Green Schoolyards America’s ongoing lecture series discusses emerging topics and provides guidance for creating and stewarding high-quality green schoolyards and schoolyard forests. Sessions feature presentations by subject-area experts including Green Schoolyards America’s staff, along with time for audience Q&A. 

We invite school district facilities staff, schoolyard designers, landscape architects, architects, public agency staff, and others who are involved in creating green schoolyards and schoolyard forests or want to learn more to join us for this interdisciplinary series. All are welcome!

All sessions occur online via Zoom, and recordings are available to the public on our website after each session (see below). Attendees will have access to live captioning and a live transcript. Note - if you are looking for recordings of sessions from our Schoolyard Forest Design Lecture Series or our Green Schoolyard Lecture Series, you’ll find them both here!

Sessions are typically held on the first Thursday of the month, from 11:00 am to 12:00 pm PT / 2:00 - 3:00 pm ET, unless otherwise noted.

We are taking a summer 2026 break. Stay tuned for new dates this fall!

LIVING SCHOOLYARDS FOR CHILDREN’S MICROBIOME HEALTH

February 6, 2025

Guest Speakers
– Aki Sinkkonen, PhD, Principal Scientist, Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke)
– Kristian Åbacka, Senior Advisor, Regional State Administrative Agency for Southern Finland
– Claire Robinson, Founder and Managing Director, Amigos de los Rios, California

Webinar Timing
0:00 Welcome, introduction, and updates by Lauren McKenna
4:45 Speaker introduction
7:36 Presentation by Aki Sinkkonen
19:34 Presentation by Kristian Åbacka
30:00 Presentation by Claire Robinson
46:40 Questions and discussion

STEWARDING SCHOOL TREES FOR LONG-TERM BENEFIT

December 5, 2024

Guest Speakers
– Lara Roman, PhD, Research Ecologist, USDA Forest Service
– Rachel Pringle, MA, Vice President, Green Schoolyards America

Webinar Timing
0:00 Welcome, introduction, and updates by Lauren McKenna
3:59 Speaker introduction by Lauren McKenna
7:12 Presentation by Lara Roman
31:58 Presentation by Rachel Pringle
44:36 Questions and discussion

ADDRESSING AIR QUALITY IMPACTS IN SCHOOLYARDS

October 3, 2024

Guest Speakers
– Richard Baldauf, PhD, Senior Research Engineer at US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
– Brent Bucknum, Founder, Hyphae Design Laboratory (Oakland, CA)

Webinar Timing
0:00 Welcome, introduction, and updates by Lauren McKenna
3:33 Speaker introduction by Lauren McKenna
6:22 Presentation by Dr. Richard Baldauf
34:34 Presentation by Brent Bucknum
55:11 Questions and discussion

SCHOOLYARD FOOD FORESTS

September 5, 2024

Guest Speakers
– Wanda Stewart, Executive Director, Common Vision (Bay Area, California)
– Debi La Belle, Senior Program Manager, Food Forests for Schools, The Education Fund (Miami-Dade County Public Schools, Florida)
– Eddie Recinos, Program Director, Food Forests for Schools, The Education Fund (Miami-Dade County Public Schools, Florida)

Webinar Timing
0:00 Welcome, introduction, and updates by Lauren McKenna
4:36 Speaker introduction by Lauren McKenna
7:17 Presentation by Wanda Stewart
23:57 Presentation by Debi La Belle and Eddie Recinos
45:53 Questions and discussion

SELECTING SCHOOLYARD MATERIALS TO REDUCE IMPACT ON ENVIRONMENTAL AND HUMAN HEALTH

July 11, 2024

Guest Speakers
– Stephanie Barger, Director, TRUE Certification, U.S. Green Building Council
– Sam Ullery, School Gardens Specialist, Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE), Washington DC Public Schools
– Sam Doan, Washington DC DDOT, Urban Forestry Division

Webinar Timing
0:00 Welcome, introduction, and updates by Lauren McKenna
0:43 Presentation by Lauren McKenna
14:28 Speaker introduction by Lauren McKenna
16:32 Presentation by Stephanie Barger
34:22 Presentation by Sam Doan and Sam Ullery

MAINTENANCE AND STEWARDSHIP OF SCHOOLYARD FORESTS

June 6, 2024

Guest Speakers
– Rachel Pringle, MA, Vice President, Green Schoolyards America 
– Ayesha Ercelawn, MES, Education Specialist, Green Schoolyards America 
– Steve Collins, Facilities Maintenance Manager, Berkeley Unified School District

