UndauntedK12 has partnered with a number of organizations within the climate movement to develop reports on issues related to decarbonizing America’s public schools. Read below for brief summaries of these reports to learn more about the work we have done to facilitate schools making the green transition.
23 Climate Levers for 2023
April 2023
Climate activists have a number of new opportunities available to them to help make schools resilient to the challenges of the 21st century. Schools can make a range of investments that will help provide students with the healthiest, most comfortable learning environments possible. This report highlights how with the right tools, mindsets and partners, districts and schools across the nation had the opportunity to continue to make headway during 2023. The 23 levers for climate action are organized into three areas: governance & leadership; buildings & grounds; & teaching & learning.
Climate-Resilient California Schools: A Call to Action
March 2023
Amid fires, wildfire smoke, extreme heat, and other climate-driven disasters and health hazards, California’s leading experts in children’s health and education have come together to call for a cost-effective, ten year $150 billion investment to ensure K-12 public schools can remain open and provide safe and healthy places for California's children to learn and grow. Through 14 strategic recommendations reflecting three essential dimensions of a school — campus, community, and curriculum — this new report lays out cost-effective solutions to mitigate learning loss, youth anxiety, and school closures — all crises already made worse by the pandemic.
The Financial Case for Net-Zero Schools
February 2023
This primer lays out the evidence and the key concepts. Translating this evidence into new building standards for school construction and modernization can help us save money, reduce energy use, and lower carbon emissions. And policy makers have an opportunity and responsibility to ensure our most historically underserved communities benefit from these new standards and technologies. This brief is a collaborative effort with the Climate Jobs National Resource Center (CJNRC). CJNRC campaigns across the country will use this brief to engage state and local decision makers on why net-zero makes good financial sense.
HVAC Choices for Student Health & Learning
January 2023
Together with our partners at RMI, we released this new report which makes a strong case for transitioning to all-electric, high-performance HVAC systems in America’s schools. “HVAC Choices for Student Health and Learning,” shares big ideas relating to school HVAC technology, offers a framework for evaluating costs and obtaining funding, and provides an overview of the benefits that come with all-electric HVAC systems.
Gas Leeks at Massachusetts Schools Properties
May 2022
Our report with HEET provides the first statewide analysis of gas leaks reported at school properties. The results make tangible and relevant some of the ways in which our continued reliance on fossil fuels is a present danger to communities and is undermining the future of today’s young people. Utilities in Massachusetts are required to provide periodic reporting on gas leaks present in gas mains and service lines. We used utility annual reports covering calendar year 2021 to understand the extent to which these leaks are proximate to schools. During 2021, 91 schools in Massachusetts had a reported gas leak in a gas main or service line at the school property.
Five Guiding Principles: How Districts can use COVID Relief Funds to advance Healthy, Green Schools
July 2021
In partnership with the Center for Green Schools, this report highlights how schools can use federal COVID relief funds to further healthy, green school goals. During the pandemic, the Federal government approved $176 billion for K-12 schools. The funding that went to schools represented an enormous opportunity to address and support student needs during the ongoing pandemic and to address persistent inequities. What's more, the one-time nature of these funds made them an excellent fit for durable investments in facilities that will now provide long-term health benefits and financial savings.
Why K-12 Should FEATURE IN AMERICA’S NATIONAL CLIMATE STRATEGY
April 2021
This white paper written with the New Buildings Institute offers a national perspective on the urgent role that our K-12 sector must play in our national climate strategy. In particular, we urge state and municipal climate leaders formulating clean energy and climate plans to devise a strategy to activate their K-12 sectors that includes a call to action for superintendents and school boards. The need for ambition has never been greater with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change calling on the global community to achieve a 45% reduction (against a 2010 baseline) in global net emissions by 2030 in order to avoid the most catastrophic impacts of global warming and irreversible damage to the planet. The United Nations has warned that current commitments don’t come close to achieving that target.