In the News
‘Next generation of climate leaders’
These Utah students are trying to get their school district to commit to clean energy. The initiatives have unfolded in a state where K-12 buildings rank as some of the highest producers of carbon emissions per million square feet nationally. That’s according to a 2021 study from the New Buildings Institute, Coalition for Climate Education Policy and UndauntedK12.
Two Massachusetts schools are ditching oil for geothermal heat pumps
“The upfront costs for geothermal heat pumps in New Bedford would normally be nearly $14 million. But with federal and state rebates, installation costs will drop to about $6.1 million, significantly cheaper than four other more traditional heating options the school investigated. Annual energy costs with a geothermal system will also be lower than with a more traditional boiler.”
Sacramento City Unified commits to carbon neutrality by 2045
“There’s urgency behind the transition: State officials have noted the increasing climate impacts on California schools and the need to adapt buildings to weather these changes, like during extreme heat. Chamberlain Segrest, Sac City Unified’s sustainability manager, said many districts must also act now in order to keep up with the state’s mandate.”
Schools Can Use These Little-Known, Unlimited Funds to Make Their Buildings Greener
“Unlike a grant program with a fixed amount of money for districts to spend on particular expenses, schools and other tax-exempt entities like local and tribal governments can get reimbursed for work that’s already been completed simply by correctly filing tax return forms with the Internal Revenue Service.”
This Is Your Kid’s Brain on Extreme Heat
“Revamping American schools to prepare them for hotter temperatures will be an immense undertaking. An estimated 41 percent of school districts require upgrades to their heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning systems, according to a 2019 survey from the US Government Accountability Office. This represents about 36,000 schools.”
School week ends with more heat in the classroom
Sara Ross, UndauntedK12 Co-founder, speaks with NBC Boston about extreme heat in local schools as officials tried to assure the community that in the few schools that were not able to be outfitted with air conditioning, they did all they could with fans and supplying plenty of water.
As schools reopen in a heat wave, a warning of the climate future
“Climate advocates and clean energy experts say the ultimate solution for cooling schools should be electric heat pumps, offering an efficient and climate-friendly way to both cool and heat buildings. But particularly in poorer districts and those with older schools, the pumps and extensive retrofits required to put them to use efficiently could be costly and years away. And this week, some schools were relying on window units, which can consume massive amounts of electricity.”
How California schools can finally quit burning fossil fuels
“Statewide planning is key to making safe, electrified schools a reality. With more than 11,000 buildings spanning 730 million square feet and more than 125,000 acres of land, California’s school system has a vast footprint. We need a plan now for all these buildings to stop creating pollution, as California law calls for the state to be carbon neutral by 2045.”
Hot for Decarb
“And SB 394, from Sen. Lena Gonzalez (D-Long Beach), initiates planning to decarbonize schools and shore them up to be more resilient as climate change worsens.”
What Educators Need to Know About Schools and Hot Weather
“We certainly know coming out of COVID the massive importance of in-person learning, and how lost in-person learning time affects young people’s performance in school and potentially their long-term learning,” Sara Ross said. “We’re having these breaks and disruptions in our in-person learning, and those disruptions are inequitably felt. Communities that have been redlined, underinvested in over decades are the ones where the school buildings are more out of date.”
Polluted Skies and High Heat Expose School Facility Issues, Threaten Students’ Health
“The wildfire smoke, the heat, the drought, flooding—all the impacts of climate change are here,” said Jonathan Klein, co-founder of Undaunted, a national nonprofit that advocates for solutions to fight climate change. “Schools are where students spend more of their waking hours than anywhere else. We need to make sure they’re resilient and prepared for extreme weather events.”
How California can keep kids cool amid extreme heat
“As the climate changes, we can expect more days of extreme heat including during the school year. Researchers estimate that 60% of California’s elementary school districts will experience at least 100 days above 90 degrees annually by 2035 (and predict that some districts, such as Westmorland Union in Imperial County, will experience more than 200). But even in more temperate Northern California, the number of high heat days will increase in the future, extending well beyond summer break and creating dangerous conditions when classes are in session.”
Our Children’s Lungs Are Uniquely Vulnerable to All This Wildfire Smoke
“Smoke from wildfires carries health risks far beyond your typical campfire. One study estimated wildfire smoke to be 10 times as harmful to children’s respiratory health as the regular pollution we breathe from everyday sources such as exhaust from vehicles. In recent weeks, when smoke smothered New York City, emergency room visits for asthma soared; Black and Latino children, who tend to be exposed to more baseline pollution, were disproportionately affected.”
Wildfire Haze and Poor Air Quality: Here’s How Schools Are Responding
“Schools that rely on antiquated technology are likely contributing to the climate crisis—more than 60 percent of school HVAC systems’ energy use is tied to on-site burning of fossil fuels, a report released in January found. That report suggested schools invest in heat pumps instead, as they require less energy to operate and generate cleaner air.”