Webinar Timing
0:00 Welcome, introduction, and updates by Lauren McKenna
3:30 Speaker introduction by Lauren McKenna
5:56 Presentation by Rachel Pringle
20:11 Presentation by Ayesha Ercelawn
33:55 Presentation by Steve Collins
46:15 Questions and discussion

WILDLIFE HABITAT AS PART OF LIVING SCHOOLYARDS

May 2, 2024

Guest Speakers
– Sarah Ward, Program Manager, Community and Schoolyard Habitats, National Wildlife Federation 
– Allison Mathis, Outdoor Classroom Specialist  for Central Alabama, Alabama Wildlife Federation
– Ayesha Ercelawn, MES, Education Specialist, Green Schoolyards America

Webinar Timing
0:00 Welcome, introduction, and updates by Lauren McKenna
6:55 Speaker introduction by Lauren McKenna
10:06 Presentation by Sarah Ward
32:11 Presentation by Allison Mathis
50:30 Presentation by Ayesha Ercelawn

REDUCING EXTREME HEAT AND SUPPORTING THERMAL COMFORT WITH SCHOOLYARD FORESTS

April 4, 2024

Guest Speakers
– V. Kelly Turner, PhD, Associate Professor of Urban Planning and Associate Director of Luskin Center for Innovation, UCLA
– Ariane Middel, PhD, Associate Professor, School of Arts, Media and Engineering, Arizona State University
– Jennifer Vanos, PhD, Associate Professor, School of Sustainability and the College of Global Futures, Arizona State University

Webinar Timing
0:00 Welcome, introduction, and updates by Lauren McKenna
4:20 Speaker introduction
8:05 Presentation by V. Kelly Turner, Ariane Middel, and Jennifer Vanos
49:43 Questions and discussion

STORMWATER SCHOOLYARDS

March 7, 2024

Guest Speakers
– Eileen Alduenda, Executive Director, Council for Watershed Health
– Justin Hegarty, Reflo
– Sharon Gamson Danks, MLA-MCP, Founder and CEO, Green Schoolyards America

Webinar Timing
0:00 Welcome, introduction, and updates by Lauren McKenna
3:20 Speaker introduction by Mikaela Randolph
6:35 Presentation by Eileen Alduenda
22:45 Presentation by Justin Hegarty
22:45 Presentation by Sharon Gamson Danks
37:50 Questions and discussion

SELECTING TREES FOR SCHOOLYARD FORESTS

December 7, 2023

Guest Speakers
– Arran Schultz, Landscape Designer, Bay Tree Design
– Joe McBride, PhD, Professor Emeritus of Landscape Architecture & Environmental Planning at UC Berkeley
– Jenn Yost, PhD, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo & Urban Forest Ecosystems Institute

Webinar Timing
0:00 Welcome, introduction, and updates by Lauren McKenna
4:15 Speaker introduction by Lauren McKenna
7:24 Presentations by Arran Schultz, Joe McBride, and Dr. Jenn Yost
49:23 Questions and discussion

DESIGNING FOR CHILDREN’S HEALTH, LEARNING, AND PLAY

November 2, 2023

Guest Speakers
– Marcella Raney, PhD, Sr. Manager, Office of Well-being, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles
– Nancy Striniste, MPSLD, Principal Designer, EarlySpace, LLC
– Claire Latané, MLA FASLA, Associate Professor and Chair, Cal Poly Pomona Landscape Architecture

Webinar Timing
0:00 Welcome, introduction, and updates by Lauren McKenna
2:47 Speaker introduction by Lauren McKenna
7:25 Presentations by Marcella Raney, Nancy Striniste, and Claire Latané
49:35 Questions and discussion

SCHOOLYARD FOREST DESIGN PROCESS AND PRINCIPLES

October 5, 2023

Guest Speakers
– Alejandra Chiesa, MLA MSc, California State Director, Green Schoolyards America
– Lisa Howard, MLA, Principal, Bay Tree Design

Webinar Timing
0:00 Welcome, introduction, and updates by Lauren McKenna
3:28 Speaker introduction by Lauren McKenna
6:18 Presentation by Alejandra Chiesa and Lisa Howard
42:26 Questions and discussion

INTRODUCTION TO SCHOOLYARD FORESTS IN THE CONTEXT OF GREEN SCHOOLYARDS

September 7, 2023

Guest Speakers
– Sharon Gamson Danks, MLA-MCP, CEO and Founder, Green Schoolyards America

Webinar Timing
0:00 Welcome, introduction, and updates by Lauren McKenna
3:16 Speaker introduction by Lauren McKenna
4:35 Presentation by Sharon Gamson Danks
32:30 Questions and discussion