Brighter Planet

Climate change is a defining issue for this generation and for children. Now you can raise funds for your school while helping make your family, the school, and the world a little greener.

Brighter Planet is a small Vermont company that helps people like you flight climate change. By purchasing our Planet Shares carbon offsets—or earning them with the Brighter Planet Visa credit card—you support community-based renewable energy projects across the country. And since these projects displace "dirty" energy from coal on the electric grid, you're reducing the dangerous greenhouse gasses that cause global warming.

The Brighter Schools program allows your school to earn fundraising dollars whenever a parent, teacher, or other ally takes one of these steps. It's a great way to fund important school activities without asking parents to buy more wasteful stuff like wrapping paper or magazines.

After you register your school for the program, it will earn fundraising dollars every time a parent, teacher, or other ally of the school purchases Planet Shares carbon offsets or activates a new Brighter Planet Visa credit card:

• 20% of all Planet Shares carbon offset purchases
• $20 for every new Brighter Planet Visa credit card

In order to make purchases or cards count as part of the program, the customer will first have to create a Brighter Planet profile and join your school's "team"—we'll set this up for you when you register.

• How Brighter Schools fundraising works (PDF)
• Registration form
• Sample letter to parents (Word)
• Clipboard sheet for door-to-door Planet Shares sales (PDF)

Science, geography, politics, economics, history: with climate change, everything plays a role. This—and the topic's currency—creates a unique opportunity for an exciting, holistic curriculum. We've put together a set of materials that teachers can use to plan a special unit around climate change. Here are some you can download:

1. Form a Green Team (PDF)
2. Calculate the school's carbon footprint (PDF) — Worksheet (PDF)
3. Design and hold a school-wide contest for sustainability (PDF)
4. How big is a ton? (PDF)

You should email us for access to these:

• The world of 2050
• Start a sustainability campaign
• Biking to school
• Grow a school garden

If you use these materials, let us know! We'd love to get pictures, stories, completed worksheets, etc.