How to climate-proof schools
“‘Kids are losing out on learning time,’ said Jonathan Klein, a cofounder of UndauntedK12, a nonprofit that helps schools reduce their carbon footprint, and a co-author of the report. His organization is tracking school closures around the country related to extreme weather and working toward solutions to make schools more climate-resilient.”
How can we shield children from the impacts of climate change? Investments in schools can help.
“As a pediatrician in California, Dr. Lisa Patel has seen firsthand how climate change is impacting children. She’s treated severely dehydrated newborns, children whose asthma was exacerbated by wildfires, and heat-related illnesses brought on by sports games and practices.
Those are some of the reasons that prompted Patel to co-author a recently released report pushing to make schools in California more resilient to climate change.”
Coalition urges California to invest $150 billion in climate-resilient, healthy schools
“A coalition of health, city planning and education nonprofits issued a report Thursday urging California leaders to invest $150 billion over a decade to build and renovate schools to mitigate to the increasingly hazardous effects of climate change on children’s health and well-being.”
Why we can’t solve the climate crisis without schools — and teachers
“California’s elementary and secondary schools have a huge physical footprint, covering 125,000 acres of ground and 730 million square feet of buildings. That means they’re prime spots for solar panels, batteries, heat pumps, electric buses and efficiency measures that can reduce the need for fossil fuels.
The report estimates that K-12 public schools produce 9% of all carbon dioxide pollution from the state’s nonresidential buildings — not counting pollution from cars and buses going to and from schools.”
Getting electric school buses in the hands of school districts
“One of my very favorite things in the world to talk about — second perhaps only to electric postal vehicles — is electric school buses. It's difficult to think of a more righteous cause than reducing air and noise pollution in direct proximity to the country's most sensitive lungs and ears.
Currently, however, electric school buses still cost two to three times what their diesel competitors cost, which can be daunting for school districts with tight budgets. Electric buses pay themselves off over time through dramatically lower fuel and maintenance costs, but the upfront costs of the transition are steep enough to scare away many administrators.”
Most Schools Burn Fossil Fuels for Heat. Here’s Why That’s a Problem
“More than half the energy used in K-12 schools goes toward heating and cooling buildings. And more than 60 percent of school HVAC systems’ energy use is tied to on-site burning fossil fuels, the primary driver of climate change.
All told, emissions from HVAC systems in schools each year roughly equal that of 5 million gas-powered cars, and imposes on society at least $2 billion in costs.
These are among the takeaways from a new report published Thursday by sustainability nonprofits RMI (Rocky Mountain Institute) and UndauntedK12. The report synthesizes federal data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration and other sources to highlight K-12 schools’ substantial carbon footprint, and outlines how schools can reduce that impact by prioritizing energy efficiency.”
Students Want Climate Change Education. Most Teachers Don’t Get Enough Training
“Three-fourths of teachers have not received any professional training or education on how to teach climate change—a fact that likely influences the extent to which they teach the subject and whether they do so in a way that’s accurate, relevant, and meaningful.
That’s according to a nationally representative EdWeek Research Center survey of 538 K-12 teachers in December, which probed into how teachers cover the topic that students say is of great personal interest and relevance to them. About 60 percent of teachers across grade levels and subjects say they have addressed the topic in some capacity with students, according to the survey. But the way they talk about it varies—and risks obscuring the scope of the problem.”
Four Things to Know From a State’s Push to Switch Schools to Heat Pumps
“Heat pumps are slowly approaching household-name status as an energy-efficient alternative to heat sources that require the burning of fossil fuels. But how do they work, and how might they help schools?
Experts in Maine are finding answers to those questions that are likely to be useful for school districts in other states as well. Last year, Maine Gov. Janet Mills set aside $8 million in federal relief dollars for improving energy efficiency in schools, primarily by promoting the adoption of heat pumps.
Heavily reliant on fossil fuels to heat their buildings, the nation’s schools emit the equivalent of 5 million gas-powered cars each year, a recent report found. One way to reduce those emissions could be installing heat pumps, an all-electric HVAC option.”
More Massachusetts districts are switching to electric school buses
“In a school bus lot in Beverly, bus driver Henry Birkemouse starts up an electric school bus.
A green light on the dashboard signals to the driver he can hit the accelerator. The bus resembles a traditional gas- or diesel-powered bus, yellow exterior and all, with the exception of the lettering on the hood that says "high voltage."
"It operates the same as any other bus," said Birkemouse. "It drives sort of like a golf cart."
Using about 60% less fossil fuels than gas-powered buses, electric buses are also a lot quieter and more energy-efficient than a traditional school bus, which emits exhaust fumes during idling. Diesel fumes, for example, can lead to eye irritation and nausea. And it can sometimes cause asthma and even lung cancer.”
