Eco-School

GISSV is a committed Eco-School, dedicated to instilling sustainable practices and environmental consciousness in its students.

Eco-School News
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Eco-School News

Eco School Activity: Adopt Whisman Park Kicks Off

Sep 24 2025

Our MV Eco School Activity returns for its fourth year, with students helping keep Whisman Park clean and giving back to the community.

California Coastal Cleanup Day: GISSV Families in Action

Sep 23 2025

GISSV families and staff collected 25 pounds of trash during California Coastal Cleanup Day along Permanente Creek.

Green Team Leads Ongoing Clean-Up Effort

Jun 20 2025

Students from elementary and secondary school helped keep our campus and neighborhood clean through a yearlong sustainability project.

First Walk to School Day 2023|24

Oct 2 2023

Last week we had our first monthly Walk to School Day this school year on our San Francisco Campus.

Startup Founder visits 9th Grade in Economics Class

Jun 15 2022

Michael Pfeifer, co-founder of the Berlin-based sustainable fashion startup MOOT talked about sustainable fashion.

Adopt Whisman Park Project - 1st Run

May 27 2022

Thank you to GISSV's Green team who organized a special clean up project on our Mountain View Campus and the neighboring park

Adopt Whisman Park Project Startet

Mar 3 2022

Organized by GISSV's Green Team, students from grades 5-10 help clean up MV Whisman Park and the middle school alley.

GISSV Goes Green Days 2021

Jun 16 2021

This week we had our annual GISSV Green project days on both our campuses

Previous Years:

Green Project Days 2019

During our biennial "GISSV Goes Green" project days, students were deeply immersed in learning about our environment.

We’ve all heard the song “White Christmas”, but what about a “Green Christmas”? This holiday season, we can all make an effort to reduce our carbon footprint and be environmentally conscious, without any less fun!

Save the Trees - Spare the Paper Towels

As we all know, we use a lot of paper towels to dry our hands. This is a big waste because it’s so easy to replace them with a fabric alternative!

Spare the Plastic While Shopping - And Share Your Ideas

As we all know, plastic bags used for fruits and vegetables create a large pollution problem. Luckily, it’s very easy to replace them! You can easily pack your fruits and vegetables in a healthy way - healthy for you and the environment with reusable bags made of fabrics.

Eco-Schools

Eco-Schools is a global sustainable schools program that starts in the classroom and expands to the community by engaging the next generation in action-based learning. Implemented in 73 countries by FEE member organizations and in 26 countries through International Schools, Eco-Schools' greatest achievement is arguably the fact that it produces generation after generation of sustainably-minded, environmentally-conscious people.

> Learn More: Eco-School program

The GISSV Eco Team

In the 2015-2016 school year, GISSV joined the worldwide ECO-school movement by forming an ECO-Committee. This committee (on both campus locations) includes representatives from all age groups, teachers, students, staff, and parents. The committee's creation led to the development of the current Eco-Code, "GISSV Goes Green."

Currently, GISSV is focused on three pathways: "Consumption and Waste," "Energy," and "Healthy School."

GISSV's Eco-School Program Encourages Sustainable Action and Responsibility in Students.

At GISSV, environmental awareness is integrated into the school program from kindergarten to high school. Using the Eco-School/ Umweltschule recognition program as a guide, GISSV ensures that students understand the interdependent relationships between humans and the environment, and encourages them to make decisions and take actions with sustainability in mind. By embracing this philosophy, GISSV prepares students to become responsible global citizens who understand the importance of preserving our planet for future generations.

History

Eco-School program started in 1992 in response to the needs identified at the first United Nations conference on the Environment and Development in Rio de Janeiro
A global program that engages over 59,000 schools, 1.4 million teachers, and 20 million students in 93 countries (in 2023)
GISSV adopted the Eco-School program in January 2016
Implementation it in three stages: Each stage will earn GISSV a respective award (Bronze, Silver, and Green Flag Award)
GISSV received the Bronze Award in 2015-2016 and the Silver Award in 2017-2018

Concept

Awards

Once a school has registered as an Eco-Schools USA and implemented all necessary steps, they can apply for an Eco-Schools award for concentrating on one or more environmental focus areas, or pathways, that are most relevant to the school. The award system includes three levels: Bronze, Silver, and the prestigious Green Flag.

