Globe

Program Overview

The Leonardo Academy (LEO) Green Schools Program is a national initiative dedicated to transforming K–12 schools into healthier, more efficient, and more environmentally responsible places to learn. Through this program, LEO supports schools in adopting sustainable operations, improving indoor environmental quality, reducing environmental impacts, and empowering students to become future sustainability leaders.
Our mission is rooted in a simple belief: Every child deserves a healthy school, and every school can be a model of environmental stewardship.

Why Green Schools?

Schools are more than buildings; they are the places where children grow, learn, and develop lifelong habits. Implementing green school practices can help improve indoor environmental quality, support learning conditions, and reduce environmental impact.

Benefits

Safeguarding Student Health

Children are uniquely vulnerable to environmental hazards. Yet many schools struggle with issues such as poor ventilation, chemical exposure, and outdated building systems.

LEO Green schools prioritize:

  • Cleaner indoor air
  • Healthier materials
  • Safer cleaning and pest management practices
  • Better lighting and acoustics

These improvements reduce asthma triggers, respiratory issues, help students feel better, and learn more effectively.

Improving Learning and Academic Performance

A healthy environment directly supports academic success. Research shows that green school strategies, such as increased daylight, improved ventilation, and reduced noise, can lead to:

  • Higher test scores
  • Better concentration
  • Improved teacher satisfaction and retention

When students feel comfortable and healthy, they are more engaged and ready to learn.

Reducing Absenteeism

By improving indoor air quality and eliminating toxic materials, LEO green schools help reduce:

  • Asthma attacks
  • Respiratory irritation
  • Sick days for both students and staff

Better attendance supports stronger academic outcomes and more stable school funding.

Lowering Environmental Impact

Schools consume large amounts of energy, water, and materials.

LEO Green schools help reduce:

  • Carbon emissions
  • Energy and water use
  • Waste generation
  • Pollution from operations and purchasing

These improvements benefit both the environment and the school’s budget.

Saving Money

Sustainable schools typically reduce operating costs by 20–40%, allowing more funding to go toward:

  • Teacher salaries
  • Educational programs
  • Technology
  • Student services
Empowering the Next Generation

Sustainability education begins with the environment students experience every day. Green schools:

  • Teach environmental responsibility
  • Inspire leadership and innovation
  • Build lifelong sustainable habits
Scroll to Top
Donors like you are helping to create effective, market-based solutions to global warming and climate change in a time when the private sector must continue to strive for global and local sustainability goals.