Mass. group to ask for $300 million to renovate structures, meet climate goals
“One-third of all carbon emissions in Massachusetts emanate from the state’s 2 million existing buildings, according to Logan Malik, interim executive director of the Massachusetts Climate Action Network, a member organization of the Zero Carbon Renovation Fund Coalition.
Comprising leading climate, housing, education and public health advocates, the coalition announced plans Tuesday to petition the state Legislature in the coming session to set aside $300 million to establish the Zero Carbon Renovation Fund. The coalition will suggest the state tap into its American Rescue Plan Act funds, Malik said, adding that the state could also look into other sources to find the funding.”
7 steps schools can take to benefit the climate and save money
“Anisa Heming has been working on making schools more sustainable for a decade and a half, now as director of the Center for Green Schools at the U.S. Green Building Council, a Washington nonprofit. And she’s never seen a moment of opportunity quite like this. “It’s an out-of-body experience, honestly,” she said. “Communities are demanding it, federal money is here, and the districts that didn’t do the prep work are scrambling.”
A $300 million idea to equitably 'jumpstart' a climate-friendly building revolution in Mass.
“A broad coalition of environmental, housing and education advocacy groups say they have a plan to help Massachusetts meet one of its most challenging climate goals: “decarbonizing,” or dramatically reducing carbon emissions, from buildings in the state.”
Making heat recovery ventilators sexy
“It’s called “building decarbonization” — the work of making structures of all sizes nearly carbon free. And I’ll concede that the topic, while vital to our survival on this roasting planet, isn’t the sexiest.
But spend an hour with Julie Klump, and you, too, might be surprised to find yourself getting excited about polyisocyanurate board insulation and heat recovery ventilators.…”
Can trees reduce pollution at schools next to freeways? A Fresno campus tries plantings
“At first glance, the 60 trees that border Tehipite Middle School in Fresno may not look like much. Only a few years old, they are still short and thin, some supported by wooden poles on each side.
But their potential is large, especially for the health of students and staff…”
Heat Pumps — States & Others Can’t Pass Up The Chance To Electrify Buildings
“New building codes in Washington state heavily incentivize electric heat pumps — and they’re good for even the coldest climate there. It’s a trend towards efficient electric heating in new home construction… The state building code council has mandated that, starting in July of 2023, new home construction must use heat pumps for space and water heating. That means heat pumps will soon warm and cool every new house and apartment built in Washington state. That heat pump requirement for new construction is among the nation’s strongest.”
The sun solution for school budgets
“Pittsburgh schools should look to the sun for a solution. Rising costs are top of mind as western Pennsylvania schools prepare their budgets for the next school year.
Energy costs are the second-highest operational expense schools face, after staffing. Schools can balance the budget without sacrificing instructional investments by trimming utility bills. It’s a simple solution already in place across the state to help balance budgets, raise teacher pay, and fund essential programs: solar energy.”
Schools scramble to prepare for $1B in federal money for electric buses
“From small rural districts to statewide fleets, schools are figuring out how to put to use the biggest electric school bus investment in U.S. history.
Last month, nearly 400 school districts across the country were awarded a combined total of almost $1 billion in federal funding to buy about 2,500 electric school buses. It’s the country’s single largest investment so far in cleaning up a fleet of some 500,000 diesel-fueled school buses nationwide. “
To be carbon neutral by 2040, here are the steps Salt Lake City schools are starting now
“Replacing buzzing fluorescent lights with energy-efficient LED fixtures. Updating toilets and urinals to reduce their demand for water. Beginning construction next summer at Uintah Elementary and Backman Elementary to make them completely “electric.”
These are just a few elements of an ambitious plan to have 100% of Salt Lake City School District operations carbon neutral by 2040…”
In one state, every class teaches climate change — even P.E.
“Two years ago, New Jersey became the first state in the country to adopt learning standards obligating teachers to instruct kids about climate change across grade levels and subjects. The standards, which went into effect this fall, introduce students as young as kindergartners to the subject, not just in science class but in the arts, world languages, social studies and physical education. Supporters say the instruction is necessary to prepare younger generations for a world — and labor market — increasingly reshaped by climate change.”
Electric school buses to get $1B boost from Biden administration
“Less than 1 percent of the nation’s roughly 500,000 school buses are electric or run on low-emission fuels. That’s about to change.
Nearly 400 school districts across the United States, including in several Indigenous tribal communities, as well as in Puerto Rico and American Samoa, will receive a total of around $1 billion to purchase new, mostly electric school buses as part of a Biden administration grant program.”
‘The Building Was Sick': PCBs Pose an Environmental Crisis for Schools
“Persistent and pernicious, PCBs lurk in thousands of school buildings around the country where they were used in construction materials decades ago. Their presence can jeopardize the health and safety of students and staff if they’re not handled proactively, and their detection and removal can upend school operations.”
