Why We're Attending the 2025 Green Schools Conference

Twyla Neely-Streit • January 16, 2025

As the coordinator of Illinois Green Alliance’s school sustainability program, the Illinois Green Schools Project, I spend much of my time considering the intersections between school sustainability, health and wellness, and environmental education. 


Our program supports schools across Illinois as they design and implement low-barrier, high-impact sustainability initiatives with the goal of reducing resource use while fostering student and community learning. I attended the USGBC Green Schools Conference for the first time last year in Santa Fe with a long list of learning objectives. My program was in a redesign phase, and I was searching for guidance on the connections between student participation and sustainability progress at the institutional level, effective ways to bake EDI (equity, diversity, and inclusion) goals into sustainability work, and more than anything, I wanted to connect with folks working on similar projects. 


By attending the Green Schools Conference, I was able to accomplish all of my predetermined goals and I came away with more insight than I had even expected. I attended sessions focused on student leadership driving school sustainability goals, sustainability and environmental justice efforts at the school, district, and government levels, and how schools are using benchmarking tools to drive sustainability efforts. 


The sessions were highly-relevant to my goals and interests, and many of them provided new and helpful takeaways that directly impacted the outcomes of our program. The connections I made at the conference were somehow even more helpful and valuable! I was able to connect with another green schools program leader who has since become a professional collaborator and ally. I arrived home with pages of notes and some clear pathways forward. 


This year, I’m so excited to attend the Green Schools Conference for my second year. As I write this, I’m working to study the conference agenda and chart my course. As I work to guide this year’s Illinois Green Schools Project cohort through our updated program, I’m excited to focus my energy more towards developing outreach and support strategies for diverse audiences and social justice communities, learning how to better connect our schools with data tracking platforms, and how to better communicate the value of sustainability to a variety of school stakeholders. 


I’m especially excited to attend the session, “Plug into resources and funding to electrify and decarbonize schools” to learn more about connecting Illinois Green’s net zero mission to the schools of Illinois. More than anything, I’m so excited to reconnect with folks I met at last year’s conference, and meet even more sustainability professionals in school education spaces. 



If you’re attending this year’s conference, feel free to reach out to me on LinkedIn to connect! 


Why We're Attending the 2026 Green Schools Conference

By Twyla Neely-Streit • December 16, 2025
he mission of the Illinois Green Schools Project (IGSP)—our year-long school sustainability action and recognition program--is to empower educators, school administrators, students, and school communities to create healthy, sustainable learning environments. This work requires passion, collaboration, and informed support, and as an IGSP program coordinator, I’m always on the lookout for opportunities that help schools build the knowledge and connections needed to drive meaningful, lasting change in their buildings and districts. The Green Schools Conference has long been one of the most impactful gatherings in this space. Its focus on the intersection of environmental health, sustainability, and education makes it a uniquely valuable event for anyone working to make schools healthier and greener places for students to learn and grow. From educators, administrators, and district representatives to facilities managers, students, and community organizations, the Green Schools Conference is a powerful space to learn, collaborate, and fuel your next big idea. This year’s conference promises a rich lineup of workshops, education sessions, and networking and recognition events that speak to the needs and realities of today’s school sustainability landscape. Districts across Illinois are navigating shrinking budgets, aging infrastructure, and a newly passed state-wide law requiring the inclusion of climate education in public school curriculum starting in 2026. Therefore, I’m particularly excited to see sessions on the agenda exploring climate action and resilience planning, opportunities to connect students to sustainability career pathways, and environmental literacy in classrooms. These conversations are essential as programs like the Illinois Green Schools Project continue evolving to support schools in setting goals, tracking progress, and engaging diverse communities in sustainability work. If you’re considering attending this year, I encourage you to take a look at the agenda and explore the sessions that could support your school or organization’s goals. You’ll find no shortage of practical insights, creative ideas, and meaningful connections. I know those who attend will come away with the same clarity, inspiration, and sense of comradery that have made past conferences so influential for myself and others in the Illinois school sustainability community.

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At the start of 2025, I told our members that we can build a movement of green building advocates that can continue the progress made in Illinois for high-performance building, regardless of what happens in Washington D.C. Over the last year, you’ve proven me right. While elsewhere green building and clean energy goals have been put on pause, Illinois has continued the fight and won three huge victories that completely change the landscape for green buildings and clean energy.

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