A litter pickup was held in Richardson in conjunction with a Green Ambassador Certification Workshop in June. Courtesy of One Earth One Chance.
If you're looking for a way to learn and get credit for your commitment to the environment, a local nonprofit is hosting a series of workshops this fall in collaboration with the University of Texas at Dallas. The Green Ambassador Certification program launched by One Earth One Chance is aimed at educating both children and adults on sustainability as it relates to various segments of industry.
The Green Ambassador Certification program offers in-person workshops held in different cities across the DFW metroplex. Topics covered include Buildings and Construction, Consumption and Production, Economy, Energy, Forests and Wildlife, Waste and Recycling and Water and Ocean.
The next in person Green Ambassador Certification Workshop is Saturday, Sept. 13, at 10:30 a.m. in Frisco. The topic is Beauty and Fashion. Prior to the hour-long workshop is an optional litter clean up at 8:30 a.m.
Everyone is invited to sign up and attend workshops. However, there are some age requirements.
“There’s a minimum age requirement of 11 years,” says Geeta Menon, Sustainability faculty member at the University of Texas at Dallas and founder of One Earth One Chance.
A parent or guardian must be accompany participants under 18 years old.
The entire course is available online as well. If you register for a current or past workshop you will be asked to create an online account. Then you will be able to view the entire course curriculum.
PROGRAM LAUNCH
The Green Ambassador Certification program launched this summer, said Menon.
The first event drew 61 attendees The June workshop was the first of 12 modules that will be delivered over the course of the year.
The in-person workshops are held in cities across the DFW metroplex, being coordinated by UT Dallas and One Earth One Chance, with both coming together to develop the curriculum. These six cities include Richardson, McKinney, Lewisville, Frisco, Coppell and Addison.
The program partners with cities that they have worked on tree planting and litter pick-ups with the organizers in the past.
“We’ve partnered with them, and they actually gave us really beautiful spaces. Their biodiversity education centers and so on, to share the learning.”
WORKSHOP CURRICULUM
The workshops combine both classroom learning and hands-on exercises.
“There’s actually five things they learn,” Menon explained.
These five things are broken down into modules. The first module provides an overview or scope of the topic.
“The second thing is, ‘what are the challenges being faced’?” Menon said.
This highlights environmental challenges faced in the area.
“We follow that up with solutions. So, what are some of the solutions to solve these problems?”
The fourth module is classroom discussions, where participants discuss what actions individuals and organizations can take to help contribute to a solution. Lastly is the classroom exercise. Menon describes it as a hands-on interactive exercise where they actually touch and feel something.
"Show and tell as we call it,” she said.
Finally, there is a quiz that can be done online.
BENEFITS
Menon described the Green Ambassador Certification itself as having two benefits, emphasizing that while there is no college credit to be gained, it can help immensely in professional fields.
“You can showcase your commitment to sustainability as an individual, so it’s part of your brand.”
She added that the course is preparing you for the ‘circular economy’ or the green economy.
“Every job can be a green job. You can put on the hat of sustainability for almost any job.”
The second benefit is to prepare for a future that is more resilient.
“We want everyone to build that critical thinking."
One thing that Menon stressed was the importance of these workshops giving participants outdoor experience. One way this has been achieved is through the optional litter clean-ups held prior to the workshops.
“We want a practical component to it,” Menon said. “We want them to be out there in nature.” There are also service awards to be earned, depending on how many pick-ups and in-person workshops are attended.
MENON’S MISSION
While Menon herself collaborates and works on the Green Ambassador Certification program, she is also a Sustainability Faculty member at UTD.
“I help host industry forums for students and people from industry to network.”
In addition, she is currently teaching a course on AI and sustainability, focusing on how to harness AI for a sustainable future. This course has college credit,
Menon formed her nonprofit One Earth One Chance five years ago, to foster environmental consciousness in the community.
“We were very concerned with the fact that people seem to think that the environment is this moot home that we live in, and that we can do anything,” Menon said.
She said that not enough people think about how their negative actions and waste, such as plastic, can impact the planet.
The creation of her nonprofit implemented three programs:
First was tree planting.
“Trees were a great return on investment,” said Menon. “Let’s add trees and native plants.”
Menon said they’ve completed 5,000 of these tree plantings.
Second, they work to get young people involved in nature in the form of community clean-ups. So far, they’ve hosted cleanups in more than 150 communities.
And third, the nonprofit launched the Green Certification program.
FUTURE PLANS
Menon has other programs planned in the future.
“One thing we want to do, is become more sustainable ourselves in terms of fundraising."
“We’ve raised 325K over five years from grassroots donations, through some organizational donations. It’s always hard to do that on a bigger scale, without constraints.”
One way she and her colleagues are looking at combating this is by promoting products and services prepared by others. She wants to focus specifically on companies promoting sustainability, wherein they can use a percentage of said company’s sales for tree planting. “We’re still thinking about it and figuring out how to do it, because it’s a big initiative. But that’s what we’re looking to do.”
Sign-ups for the Green Ambassador Certification workshops can be reached on their site.
Green Ambassador Certification Program
Hosted by: One Earth One Chance is hosting a Green Ambassador Certificate community education series via in person sessions and eLearning, to teach sustainability, in partnership with UTD and multiple DFW cities.
When: Next workshop is Sept. 13, 2025, 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
Where: 8300 McKinney Road, Frisco
Cost: Free
Volunteer Opportunity: An optional litter clean up will be held at 8000 McKinney Road in Frisco at 8:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m.
Contact: learn@oneearthonechance.org
Website