The Movement to Keep Buildings From Making You Sick
Buildings are a first line of defense against infectious diseases and a key to public health, this article claims. The “healthy building movement” is about more than just the COVID pandemic. It’s an effort to avoid disruption in our daily lives due to “sick buildings” filled with pollution, infectants, and carcinogens.
Wellesley teed up a bold move on climate action. Then came an offer it couldn’t refuse.
After years of work in Wellesley to develop a plan to make two new schools and a renovated town hall completely free of fossil fuels, National Grid offered up nearly $1.5 million with a catch: Wellesley would have to install gas lines to each of the new buildings.
A new UNICEF report says that children are experiencing frequent heat waves around the world
Manola Secaira talked to our co-founder Jonathan Klein, Dr. Lisa Patel from Stanford, and Sharon Danks from Green Schoolyards America about the increasing threat of extreme heat and its consequences for children’s health and learning.
The School Year Is Getting Hotter. How Does Heat Affect Student Learning and Well-Being?
“‘Schools are not prepared for the extreme heat, and we need to change that now,’ said Jonathan Klein, the co-founder of UndauntedK-12, a national nonprofit supporting climate action in public schools that tracks school closures due to heat and other extreme weather.
It’s also an equity issue, he said: ‘Our most vulnerable students are the most vulnerable to extreme heat.’”
Schools are harnessing solar power in record numbers
“In 2014, two solar energy groups published a report finding that only about 3,750 U.S. schools — out of a total of roughly 130,000 — were generating electricity from solar panels. But that number is on the rise.
According to the fourth edition of the “Brighter Future” report, released last week by the clean energy nonprofit Generation180, the number of U.S. schools using solar power has more than doubled in the last seven years, reaching roughly 8,400 by the end of 2021. These so-called “solar schools” now account for nearly 1 in 10 public, independent, and charter K-12 schools and serve more than 6 million students nationwide.”
Op-Ed: Climate change is a big problem. Citizens must demand many small solutions
“The world is on fire. The flames are hard to see, because we hide them so well. But you can hear them — in the whine of jet engines as planes streak across the sky, in the rumble of power plants as they send electricity surging over power lines, in the purr of your car engine as you drive to work.”
US public schools get a D+ for poor conditions, and experts say problems are getting worse. Here's what kids are facing
“When it gets too hot in Denver and Baltimore classrooms, students are sent home because their schools don't have air conditioning.
In Massachusetts, checking for rusty water leaking from a ceiling has become a "morning ritual."
In California, a school's cockroach infestation has gotten so bad that some students fear eating lunch.
While school infrastructure problems are a perennial challenge, national data and dismal stories from teachers suggest the crises are reaching an apex. Atrocious school conditions have even prompted some teachers this school year to go on strike.”
Why teachers seem more willing to go on strike
“Teachers are on strike in Columbus, Ohio, demanding functioning air conditioning.
In Philadelphia, it's mostly bus drivers and other workers who want better wages and training.
These are local stories with distinct issues and details, but they feed a national narrative of discontented teachers and support staff who feel underpaid and underappreciated.”
Canceled classes, sweltering classrooms: How extreme heat impairs learning
“It’s a pattern that’s becoming more common across the United States, as climate change contributes to record-breaking heat waves. In just the last few weeks, schools in California, Colorado, Pennsylvania and Maryland have closed for “heat days,” and students have suffered through sweltering temperatures in classrooms without air conditioning while trying to get back into the swing of learning.”
Facing Budget Shortfalls, These Schools Are Turning to the Sun
“From New Jersey to California, nearly one in 10 K-12 public and private schools across the country were using solar energy by early 2022, according to data released Thursday by Generation180, a nonprofit that promotes and tracks clean energy. That’s twice as many as existed in 2015.
The savings in electric bills from schools with solar panels often topped millions in each district, and many have been able to adopt the technology without shouldering any costs up front.”
Your Kid's School Needs Better Ventilation to Help Keep COVID-19 in Check
“Across the country, K-12 schools are starting their next year of classes in the middle of a COVID-19 surge. As the BA.5 Omicron subvariant drives thousands of reinfections, schools have largely put aside safety measures like mask requirements and physical distancing.
In response, some parents and experts are trying to improve ventilation in schools, since better air quality in buildings can reduce COVID-19’s spread and even improve other health outcomes. But, despite readily available resources—including millions of dollars in funding from the federal government—many schools have not invested in upgrading their air quality.”
When — and how — should you talk to your kids about climate change?
“Canary turns to the producers of the kids’ show Molly of Denali and beloved children’s-entertainer-turned-climate-activist Raffi for insights.”
