Suggested Roles

Deciding who will be responsible for certain roles on the Team can prevent confusion and expedite success. The following roles are suggested, but your Green Team can create new or different roles, rotate roles, or operate under a different structure.

• Chair, Co-chair: Sets up meetings, creates the agendas, facilitates meetings and keeps them on track, encourages participation by all team members, and stays informed about Washington Green Schools’ resources through the website.
• Secretary: Takes minutes at the meetings, records decisions made and includes the name of the person responsible for carrying out each action as well as an estimated timeline. Provides the minutes to the rest of the Team (preferably electronically or by posting one copy for others to read).
• Communications/Publicity: Ensures that results of Assessments, actions, and events are communicated to the school community (e.g., submitting a monthly report for the school newsletter such as a “Washington Green Schools Update”). May include making posters, signage, and promoting special events. This important role probably requires more than one person.
• Student Representatives: Offer suggestions from a student perspective, communicate information to and from the student body (e.g., through weekly announcements, bulletin boards, student council, assemblies). Students also work on actions from the Action Lists, conduct research for Assessments, develop campaigns, take leadership for classroom initiatives (e.g. train other students in waste reduction and energy conservation practices), and help with fundraising and incentives activities (e.g. contests).
• Adult Site Advisor: A teacher, custodian, administrator or other staff person provides counsel on logistics, policy, protocol, or permission requirements for special projects. Supports students as leaders.
• All Team Members: Are responsible for communicating decisions made by the Green Team to other groups (e.g. staff meetings, student council meetings, school council meetings, custodian meetings) and for getting feedback from these groups. All members are also co-owners in the accomplishment of the Actions and Assessments.