White House Summit on Sustainable and Healthy Schools

On April 26, 2024 The Biden Administration hosted school leaders, state agency representatives, and key national stakeholders for the first-ever White House Summit on Sustainable and Healthy K-12 School Buildings and Grounds. Watch the recording of the opening plenary and panels.

The summit highlighted the pressing need for sustainable school infrastructure to safeguard student health and learning amidst a changing climate. Panel discussions featured 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 also provided deeper insight into the tools and existing commitments offered by the federal government to invest in school sustainability and infrastructure.

Read more about each session below, with minute marks correlated to times in the video:

• 0 - 57 min | Opening Remarks

  Opening remarks included speakers Ali Zaidi, Assistant to the President and National Climate Advisor, and Roberto Rodríguez, assistant secretary for the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Planning, Evaluation and Policy Development.

• 57 min - 1 hr 26 min | Panel: Bolstering K-12 School Infrastructure Using Federal and Partner Resources to Cut Emissions and Energy Costs

  Panel discussed 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

• 1 hr 27 min - 1 hr 59min | Panel: Equity and Justice in School Facilities and Infrastructure

  Panel covered 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)

• 1 hr 59 - 2 hr 54 min | Panel: Resilience to Extreme Weather and Adaptation in Action

  Panel focused 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