Climate change is making the new school year harder in all kinds of ways
“If we want our kids of all ages to have a positive school experience — one that includes being well rested, being as free from anxiety and the threat of violence as possible, being able to play sports, and simply being able to concentrate and remember — we have to acknowledge the role of climate change in all of those things. Getting an education is hard enough; extreme weather is only making it that much harder. In my daughter's college town, she's currently finishing her first week of classes. And she tells me it's "only" going to be 99 degrees Fahrenheit today.”
Biden Signs Climate Change Spending Package, But K-12 Schools Are Mostly Left Out
“President Biden on Tuesday signed into law the most significant federal legislation to date tackling climate change, including a handful of provisions that will be of interest to school leaders and educators.
But many of the proposals education advocates have been pushing in recent years did not make it into the final law. The spending package does not include $100 billion in grants and bonds for improving school facilities, and it does not require all states to offer universal free pre-K and two-year college admission. All of these proposals were part of Biden’s original pitch for federal infrastructure spending in early 2021.”
Why $10 Billion for School Ventilation Matters for Learning
“As school districts and charter schools begin spending down an unprecedented infusion of federal Covid-relief aid, it looks like nearly $10 billion could go toward a single priority: improving heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems.
Recent stories in The Wall Street Journal and Kaiser Health News underscore how school districts are scrambling to spend the federal aid on these and other capital projects. While some schools are simply adding new filters, others plan to replace aging systems that haven’t worked well for years.”
Hot Classrooms: Students Struggle to Learn Amid Heat Waves, Lack of AC
“The ongoing climate crisis has raised temperatures across the globe, and environmental experts predict it’s only going to get hotter.
This extreme heat has had a detrimental impact on students’ ability to learn. In the last year alone, schools in Baltimore, Philadelphia, Detroit, and other cities have sent students home from school early in recognition that teaching and learning in such intense heat is virtually impossible.”
Colorado hopes cash infusion spurs electric school bus adoption
Aurora Public Schools’ seven new electric school buses look like other yellow buses in the district’s 151-vehicle fleet, but they don’t drive like the other buses and don’t pollute like the other buses.
Environmental advocates and government officials hope a major infusion of state and federal money can jumpstart widespread fleet replacement that would have most Colorado students transported on cleaner, quieter buses within the decade.
The Green New Deal is a concept, not a plan. Advocates say Mayor Wu is missing that so far.
Dozens of experts and advocates praised the mayor for doing far more than her predecessors to spotlight the climate crisis. But as Wu’s administration has struggled to find the right leader for city climate efforts, her broader mission remains undefined.
“They’re saying ‘kids deserve energy efficient buildings,’ and I’m like yes, and they also deserve buildings that do not undermine their future by their very operation,” said Sara Ross, our co-founder.
Facing extreme heat and drought, young Californians cope to beat climate anxiety and doom
In this era of drought, heat waves, wildfires and rising seas, young people are especially prone to falling into a sense of environmental doom, as they are coming of age when every year feels more dire. Experts call these feelings of despair climate anxiety, with symptoms that include panic attacks, insomnia, obsessive thinking and grief.
Opinion: Bridgeport must act on clean buses
Members of the Bridgeport community are advocating for Bridgeport Public Schools and its bus operator WE Transport to apply for the EPA grant with help from community partners. While Gov. Ned Lamont signed the Connecticut Clean Air Act into law, this legislation should leverage federal funding from the EPA Clean School Bus Program.
3 Things in the Senate Climate-Change Bill That Could Affect K-12 Schools
A sweeping new proposal to tackle climate change that’s gaining momentum on Capitol Hill includes funding opportunities for schools to operate electric buses and improve air quality in buildings.
In R.I., labor and environmental groups working together on dual crises of climate and inequality
Nearly two years ago, Priscilla De La Cruz and Patrick Crowley formed a coalition of respective movements uniting around the idea that the climate crisis and inequality must be solved together. Climate Jobs R.I. has brought people and organizations for a common mission, a model that could be a lesson for future advocacy.
North Carolina’s first electric school bus is top of the class
The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians’ new electric bus is the first in North Carolina, but certainly not the last. So far, the state has awarded funding for six electric school buses to districts across the state, including the tribe’s, through its share of the Volkswagen settlement, which amounts to more than $90 million for projects that lower harmful carbon emissions and improve local air quality.
Rockefeller Foundation Plans to Make Climate Change Central to All Its Work
The Rockefeller Foundation, created with wealth generated from the oil industry more than a century ago, plans to make the fight against climate change central to all of its work, including its operations and investments.
In a public letter released Tuesday, foundation President, Rajiv J. Shah, acknowledged the “irony” that his organization’s founder, John D. Rockefeller ,"made his fortune by fueling a growing United States with carbon.”
