The Living Schoolyards Act Lecture Series: Schoolyard Design, Infrastructure, Building Standards

Lecture #5— May 25, 2023
Schoolyard Design, Green Infrastructure, Green Building Standards

Green Schoolyards America hosted the final session of its five-part webinar series on the wide-ranging benefits of the Living Schoolyards Act. In each session, experts from a variety of disciplines highlight a group of benefits that living schoolyards—and this legislation when enacted—bring to children and communities across the nation. The sessions provided information, resources, and ideas, and will help build a movement to pass this crucial legislation.

The Living Schoolyards Act (S-1538) is groundbreaking legislation that was introduced in the United States Senate in Fall 2022 and reintroduced in April 2023 by Senator Martin Heinrich (D-NM). Find out more about the bill and how you can support its passage here: https://www.greenschoolyards.org/livi...

On May 25, 2023, we were honored to feature panelists Brenda Kessler of the Children & Nature Network; Danielle Pieranunzi of Green Business Certification Inc.; and Greg Miller of the American Society of Landscape Architects. Our speakers discussed how living schoolyards may be designed to meet green infrastructure building standards; tools and resources available now to help school districts navigate from initial conceptualization to daily use of a living schoolyards; and design principles and ideas which boost the flexibility, ruggedness, and usefulness of living schoolyards for kids of all ages - and how the Living Schoolyards Act would bring more of these proven benefits to students across the United States.

GUEST SPEAKERS
Brenda Kessler, Project Manager, Children & Nature
Network
Danielle Pieranunzi, SITES Director, Green Business
Certification Inc.
Greg Miller, President (2018), American Society of Landscape Architects

MEETING HOSTS

Nancy Striniste, National Policy Liaison, Green Schoolyards America
Rachel Pringle, MA, Director: Strategy and Operations, Green Schoolyards America
Dante Sudilovsky, Communications and Program Coordinator, Green Schoolyards America

WEBINAR TIMING

0:00 Welcome by Nancy Striniste
8:40 Presentation by guest panelist
21:32 Presentation by guest panelist
36:34 Presentation by guest panelist
49:50 Q&A
01:02:00 Wrap up by Nancy Striniste

RESOURCES
Support the Passage of the Living Schoolyard Act!
https://www.greenschoolyards.org/livi...

Living Schoolyards Act Fact Sheet:
https://www.heinrich.senate.gov/imo/m...

FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT GREENING SCHOOL GROUNDS AND CREATING LIVING SCHOOLYARDS, PLEASE SEE:

Green Schoolyards America
https://www.greenschoolyards.org/

Green Schoolyards America collaborates with school districts and public agencies to create Living Schoolyard Initiatives that transform asphalt-covered school grounds into park-like green spaces that improve children’s well-being, learning, and play while contributing to the ecological health and resilience of our cities. We are working to change the norm for school ground design, use, and management so that all children will have access to the natural world in the places they already visit on a daily basis.

Our programs support the living school ground movement, build relationships that help it succeed, and work to embed this perspective in our existing institutions and policy and regulatory frameworks.