The Bronze Award

GISSV achieved the Bronze Award in June 2016:

Award based on work done in "Consumption and Waste" pathway
Waste analysis carried out by students, parents and teachers during 2015 GISSV Goes Green Project Days
Joint action plan developed to address waste issues
Compost, CRV, and paper recycling implemented at Mountain View school campus during 2015-2016 school year

Silver Award

The following efforts resulted in the Eco Team receiving the Silver Award in the 2017-2018 school year:

Efforts to reduce the school's carbon footprint.
Rain barrels were installed and paper usage was limited.
The waste system was monitored and looked after by the team.
A successful Green Day was celebrated.

Special Programs and Events

Walk-/Bike-/Roll-to-School Day

At the beginning of the school year 2015/2016, GISSV started to offer the walk-/bike-/roll-to-school day once a month. (Before that, it was only once a year.) Shall we do it once a week?!

Why is it important?

Walking or biking to school helps maintain a cleaner environment and promotes a healthy habit.
Community members benefit from less crowded parking lots and streets near the school.
Older children can gain independence by walking or biking to school.
Not using a car saves money on gas and allows for easier access to some places.
Join the walk/bike/roll-to-school day and consider parking a few blocks away for a pleasant walk.

GISSV Goes Green Project Days

During the biennial "GISSV Goes Green" project days, preschool through 11th grade students engage in hands-on projects to learn about environmental issues and stewardship. Students have the opportunity to choose a project to work on over a three-day period, and at the end, they present their projects to the entire GISSV community, including students, teachers, staff, and parents. Past projects have explored a range of topics, including:

Farm to Table: Exploring the journey of food from farm to plate
New from Old: Restoring and reusing old furniture
Paper Matters: Reducing waste and recycling paper
Waste Reduction: Encouraging recycling and reducing waste
Green Volunteering: Restoring state parks and understanding plant species
Buzzing Bees: Learning about honey and bees, and the impact on the bee population

Greenlight Film Festival

From 2012 to 2015, GISSV students participated in the "Greenlight Film Festival," an annual event that celebrated Earth Day and aimed to raise environmental awareness through short student-made videos. Our students were enthusiastic about expressing their creativity and passion for the environment through film. Several GISSV students were finalists in the festival, and their videos were screened at the Cubberley Theater in Palo Alto.

2015

Finalist I category middle school: “GISSV- Trash Challenge”, Kimi J., Laura F., Mila K. (grade 6)
Finalist I open category: “California Catastrophie!” (starting at minute 46:30), Ane-Britt B., Anya V. (grade 5)
“California Drought”, grade 5a & Mrs. Magiera
“The Banana’s Journey”, grade 5a & Mrs. Magiera

2014

Finalist I open category: “Barbie Goes Green”, Magdalena N. & Emily J. (grade 4)
Appearance in "Then and Now - Greenlight Film Festival Finalist 2014" (GISSV competition entry starting at minute 1.06)

2013

Finalist I open category: “The Trash Cleaner for the Environment”, Hendrik D., Gabriel M., Sebastian V. (grade 4) & Mrs. Magiera
Finalist I open category: "The T-Shirt Idea", grade 3 & Mrs. Jackson, Mrs. Spreen
Finalist I open category: "We Want to Make a Difference", grade 1b & Mrs. Dillinger
Finalist I category middle school: "save.", Johannes N. & Eric R. (grade 7)

2012

Winner I category middle school: “How to be green”, Johannes N., Pavel T., Jannik M. (grade 6)
Winner I open category: “Greenlight Power”, Karen R.-M., Clara F., Emetis A., Serena F. (grade 3)
Winner I special prize: “Living the Green Life”, Maximilian R. and Emilia R. (grade 7)

*Unfortunately, this event has been discontinued.