Prospect Level
To become a TP3 Green School, any staff person shows interest in the program by signing up through the mail or on-line. The Green Schools brochure has a tear-off panel to fill out and mail in, or you can sign up on-line. The information that you provide will be entered into our database at the Prospect level. The person who signs up is the contact person and will receive periodic communications and assistance from TP3. A reliable email address helps us save paper and postage!
Pledge Level
Once your school is in the database, we will soon send a welcome letter with information on the Pledge level to the contact person. Included in the mailing is a brochure with suggested activities for schools to prevent pollution in five areas: Water (and Land) Conservation, Energy Conservation, Solid Waste Reduction (Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle), Clean Air, and Harmful Chemicals. The tear-off Pledge Card from the brochure appears below:
Simply fill out and send in the Pledge Card with activities your school may already be doing and promises to continue, as well as any new activities that are planned. An activity in each category is welcomed but not required. Get appropriate signatures, add a stamp, and mail it in. We will then send your school a Pledge Certificate, indicating your active membership as a TP3 Green School.
Partner Level
Please contact us when your school wants to work toward the Partner level. We will send the Partner Packet , and a contact person will assist you with the following:
- Develop an Environmental Policy Statement , endorsed by the administration. The Partner Packet contains examples of policy statements from other Green Schools.
- Involve students in conducting the K-5 or the 6-12 School Environment Evaluation (SEE).
- Based on findings from the SEE, develop a five-project TP3 Plan for environmental improvement at your school. Examples of Green Schools’ projects can be found on the Sample Projects Table.
- An educational component must be part of every project. Our suggested EE Resources may assist with relevant lessons in each project area. Whenever possible, projects should produce measurable results for the Success Story.
- Completing just one project from the plan and writing a Success Story is all that’s left to become a Partner. Your school may have recently completed a project that would make a good Success Story. The Partner level is within easy reach!
Performer Level
To become one of the first Tennessee schools to fly a TP3 green flag, your school will send us a Success Story on each of the four remaining projects from the TP3 Plan after you have measurable results. In addition, you will tell us how you’ve involved your community in Green Activities . The final criterion is mentoring. Helping another school get started as a Green School is one way. Teaching others about pollution prevention principles and TP3 is how we can grow the partnership and protect our environment.
Your school will earn rewards at each level in TP3. At the Partner and Performer levels we give your school public recognition in local newspapers, in presentations, and on our Web site. We want the world to know all the great things your school is doing!
Maintaining Partner
Your school may be happy staying at Partner level. To keep your Partner status, send us a new Success Story every three years in the project area of your choice. We would also like a list of environmental community outreach activities in which your school has been involved over the 3-year period.
Maintaining Performer Level
To continue flying the TP3 Green Flag, your school must complete one project every year and send in a Success Story. The project can be in any of the five pollution prevention areas – your choice. We also want to know how you’ve continued to involve your community in Green Activities, and how your mentoring efforts have progressed.
For more information about the Tennessee Pollution Prevention Partnership, please contact Cynthia Rohrbach at 931-490-3929 or 1-800-734-3619 or by email at Pollution.prevention@state.tn.us.