Los Angeles schools are replacing hot asphalt playgrounds with green spaces for kids
The sun had been out for hours, and the day’s forecast called for a high of 91 degrees. But amid the mid-morning warmth, dozens of young children didn’t seem to mind being outside, so engrossed were they in painting, playing with building blocks and enjoying the sandbox — while making discoveries.
Elsewhere, an instructor led some students in activities at a dirt-digging and watering station. A few youngsters walked around with watering cans, tending to campus plants.
The scene at Vaughn Early Education Center in Pacoima might have been dramatically different last summer, before this East San Fernando Valley campus underwent an overhaul to convert its heat-radiating schoolyard blacktop into cooler green and recreational spaces.
Schools are the ‘hubs and hearts’ of neighborhoods – here’s how they can strengthen the communities around them
Food deserts. Poor housing conditions. Lack of community investment.
These challenges may not always come to mind when people think about how to improve America’s public schools.
But when my colleagues and I studied the 21st Century School Buildings Program, a US$1.1 billion school building and renovation initiative in Baltimore, these were the kinds of issues that staff from community-based organizations, schools, philanthropic organizations and city agencies hoped to address through improved school facilities.
OPINION: Let’s start thinking about climate change as a modern educational problem — and solve it
We face a problem with the problem of climate change. We can’t seem to decide what kind of problem it is.
So, what might a new perspective — climate change as a “modern” educational problem — look like? And how might a new framing help address the crisis?
To Increase Their Impact, the Early-Childhood and Climate Movements Need to Join Forces
Around the world, vulnerable children and overwhelmed parents face a growing wave of threats from the rapidly changing climate. Those threats, including longer and more intense heat waves, worsening air quality, floods, disease, and trauma resulting from natural disasters, are harmful to all of us. But they are especially damaging to young children, whose rapidly developing bodies put them at higher risk.
How Design Can Help Ensure All Communities Benefit From Climate Adaptation
The urgency to reduce greenhouse gas emissions has never been greater, and getting there is going to require bold steps for buildings, infrastructure, and communities. Incremental reductions are not enough; we need to focus on full decarbonization, which means removing carbon emissions caused by our built environment.
New Report Reveals Opportunity for States to Drive Climate Action Through Education
Ninety-two percent of U.S. states and the District of Columbia have a low level of climate change content in education policies, according to a new report by the North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE) and the Monitoring and Evaluating Climate Communication and Education (MECCE) Project.
Mapping the Landscape of K–12 Climate Change Education Policy in the United States is a comprehensive report on the state of climate change education policy that underscores the importance of including climate change in education policies in all areas of institutional activity—from governance and operations to curriculum and community partnerships—to advance climate change action.
Heatwaves: How Extreme Heat Impacts Students and Educators
As schools across the region wrap up their academic year and get excited for summer, others are planning for future heatwaves and how to protect students, teachers, and staff from extreme heat.
Last summer, when Massachusetts experienced two early heatwaves in June, schools across Massachusetts had to close down or do early release. This is because many schools in Massachusetts have little or no air conditioning, either central air or window units, to keep students and teachers safe during high heat days.
Sasha Shyduroff from MAPC recently wrote about the the risks high temperatures pose to risks students, staff, and teachers.
One School District’s Unusual Recruitment Tactic
Faced with widespread staff shortages that appear to be here to stay, school districts have raised wages, expanded health insurance and other benefits, and dangled bonuses and incentives.
The Schoharie Central school district in upstate New York tried some of those things, but they haven’t totally worked, and they’re expensive. Now the district has another trick up its sleeve that it’s hoping will set it apart from competitors: on-site electric vehicle charging.
LAUSD Assigns Millions In Funding For 'Green Schoolyards'
A years-long pandemic. A youth mental health crisis. School shootings. Kids and schools have a lot to deal with these days. Worsening extreme heat is yet another challenge to add to the list.
Last week, the board of the L.A. Unified School District (LAUSD) approved a $13 billion-dollar operating budget that includes funding to help.
Climate change is forcing schools to close early for ‘heat days’
A study by the Government Accountability Office found that about 41 percent of public school districts in the United States need to update or replace the heating, cooling and ventilation systems in at least half of their schools. That represents about 36,000 schools nationwide.
Our response to the climate crisis can’t be “no air conditioning in schools.” That would mean keeping kids out of school, and, thus, kids not learning. After the past two years of learning loss, can we really afford to lose months at the start and end of every school year because of heat?
A Once-in-a-Lifetime Opportunity to Green Public Schools
With federal funds flooding in, the industry can transform K–12 education in the next three years—but only if we do it right.
“In my lifetime, this is the largest single federal investment around school infrastructure,” our co-founder Jonathan Klein told Paula Melton from BuildingGreen. To make the most of it, though, schools need guidance on how to invest wisely in sustainable, resilient construction projects.
