ourvision.

IMAGINE...

       You walk into an inner-city high school and your eyes light up at the sight of green plants, fresh, colorful hallways adorned with stunning artwork depicting the culture and values of the community. Outside, the campus is filled with outdoor learning spaces, a pond, reading benches, a native garden, and edible landscapes whose harvest feeds into the cafeteria. Everywhere you look there are signs which convey a deep respect and consideration for the environment: solar panels, rainwater collection barrels, energy−efficient lights, nontoxic paints and furnishings, a student-led composting and recycling system. Peeking into a classroom, you hear students engaged in a lively discussion about what a sustainable neighborhood looks and feels like, and what it means to be a steward.

       Talking to the school principal, you discover that just five years ago, this school looked and felt much different. Florescent lights, chipping paint, and a concrete covered playground defined its physical environment. The transformation, you learn, began when UpLift Austin, a nonprofit organization, paired students with local sustainable design professionals dedicated to inspiring and training the next generation of green professionals. Parents of these children never imagined that their daughter would complete an apprenticeship and accept a position at a solar-panel installation company, or that their son would establish his own business retrofitting neighborhood homes. Yet, through UpLift Austin, a seed of change planted in a public school took root and blossomed into a thriving, forward-thinking community.