Project EVERGREEN Schools® (PES) is a national renewable energy generation, energy efficiency, and education initiative offered at no cost to K-20 educational institutions around the country. Participating schools benefit from the energy savings from renewable energy generation and energy-efficiency strategies, as well as better indoor air quality, a more comfortable building, and the best possible teaching and learning environment.

The need to create a learning environment enriched with challenging, hands-on educational experiences is fundamental to creating a legacy of clean air and fresh water. Students in PES schools will be better stewards of the environment and enjoy a cleaner and more sustainable green energy future.

• The PES initiative includes four components with strategies and best practices:
• Guidelines for design, construction, maintenance and operation of both new and existing buildings.
• Energy education programs for students, staff, and the community through a robust website and workshops with information provided by partners from the education, energy, and commercial sectors.
• Implementation of integrated onsite renewable energy generation and efficiency systems at the school that provide the majority of a school's energy needs.
• Schools avoid all financial risk by merely agreeing to purchase all energy produced by a system owned by third-parties at a discount to grid-provided energy under long-term, fixed-rate, agreements

The inclusion and display of renewable energy and efficiency technologies, the benefit of those technologies in reducing CO2 emissions and reducing energy usage, third-party owners issuing rebates from green attribute revenues to pay for curricula development and student scholarship, a comprehensive educational program, and the use of best practices for new construction and renovation projects ensure that we provide a complete program for schools.

The involvement and guidance from PES emphasizes a "whole building" approach so that schools in both design and construction as well as classroom materials make the project truly holistic while creating a healthy, safe, high-performance building that can serve as the center of the community. As a result, schools can be renovated, operated, and maintained correctly, incorporating the energy efficiency and renewable strategies and technologies will be included and the comprehensive education component.

The key to this unique effort is a hands-on, project-based educational program. Students from participating schools have the opportunity to engage their communities in learning about integrated, on-site, distributed renewable energy generation and efficiency systems. Hands-on energy and environmental learning experiences stimulate creativity for technological innovations. As a result, students become teachers by engaging their communities with all aspects of renewable energy from technological innovations to public acceptance of changing skylines.