the associated disruptions to natural and social infrastructure and systems as a key aspect of their mission of social justice. Their commitment through sustainability is built into the campus infrastructure, academic programs and curricula, and organization within the student community.

Monroe Elementary School, Hinsdale, IL

Monroe's decades-old Living Classroom Learning Lab focused on teaching students about the interdependence between humans and nature and each individual's responsibility to be a good steward of the environment. The Living Classroom included prairie, a butterfly garden, Japanese garden, vegetable garden, pond, and bee habitat.

Southside Occupational Academy, Chicago, IL

In every class, Southside asked students to self-assess how they did in terms of “respecting themselves, respecting others, and respecting the environment.” Various classes used and helped maintain the lawn, plants, and landscaping. Students and teachers also take time for mindfulness three times a day, which students have adopted as a coping mechanism or preferred reinforcer.

Wolcott School, Chicago, IL

Wolcott added solar panels and a community garden to its LEED Gold certified facility, making the school more sustainable and adding to the sustainability education opportunities for students. The curriculum also includes other green technologies, the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, and skills for maintaining health in college and beyond.

University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL

UIC made notable progress in their Climate Commitments to be a Carbon Neutral, Zero Waste, Net Zero Water, and Biodiverse University. UIC has been a certified Tree Campus USA since 2011 and in 2017 became the first official Bee Campus USA in Illinois. Funded by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, the OS and Fed Ex volunteers planted a 2,000 square foot replication of an Illinois native prairie on UIC’s west campus, and there are several gardens that produce food for educational purposes.

Maercker Intermediate School, Westmont, IL

Maercker School promotes energy for a diverse population through the afterschool Ecology Club, Garden Club and STEM Club, as well as a STEM class where all students participate in a curriculum promoting environmental literacy. The Ecology Club educates students on recycling, composts lunchroom waste every day, and collects products for reuse. The school has received grants to continue its environmental literacy program through community participation. Maercker School also tracks its energy usage, including energy collected by its four solar panels.

Chiaravalle Montessori, Evanston, IL

Chiaravalle is dedicated to upholding the Montessori philosophy of being stewards of the Earth. They focus on educating students to understand the related science and moral responsibility of sustainability, as well as its importance for a healthy and happy lifestyle. The North Wing is the first LEED Platinum Montessori school addition in the U.S. and has allowed Chiaravalle to significantly reduce energy consumption, with geothermal heating and cooling, photovoltaics and a green roof.

River Trails Middle School, Mt. Prospect, IL

River Trails students used the school building itself as a teacher in energy consumption, making changes to parameters such as CO2 and temperature levels and studying the effects in real time using data from a solar panel and a weather station. They also exercised frequently, running more than two miles a week in the outdoor fields. The school's Green Schools Committee engaged the broader community in green efforts with events including building a community garden and building a rain barrel irrigation and storm water diversion system.

Woodland Primary School, Gages Lake, IL

For its 3- to 6-year-old students, Woodland Primary focused on introducing the idea of what it means to be "green" through examples and hands-on activities. The school also introduced “Yoga in the Classroom” as a way for students to take “brain breaks” during the day, and provides the opportunity for parents and students to do yoga together at Open House nights, encouraging the extension of healthy habits into the home. Woodland Primary was also the first school in the state of Illinois to receive the LEED Silver Rating Certification for Existing Buildings.

Academy for Global Citizenship, Chicago, IL

AGC transformed their asphalt parking lot into an organic garden that students work on throughout the year, tending the school chickens, working with local farmers to choose seeds in winter and planting in spring. AGC served all-organic meals and students separate their compost, recycling and landfill waste after. Each day, students participated in a 40-minute Sustainability and Wellness class highlighting nutrition, health and environmental sustainability as ways of understanding the world.

Thomas J. Waters Elementary School, Chicago, IL

The Waters School Ecology Program, focused on teaching every student how to live within the cycles and limits of the natural world, based around resource conservation, field ecology and community gardens. Students gained a sense of personal responsibility and the power of their own voices. Waters also worked on improving energy efficiency in the building through solar panels and converting light fixtures.

Prairie Crossing Charter School, Grayslake, IL

PCCS strove to nurture a generation of youth who can work toward a future where caring for the earth is innate and essential. They held monthly Green Challenges and engaged students in growing organic crops in classroom gardens and the Learning Farm. The PCCS campus also featured the first LEED certified school building in Illinois, with native landscaping, natural ventilation and lighting, solar panels, a wind turbine, and more.