Urban Green Lab

Special initiatives - our special initiatives are focus areas of sustainability education that urban green lab has chosen to highlight and incorporate throughout the divisions. Our programming touches on many of them. However, we believe it's essential to highlight areas where residents can have a significant, positive impact and raise awareness about the daily decisions that affect our neighbors and the planet. It's why we teach about food waste and environmental justice in all of our programs - two critical topics for nashville to be a greener and more just city for everyone. As part of our special initiatives, urban green lab launched several innovative projects to advance sustainability education across middle tennessee. Notably, our voices of resilience oral history project highlighted frontline climate experiences in underserved communities. The "waste less" mural series creatively raises awareness about food waste through public art. Additionally, we convened the nashville sustainable sports alliance, uniting professional sports teams to promote zero-waste stadiums. These initiatives reflect our systems-based approach to fostering lasting, equitable climate solutions.

Sustainable households - the households division provides sustainability education, tools, and resources to nashville residents through sustainable in the city and the newly launched ugl volunteers program. Sustainable in the city is a monthly webinar presented with zero waste nashville to educate residents on topics related to sustainability and waste. This year's guests discussed everything from pollinators to the city's curbside composting pilot. Piloted this year, the ugl volunteers program provides nashvillians with the resources, tools, and training on sustainable practices to share with friends, family, and neighbors. The program equips volunteers with the knowledge and confidence to facilitate meaningful conversations on sustainability.

Sustainable classrooms - urban green lab's classrooms division trains educators of all kinds on sustainability and how they can bring a sustainable lens into their classrooms. Training educators creates opportunities for year-round learning about sustainability, empowering students to make lifelong sustainable choices. 2023 was a milestone year for the classrooms division. We surpassed over 300 educators trained in our sustainable classrooms program since its inception, providing the tools, resources, and community to bring a sustainable lens into their classrooms. We also launched a newsletter and online community for our trained educators to continue learning and connecting with their peers.