Stemming from the Waste Free Schools program, Santa Cruz County created their own Green Schools Program in 2009, building on the original that focused entirely on waste reduction and recycling education. However, the Green Schools Program expanded its focus to include water conservation, water quality, pollution prevention, and energy conservation.

The Green Schools Program has five main components:
1. Developing the school curriculum and educational tools for teachers for classroom activities.
2. Providing technical assistance for schools with the program to become Green Businesses. The ultimate goal of this is to implement environmental education for students and invoke more sustainable practices for the entire school.
3. Participating in the US Green Building Council (USGBC) schools subcommittee.
4. Participating and organizing community outreach events; for example, students will partake in a beach, watershed, or river cleanup in order to spread an environmental message to the greater school community.
5. Partnering with local non-profits. These organizations bring expertise in storm water and ocean education and help generate volunteers for clean up events and hands-on marine education. The Green Schools Program aims to augment educational campaign efforts these local organizations independently cultivate.

Public Outreach & Education: With two components dedicated to community outreach and volunteerism, Green Schools Program has the ability to reach a wide ranging audience. Additionally, developing working relationships with local organizations and facilitating an interconnected relationship between the 27 schools participating brings diverse expertise and extension of the programs overall purpose.

Twenty seven schools were participants in the 2010/2011 fiscal year. Any school within the County may participate, including private and charter schools.

The program is funded by the County of Santa Cruz Public Works Department and Green Waste Recovery, or GWR (the County’s franchise waste hauler). The total cost is approximately $85,000 -- with the County directly contributing $65,000 ($50,000 from Recycling and Solid Waste Services, $15,000 from the Storm Water Management Program) and GWR providing the remaining $20,000 as part of the public education requirement in its franchise agreement with the County.