Register Now for Maine’s First Green Schools Symposium

The Maine Department of Education (DOE) is excited to announce Maine’s first-ever Green Schools Symposium on November 7, 2025—a statewide event to celebrate environmental education leadership in Maine schools.

The gathering will showcase powerful stories of school-led climate action, foster collaboration across sectors, and provide opportunities to share practical solutions regarding reducing facilities costs and promoting healthy learning environments. Interactive workshop sessions will offer hands-on guidance on facilities management, curriculum development, green career pathways, and leadership strategies.

Register now and join students, school leaders, and sustainability professionals this November to support a robust Green School Network in Maine!

The Symposium comes after the passage of LD 1543, “An Act to Establish a Statewide Green School Network for Maine.” This initiative aims to build capacity for outdoor education and green infrastructure in Maine schools by expanding resources for clean energy adoption, curriculum development, and student-engaged sustainability planning.

The Maine DOE continues to collaborate with the Governor’s Office of Policy Innovation and the Future, the Maine Environmental Education Association, other State of Maine offices and departments, and community-based organizations throughout the state, which have been instrumental in advancing climate, green, outdoor, and environmental education and work.

Symposium Details

Where: Thomas College, 180 West River Road, Waterville, ME 04901

When: Friday, November 7, 2025. The Symposium starts at 8:30 a.m. and ends at 3 p.m. Check-in and breakfast begin at 7:30 a.m.

Who: Teachers, students, principals, superintendents, facilities managers, businesses managers, curriculum coordinators, representatives of non-profit and community-based organizations, and other allies. Due to limited space, priority attendance will be for public schools, students, staff, and administrators.

What to Expect: The Symposium will offer interactive workshops along four tracks:

• Leadership–Engage with students, principals, and superintendents to learn about innovative case studies of sustainability projects across the state. Breakout sessions will explore tangible strategies to drive change at both the school- and school administrative unit–level.
• Facilities–Receive hands-on guidance from facilities managers to explore cost-effective, sustainable infrastructure solutions, from clean energy systems to waste reduction to green campus design.
• Curriculum–Explore age-appropriate, interdisciplinary approaches to climate education and pathways to connect classroom learning with school facilities and operations. Breakout sessions will offer practical strategies to build and expand outdoor learning programs. 
• Career Pathways–Meet industry professionals to learn about green trades and professional development opportunities in Maine. Breakout groups will help attendees to identify their skills and discover how they align with Maine’s green career opportunities. 

The gathering will also include student-facilitated discussions, designed to explore how Maine’s Green School Network can best meet the real needs of school leaders.

Please register here by October 31, 2025. Registration is free. Space is limited, so priority attendance will be for public schools, students, educators, staff, and administrators.

For any questions, please contact Lucy Van-Hook, Green Schools Symposium Event Coordinator, at Lucy.Van-Hook@maine.gov. For more information about the Green Schools Initiative, click here.

Visit the website for a downloadable flyer.