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April 2026
April’s Earth Month Newsletter brings a variety of learning opportunities and celebrations from across EGLE. Students can look forward to the Michigan Student Sustainability Summit on May 8, while educators are invited to the EGLE track at the ANR Classic, July 12-17. We’re also celebrating a milestone year for MI Green Schools, with 419 schools earning certification, a 17 percent increase statewide! In celebration of Earth Day, let’s continue working together to support environmental learning and stewardship across Michigan.
Upcoming Events
The Michigan Student Sustainability Summit is a unique opportunity for middle and high school students from across Michigan to connect with peers, learn about the state’s environmental sustainability efforts, network with state leaders and community partners, and celebrate the impact of youth-led stewardship projects. The event is currently full, but you can still join the waitlist.
Discover how EGLE protects Michigan's air, land, and water by using data, mapping, and monitoring to identify and solve environmental problems. Perfect for middle and high school educators looking to inspire stewardship, critical thinking, and meet academic standards through Michigan-focused content.
Highlighted Tools and Technology
MI Green School Guide Webinar Recording for AdministratorsÂ
The MI Green School Guide for School Administrators webinar recording introduces guided, community-centered sustainability planning using EGLE's latest tools. EGLE's new MI Green School Guide is designed to help your students, staff, and school community through sustainability planning, making it easier to design impactful activities and achieve MI Green Schools certification. School administrators will leave this session with an action plan and greater understanding of their role in school sustainability planning.
Interested in bringing these tools to your community, but don’t know where to start? Contact Charlotte Mayworm for individualized advice at MaywormC1@michigan.gov.
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Invasive Species Alert! Hydrilla Discovered in Michigan
How EGLE Measures Slopes of Dunes
Watch this video to learn how EGLE measures the slopes of sand dunes in Critical Dune Areas. This step-by-step overview shows the tools, methods, and safety practices used to ensure shoreline development follows Michigan’s environmental protection standards.
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MI Healthy Climate Plan StoryMap
EGLE Earth Day Announcements
K-5 Earth Day Poster Contest Winners
 Congratulations to the winners of EGLE’s annual Earth Day Poster Contest for Kindergarten through Fifth Grade! EGLE awards first and second place prizes to each grade level for posters that showcase Michigan’s natural wonders and environmental challenges. All winning posters can be viewed at Michigan.gov/EarthDay.
Environmental Service Award Winners
Congratulations to the 2026 Environmental Service Award Winners, who have completed impressive projects that provide tangible benefits to Michigan’s environment and their local communities. Learn more about the winners at Michigan.gov/EarthDay.
Grade 9-12 Winners: Mason County Eastern Schools for their School Greenhouse RevitalizationÂ
The Mason County Eastern School greenhouse gives students hands‑on opportunities to grow fruits and vegetables while building important life skills and taking on leadership responsibilities. The produce grown in the greenhouse will is used in the school cafeteria, helping all students access fresh fruits and vegetables during breakfast and lunch.Â
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Grade 6-8 Winners: Universal Learning Academy’s National Junior Honor Society Green School Committee’s Schoolwide Recycling Program
Students at Universal Learning Academy, led by the National Junior Honor Society, created a recycling program and other sustainability efforts to fix improper waste practices and build long-lasting environmental responsibility in their school. Their work grew into a schoolwide environmental initiative that helped the school earn its Michigan Green School designation.
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Milestone Year for MI Green Schools!
For the 2025-2026 school year, a total of 419 schools across the state earned MI Green School certification, including 128 Green Schools, 93 Emerald Schools, and 198 Evergreen Schools. This represents a 17% increase from last year, with 61 additional schools joining the program. Michigan has now reached 11.3% participation among all eligible schools - our highest level yet since EGLE began administering the program! Visit the MI Green Schools hub to learn more about eligibility requirements and to view the full distribution map of certified 2025-2026 MI Green Schools!
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Additional Opportunities
Great Lakes Green Schools Fellowship for 2026-2027
EGLE Classroom plans to offer a brand-new Fellowship program for K-12 educators in the 2026-2027 school year, funded by the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative. The Great Lakes Green Schools Fellowship will support a cohort of 30 Michigan K-12 educators in a year-long program focused on helping schools implement Great Lakes Literacy Principles in ways that will support their buildings’ Michigan Green Schools certification, including:
• Sustained professional development around Great Lakes science and Great Lakes Literacy Principles
• Training on best practices in place-based environmental stewardship education
• Networking with Great Lakes scientists and leaders to increase career awareness
• Funding to support youth-led Great Lakes stewardship action projects in your school
• Funding to attend the 2026 Michigan Alliance for Environmental and Outdoor Education annual conference in Flint and the 2027 Michigan Student Sustainability Summit in East Lansing
Applications open in early May. Sign up here to be notified when applications are available.
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Wheels to Water Field Trip Grants
Apply for non-competitive grants of up to $1,000 to support transportation expenses for field trips to freshwater locations in Michigan through the From Students to Stewards Initiative. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis.
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Michigan Alliance for Environmental and Outdoor Education (MAEOE) Annual Conference: Call for Presentation Proposals
MAEOE is now accepting presentation proposals for the 2026 Annual Conference taking place October 2-4 in Flint. Presentation types include 45- and 105-minute breakout sessions, 3-hour workshops, and 3-hour offsite field experiences.Â
Submit your proposal by May 1, 2026.Â
Follow the MAEOE Conference website for full details.
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Climate Change Education Professional Learning Community
Are you part of an interdisciplinary team of educators at your school that's interested in enhancing climate change education for your students? The University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability (UM-SEAS) invites you to partner on a participatory action research project that is dedicated to strengthening climate change education at your school.Â
UM-SEAS is seeking a Michigan public high school to join a one-year Professional Learning Community (PLC) for the 2026-2027 school year. As participants, you’ll collaborate with researchers from UM-SEAS to design, refine, and implement locally relevant, interdisciplinary, and standards-aligned climate change curriculum. Â
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Questions? Concerns?
Send an email to EGLE-Classroom@michigan.gov.
Visit Michigan.gov/EGLEclassroom for more information.
Follow @MichiganEGLE and the #EGLEclassroom conversation on X.
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