Governor Mills & Efficiency Maine Announce $15 Million Maine Jobs & Recovery Plan Initiative to Cut Energy Costs in Schools and Public Buildings
Governor Janet Mills and Efficiency Maine announced the launch of a $15 million initiative from the Maine Jobs & Recovery Plan to help Maine’s public schools, towns, cities, and Tribal governments make energy efficiency improvements and reduce their energy costs.
“Energy costs for schools have increased exponentially. Helping districts control those costs will benefit both students and taxpayers. Less reliance on oil and propane, in general, will improve air quality, and that is a benefit for everyone,” said Steven Bailey, executive director of Maine School Management Association.
No school should have to close because of extreme heat
An opinion piece in the The Washington Post by Joseph G. Allen, an associate professor and director of the Healthy Buildings program at Harvard University’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health, highlighted the crisis that is lost learning time caused by extreme heat and schools that are not yet climate resilient.
‘It Has to Be a Priority': Why Schools Can’t Ignore the Climate Crisis
Fifteen years ago, Greg Libecci quit his career in sales at Fortune 500 companies to do something good for the planet: make public schools more sustainable. Since 2010, he’s been the energy and resource manager for the Salt Lake City district, tasked with minimizing the district’s use of energy and natural gas.
How the oil and gas industry is trying to hold US public schools hostage
In New Mexico – the fastest-warming and most water-stressed state in the continental US, where wildfires have recently devoured over 120,000 acres and remain uncontained – the oil and gas industry is coming out in force to deepen the region’s dependence on fossil fuels. Their latest tactic: to position oil and gas as a patron saint of education. Powerful interest groups have deployed a months-long campaign to depict schools and children’s wellbeing as under threat if government officials infringe upon fossil fuel production.
Schools Can’t Spend Covid Aid Fast Enough for Aging Buildings
The Wall Street Journal published this article describing districts that are now struggling to spend COVID-related federal relief funds on facilities improvements. Tight deadlines and supply-chain issues are to blame.
Ed Dept asked to extend deadline for school upgrades under relief funding
K-12 Dive covers a letter to Education Secretary Miguel Cardona signed by UndauntedK12 and other groups, on the importance of extending the timeline for schools and districts to use American Rescue Plan funding for school infrastructure projects.
What Education Secretary Cardona didn’t mention in his vision for education
A Washington Post article highlighting a letter sent from a number of education, health, environmental, labor, and industry organizations – including UndauntedK12 – on the need for greater investment in America’s school buildings and extending the timeline for use of American Rescue Plan funds.
Federal investments ignore crucial upgrades to school facilities—and students pay the price
A post from the Brookings Institution describing recent developments in the Biden administration’s school infrastructure proposals, highlighting areas of underinvestment, and summarizing recent research on how some of these failings might impact students.
The US public schools redesigning buildings with climate in mind
School districts are increasingly transitioning to cheaper and greener options. But old building habits and funding constraints can pose a challenge
Federal Report: Schools in Vulnerable Communities Face Greater Challenges After Disasters
“Most school districts that received key federal disaster recovery grants following 2017-2019 presidentially-declared major disasters had elevated proportions of students from certain socially vulnerable groups...[who] are particularly susceptible to the adverse effects of disasters.”
Democrats Quietly Nix Biden’s $100B for School Modernization From Infrastructure Package
“In a major blow that left educators, school leaders and advocates stunned, Democrats pared back – and then eliminated – $100 billion that Joe Biden earmarked for school modernization in his spending bill.”
How schools are combating climate change, from green schoolyards to solar power
“Schools with solar power are on the rise in the U.S. -- growing 81% from 2014 to 2019. Still, the number is relatively small -- just 5.5% of K-12 public schools currently use solar energy…Overall, the education sector has an untapped opportunity to help mitigate climate change.”
Schools Can’t Hide From Climate Change. They Must Be Part of the Solution
An opinion piece from the LA County Superintendent of schools and the CEO of Chicago Public Schools on the importance of a climate action plan for every school district.
Jump in, the water is rising — it’s time to educate students for a sustainable future
An opinion piece on the importance of educating our students for the future we want: healthy, just and sustainable for ourselves and for generations to come.
Climate change will drive major changes in student learning needs
An opinion piece on the future impacts of climate migration and severe weather on students, educators, and school facilities.
When Climate Change Forces Schools to Close
With the new academic year already hindered by COVID infections and closures, a new hurdle has emerged. An analysis from The 74 shows that extreme weather has disrupted school across the country, with closures affecting more than 1.1 million students.
How climate change and early childhood are intertwined
Isabelle C. Hau shares a perspective on how – like climate change – a lack of investment in early childhood education is causing irreparable harm to a critical resource: our human talent.
