White House Summit on Sustainable and Healthy Schools
The Biden Administration will host school leaders, state agency representatives, and key national stakeholders next week for the first-ever White House Summit on Sustainable and Healthy K-12 School Buildings and Grounds. Join a livestream of the opening plenary and panels on April 26th from 1 – 3:30 p.m. ET. Help us share the event far and wide!
The summit will highlight the pressing need for sustainable school infrastructure to safeguard student health and learning amidst a changing climate. Panel discussions will feature education leaders from across the country who have taken advantage of federal infrastructure dollars to advance energy efficient, climate resilient, and healthy school facilities that are conducive to learning. The event will also provide deeper insight into the tools and existing commitments offered by the federal government to invest in school sustainability and infrastructure.
Join the livestream for the following sessions:
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Speakers to be announced.
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Panel discusses how the unprecedented level of federal funding and resources for school infrastructure is cutting greenhouse gas emissions and moving the needle toward equitable, healthy, resilient, sustainable schools that are most conducive to learning.
Panelists:
Sara Ross, Co-Founder, UndauntedK12 [moderator]
Andy Weiland, Business Manager, Oregon School District, Wisconsin
Jess Farber, Vice President, CMTA
Tiffany Finck-Haynes, Federal Advocacy Representative, SMART
Dr. Eric Becoats, Superintendent, William Penn School District
Richard Best, Executive Director of Capital Projects, Seattle Public Schools, Washington
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Panel covers how equity and justice goals are advanced through school facilities & infrastructure investments.
Panelists:
Jeff Vincent, Director of Public Infrastructure Initiatives, Center for Cities + Schools [moderator]
LeeAnn Kittle, Executive Director of Sustainability, Denver Public Schools, Colorado
Katherine H. Walsh, Sustainability, Energy, and Environment Program Director, Boston Public Schools, Massachusetts
Gilbert Blue Feather Rosas, Director II- Sustainability & Adaptation, Modesto City Schools, California
Joel Solomon, Senior Program Manager of Health and Safety, National Education Association (NEA)
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Panel focuses on how education and federal funds can address the current, future, and inequitable impacts of climate change on educational communities, while also improving health and performance.
Panelists:
Reilly Loveland Falvey, Associate Director, New Buildings Institute [moderator]
Amy Bahruth, Deputy Director, Occupational Safety and Health, American Federation of Teachers, AFL-CIO
Luisa Santos, School Board Member, Miami-Dade Public Schools, Florida
Christos Chrysiliou, Chief Eco-Sustainability Officer, Los Angeles Unified School District, California
Aaron Presberg, Senior Program Manager, Energy & Sustainability, Portland Public Schools, Oregon
