Our History

When Jill Buck served as the PTA Council President for Pleasanton, California, she became concerned about the amount of waste being generated at her children’s schools and the use of pesticides around playgrounds. After inspiring passage of a resolution on persistent bioaccumulative toxins at the California State PTA Convention, Buck set out to bring a comprehensive sustainability program to her children’s schools. Through weeks of exhaustive research, she determined no such program existed. So, she wrote one. In July 2002, she created the Go Green Initiative at her kitchen table.

Today, the Go Green Initiative is the nation’s fastest growing comprehensive environmental action program for schools. Since its launch, the Go Green Initiative has been endorsed by the National School Boards Association and National Recycling Coalition, adopted by numerous State PTA Boards, and implemented across all 50 states and in countries around the world; there are currently more than 2.5 million students in registered GGI schools.

The Go Green Initiative remains a grassroots nonprofit organization working to provide every school the opportunity, access, and tools to protect environmental health, safety, and sustainability for their students. By promoting comprehensive action on campus, Go Green works to unite school administrators, staff, students, and their communities in ensuring the healthy school environments children need today and the healthy planet they need tomorrow.