Climate Change Is the Ultimate Teachable Moment
Andra Yeghoian from the San Mateo County Office of Education shares perspective and action steps for education leaders to respond to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s Sixth Assessment released this month (August 2021).
The US public schools redesigning buildings with climate in mind
American schools are the second-largest public infrastructure investment. But what most people don’t know is that they are also among the biggest energy consumers in the public sector. K-12 schools consume about 8% of all the energy used in commercial buildings. In turn, they emit as much carbon dioxide as 18 coal-powered power plants. This not only burdens the environment, but children themselves – students suffer from heatstroke, affected hormone and sleep cycles, as well as respiratory issues. Many schools have started redesigning their infrastructure with the climate crisis in mind.
The State of Electric School Bus Adoption in the US
There are nearly half a million school buses in the United States that transport more than 20 million children to and from school. Some 95% of these school buses run on diesel, a known carcinogen, with air pollution inside buses up to 12 times higher than ambient levels. Electrifying school buses can help address health concerns and inequalities, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, offer resiliency support to the electric grid, and support jobs in a growing industry.
Facing wildfires and pandemics, California must invest in ensuring clean air in schools
An opinion piece on the potential negative effects of wildfire smoke on California students, how wildfire and smoke closures affect student learning, and what programs exist to support HVAC improvements in California schools.
With schools, pay less now or pay more later.
Our opinion for The Hill about including schools in federal infrastructure proposals. "As Congress weighs whether to include schools in an infrastructure package, the choice is not whether the federal government should spend money on school construction and renovation. It already does. The choice is whether the federal government should spend less now or more later through a broken, wasteful and disruptive cycle of damage and repair."
COVID-Relief Funds: Reducing Operating Costs and Enhancing Resilience
Anisa Heming (Center for Green Schools) and Sara Ross (UndauntedK12) share how districts can spend COVID-relief funds to improve facilities in the July/August 2021 issue of School Business Affairs magazine.
America’s schools are crumbling. Fixing them could save lives (and the planet)
“Most districts are still putting in HVAC systems that were invented and designed in the 1970s, and those are not going to get you to your health and wellness goals, or your carbon and energy-efficiency goals…”
Climate change threatens America’s ragged school infrastructure
The nation’s schools, which could serve as community shelters, are not ready to withstand the floods, wildfires and hurricanes that are expected to be even more common in the near future. More than half the country’s public school districts need to update or replace multiple building systems or features, according to a 2020 estimate by the U.S. Government Accountability Office.
Our schools are in poor condition. Here's how to give kids a better learning environment.
John B. King, Randi Weingarten, and George Miller urge Congress and the Biden administration to include invest in school infrastructure not only because of schools’ scale, use and condition, but also because it will benefit our economy, build community resilience, and improve the environmental and fiscal sustainability of our schools.
Why are we under-educating the greatest workers and innovators in the world?
Kathleen Rogers urges Congress and the Biden administration to ensure American young people are competitive and prepared for the green economy.
The Compound Benefits of Greening School Infrastructure.
With long-term federal infrastructure investment, schools can deliver critical health and learning benefits to students while supporting the transition to a 100 percent clean energy future.
Why Investing in Ventilation Could Pay Dividends for Learning
Phyllis Jordan writes: The need to spend some of the new federal funding on system upgrades and overhauls extends beyond helping students return to school safely: Research suggests that ventilation systems have a surprisingly significant impact on student achievement.
Decrepit Schools Make Recovering Lost Learning Even Harder. Federal Relief Funds Can Pay for Much-Needed Upgrades
Mildred Otero writes: Intensive tutoring, added instructional time and early warning indicators are important in tackling learning loss. But another solution undergirds all other efforts: upgrading school buildings.
States Must Help Schools Tackle the Climate Crisis—Beyond What's On the Curriculum
Former Governors Christine Todd Whitman (R) and Jack Markell (D) share policy principles for states to accelerate schools’ transition to clean energy, empower youth to access green jobs, and build lasting change to advance a more sustainable society.
Schools can help us build back better and address climate change.
Laura Schifter makes the case that public schools are an essential component of any plan to improve the nation’s overall infrastructure.
Towards more Climate Friendly Schools.
Maria Ferguson cites Jonathan Klein and UndauntedK12’s work in an article for Phi Delta Kappan, the professional journal for educators.
Now Is the Time to Build Schools Back Better to Make Them Safer, Greener, Healthier, and Ready for the Future
Susan Epstein and Ulrich Boser write: Even before the pandemic, the American Society of Civil Engineers gave K-12 public schools a D+ in an infrastructure report card. If there were ever a time for our country to invest in school facilities, it is now.
Experts tell Biden to teach 50 million American children about climate crisis in classrooms.
“The next generation will face the impacts of climate change,” former officials wrote. An open letter from two former secretaries of education asks the Biden administration to commit to promoting climate change education.