Green Our Planet

The organization is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit conservation organization based in las vegas, nv that operates the only stemworks-accredited school garden and hydroponics programs in the united states. The mission is to increase student academic performance in stem (science, technology, engineering, and math) subjects and conserve the environment through project-based stem education, which includes nutrition, financial literacy and environmental education in prek-12 schools and communities. The organization is mainly supported through grant income, program fees, and contributions and operates two main programs: the gardenconnect and hydroconnect implemented at over 1,000 schools, libraries, and community centers in 42 states and 4 countries impacting over 250,000 people. Gardenconnect (formerly the school garden stem program): gardenconnect is the organization's experiential outdoor garden stem program that enables schools to use gardens as experiential teaching tools to engage students in stem. Since 2013, the organization has built 194 outdoor school gardens in southern Nevada and currently runs the program in 89 schools across the nation. The program includes a comprehensive stemworks-accredited prek-12 garden stem curriculum aligned with next generation science standards; access to Green Our Planet's virtual academy for all teachers; science and gardening lessons, support and garden maintenance from the organization's experienced farmers (las vegas locations only); farmers market experiences; financial literacy; nutrition education; teacher trainings and support; and connection through the magic garden portal to teachers across the nation teaching stem using outdoor gardens. The online programming through gardenconnect provides teachers with digital resources, standards-aligned curriculum, consulting, and community. Through the program, students learn hands-on stem, nutrition, and financial literacy while maintaining, harvesting, and selling plants grown in their school gardens through school farmers markets. Gardenconnect includes an online program that is currently implemented at 153 schools nationwide, impacting more than 80,500 students. In total, this program is one of the largest and most comprehensive school garden programs in the us, impacting more than 127,000 students. Hydroconnect (formerly the hydroponics stem program): hydroconnect is the organization's experiential indoor hydroponics stem program where we send hydroponics systems to schools, libraries, families and community organizations and then train teachers, librarians, parents and community members how to use the systems to grow food. Modeled after the garden program, students learn hands-on stem, nutrition and financial literacy through a prek-12 stemworks-accredited curriculum written to next generation science standards while planting, maintaining, harvesting and selling the plants grown in their hydroponic gardens, which they build themselves. This program is currently being implemented at over 338 schools, 37 community programs (including library and family programs) across 41 states, impacting 179,000 people who learn stem through indoor hydroponic gardens.