CLASSES AND TRAININGS
Urban Green Lab’s year-round classes empower Nashvillians to live sustainably with practical, engaging lessons on waste, energy, food, and daily choices at work and at home. Taught by expert educators, each session connects personal habits to lasting environmental and social change. Small actions truly can make a big difference in our community.
Click the buttons below to explore and book our current courses
Living Sustainably in Nashville
Perfect for: Beginners or anyone ready to make small, practical changes toward a more sustainable lifestyle.
Ready to save money, reduce waste, and live healthier - without giving up the things you love? In this 1.5-hour interactive workshop, you’ll connect with like-minded people through fun activities and practical tips that make everyday routines—shopping, cooking, even getting ready—more sustainable. You’ll leave inspired and equipped to create lasting habits that benefit your health, home, and community.
You’ll better be able to:
- Understand sustainability and how it applies to daily life
- Identify barriers, benefits, and motivators for sustainable choices
- Use local tools, programs, and resources to take everyday action
- Share your choices to inspire others and strengthen your community
This training is periodically offered for free at our office. Click here to sign up for the next one.
Working Sustainably in Nashville
Perfect for: Employees and professionals who want to make their workplace more sustainable.
This 1.5-hour interactive workshop introduces employees to practical, achievable sustainability actions for the workplace. Through discussion and real-life examples, you’ll see how small changes—like conserving energy and reducing waste—can make a big difference for your organization and the planet. You’ll walk away with strategies to help your team work smarter and greener together.
You’ll better be able to:
- Define sustainable practices and their value for your organization
- Understand Nashville’s sustainability goals and workplace connections
- Identify key strategies for working sustainably every day
- Access local resources and peers who support sustainable workplaces
Building a Green Team in Nashville
Perfect for: Workplace or community leaders ready to start or grow a Green Team.
In this 1.5-hour interactive workshop, you’ll learn how to plan, launch, and maintain a successful Green Team that drives change where you work or live. Through engaging activities and practical examples, you’ll explore ways to motivate members, celebrate progress, and keep sustainability efforts strong over time.
You’ll better be able to:
- Understand what a Green Team is and why it matters for your group
- Learn practical steps to start, organize, and lead a Green Team
- Explore local tools, resources, and partnerships for long-term success
- Build skills to engage others, celebrate wins, and grow participation
Teaching Sustainability in Nashville
Perfect for: Educators, librarians, and school staff who want to integrate sustainability education.
This 1.5-hour professional development workshop gives educators the confidence, tools, and inspiration to empower students to make sustainable choices. Through hands-on activities and local examples, you’ll learn how to weave sustainability into any subject, build eco-friendly habits in your school, and strengthen student engagement.
You’ll better be able to:
- Understand sustainability and its role in an educational setting
- Apply practical, sustainable strategies in classrooms and schools
- Incorporate standards-aligned sustainability lessons with ease
- Access local tools, resources, and partners to support your efforts
Youth Training – The Secret Life of Food
Perfect for: Students in grades K–12 who are curious about where food comes from, where it goes, and how they can help reduce food waste.
What does it take to get food from the farm to your lunch tray? And what happens when that food is thrown away? In this 1-hour interactive lesson, students uncover the hidden journey of food, exploring the natural resources, people, and processes behind every meal. Through engaging activities and discussion, students discover the environmental and social impacts of food waste while exploring practical solutions they can use at school and at home.
Students will be able to:
- Trace the journey of food from farm to tray and identify the resources needed to produce a meal.
- Explain how food waste impacts people, the environment, and our communities.
- Explore solutions such as waste prevention, Share Tables, food rescue, and composting to reduce food waste at school.
- Identify ways they can take action to reduce food waste in their own school and community.
Schools interested in extending student learning may also request a hands-on cafeteria food waste audit, during which students collect and analyze real cafeteria data to better understand what is being wasted and identify opportunities to reduce food waste. Food waste audits are available upon request and staff capacity.
This program aligns with Tennessee Science Standards and empowers students to think critically, solve real-world problems, and become environmental leaders in their school communities.
Training Request Form
Fill out the form to request a training. Contact Karissa Hampton for questions or more information.