(C) Common Dreams
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Will Boulder Valley be the first school district in the nation to pass the groundbreaking Green New Deal for Schools policy? [1]
['Jenny Brundin']
Date: 2023-11-28
Susie Rankin Students stand outside of Boulder Valley School District building before testifying for their resolution, Green New Deal for BVSD.
Boulder Valley district has done more than most districts on sustainability
In fact, resolutions on the environment go back to 1978. In 2009, BVSD created a sustainability action plan, with updates in later years with a long-term goal of reducing greenhouse gasses by 80 percent and also committed to a goal of zero net energy by 2050. It was one of the first school districts in the nation to make such a commitment.
As a part of its efforts to track carbon and lower emissions, the district has increased the number of buildings with renewable energy, purchased 19 electric buses, reduced greenhouse gas emissions by a quarter, reduced water consumption by 11 percent in three years, and hit a target of diverting 50 percent of waste from landfills. BVSD has already become a leader in providing locally sourced lunch to students.
Heather Chen Emma Weber, 16, gives a presentation in front of students at the Sunrise Movement’s, summer national organizing conference.
Students demand an acceleration of that progress
The students’ resolution asks the district to continue and amplify efforts toward reducing carbon emissions, asking for all school buildings and buses to run on renewable energy. By 2026, they want a comprehensive curriculum for all students in all grades to develop sustainability knowledge and behaviors, including information on how climate change affects communities differently.
“It affects Black, Latinx /Hispanic communities disproportionately compared to white neighborhoods,” said Zhang, who added that references to climate change have been brought up “minimally” in her classes.
The resolution calls for all faculty and staff to have training on sustainability and more communication with students and families on planning for climate disasters. (The district already has agreements with local governments to assist in emergency disasters.)
Students also want career pathways to well-paying climate jobs. The district currently doesn’t have career and technical programs that focus on sustainability, and focusing on sustainability in other career courses is uncommon, according to the district’s Green BVSD progress report.
The students are also calling on the state to incorporate standards across the content areas relating to climate change and to develop curriculum resources for teachers.
“We are further along than a lot of other districts, but it's not good enough to meet the demands of science and justice as far as facing the climate crisis,” said Weber. “The Green New Deal for Schools is really the level of action and urgency that we need in order to address the climate crisis and prepare students to live with the realities of it.”
Heather Chen BVSD students Emma Weber, Sophia Zhang, Rylan Neumann, and Molly Weber from left to right at the Sunrise Movement’s Green New Deal for Schools organizing conference.
Boulder Valley school board President Kathy Gebhardt says the board supported the students’ passions as the resolution developed
She connected the students to city, county and state officials who will be needed if the resolution passes. And Gebhardt has used the resolution as a chance to educate students on the district’s budget.
She said even with the governor’s proposed elimination of a budget shortfall for schools next year, K-12 is chronically underfunded and student requests must be balanced with other district needs. For example, there isn’t money to immediately make every building run on renewable energy. But she supports the student’s efforts.
“This was a chance to educate people about what we’ve been doing and our commitment to keep doing it and accelerate it when we can,” she said.
She said the board, which will have four new members soon, wants to strike the balance between committing to the students but not obligating the new board to many new things.
The students know their resolution will be a challenge financially and there will be setbacks but they are hopeful it will pass.
“We really want that to inspire change within other school districts,” said Weber.
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[1] Url:
https://www.cpr.org/2023/11/28/boulder-valley-school-district-green-new-deal-climate-policies/
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