Campus: Sustainable and Climate-Resilient Facilities & Operations
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Defining Sustainable (or Green) and Climate-Resilient (or climate ready) Faciltiies and Operations
Defining Sustainable (or Green) and Climate-Resilient (or climate ready) Faciltiies and Operations
A sustainable school is one that has “greened” their facilities and operations to reduce the ecological footprint and contribute as little as possible to the causes of climate change. Typical initiatives and practices for a sustainable school include, but are not limited to: energy and water conservation, zero waste practices, local and sustainable sourcing for food and resources, reduced exposure to toxins, green transportation efforts (walking and rolling, electric or alternative fuels vehicles, and carpooling and busses), and schoolyard greening.
A climate-resilient school is one that buffers against climate-related impacts, such as wildfires, extreme weather (heat, freeze, wind), storm based flooding, sea level rise, and drought, and decreases harm to students’ academic progress and physical and emotional health and well-being. Sustainable and climate-resilient schools are not only climate ready, but can also be leveraged as laboratories for learning, and as models for a sustainable and climate ready future.
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Support Resources for Sustainable (Green) and Climate Resilient Facilities and Grounds Initiatives
Support Resources for Sustainable (Green) and Climate Resilient Facilities and Grounds Initiatives
By embracing green facilities and operations practices, schools can become hubs for sustainable and climate-resiliency in each community, but they will also minimize ongoing disruptions to learning from climate-related disasters, and provide equitable access to safe and healthy spaces for children, youth, and adults to learn and play. The resources below highlight institutions, programs, and tools that can help school communities get started with green facilities and operations efforts, and support them to develop their campuses as a laboratory for learning.
Sustainable and Climate Mitigation Focus Area Resources Toolkit
Sustainable and Climate Mitigation Focus Area Resources Toolkit
The Sustainable and Climate Mitigation Focus Area Resources Toolkit provides access to resources for different campus related environmental and climate action focus areas (i.e. energy, waste, water, food, land-based ecosystems, etc.). On each focus area page find the following resources:
Goals, Strategies, and Mandates for each focus area
Campus initiative Project management resources, and Curriculum resources by focus area
Solutionary examples from districts and schools
Resources for Student and Educator Led Environmental and Climate Solutionary Initiatives
Resources for Student and Educator Led Environmental and Climate Solutionary Initiatives
The resources below support student and educators to lead robust environmental and climate themed solutionary initiatives that focus on one or more environmental/climate focus areas:
Student-Led Environmental and Climate Solutionary Initiative Overview and Resources: This document includes an overview to what a student-led environmental and climate solutionary initiative is, and provides resources such as project exexmplars and planning templates.
Educator-Led Environmental and Climate Solutionary Initiative Overview and Resources: This document includes an overview to what an educator-led environmental and climate solutionary initiative is, and provides resources such as project exexmplars and planning templates.
Resources for Environmental and Climate Action Baseline Assessements and Plans
Resources for Environmental and Climate Action Baseline Assessements and Plans
The resources below support educators and technical assistance provides to advance forward environmental and climate action baseline assessment and plan:
Environmental and Climate Action Baseline Assessment Overview and Resources for Technical Assistance Providers: This document provides an overview of what a baseline assessment of environmental and climate action in TK/K-12 schools is, and resources for technical assistance providers to get started.
Environmental and Climate Action Plan in TK-12 Schools Overview and Resources for Technical Assistance Providers: This document provides an overview of what an environmental and climate action plan is for TK/K-12 schools, and resources for technical assistance providers to get started.
Campus Sustainability Dashboards
This document provides an overview of campus sustainability dashboards, and links to example K-12 campus sustainability dashboards. The document also explains how dashboard make facilities and operations data transparent and accessible for use by multiple constituents to use for for awareness, advocacy, and action. Dashboards make data easy to read and are a comprehensive tool that reinforces the goals of utilizing the facilities as a living laboratory, and reducing a school community's overall ecological footprint. Additionally, dashboards can also support schools in doing benchmarking, applying for sustainability awards programs, and creating campus plans.
This document supports leaders in understanding the characteristics, considerations, and successful models for running effective district-wide sustainability committees.
Climate Adaptation and Disaster Focus Areas Overview and Analysis
This document supports educational leaders, school safety officers, and those involved in emergency planning for San Mateo County TK-12 Schools with data and strategies for preparing their school community to be climate resilient. The document includes both the imperative overview for how the climate crisis impacts K-12 schools, as well as an analysis of the climate adaptation/disaster focus areas that are most connected to global warming and climate change, for example: Sea Level Rise, High Heat, Storm-based flooding, Wildfires, etc. Each focus area included in the document includes the following analysis: definitions, considerations for disruption to schools, data projections for San Mateo County, and adaptation strategy ideas.
Note this takes you to an external site managed by Green Schoolyards America
This page is an external site managed by Green Schoolyards America. The page provides resources for advancing living schoolyard efforts across schools and districts. There are resources for infrastructure and teaching and learning.
This page provides resources for schools and districts to assess progress, and achieve and/or to achieve certification. There are also additional resources for awards and recognition programs.
Model Schools and Districts
Model Schools and Districts
There are a number of districts and schools that are on the leading edge of integrating sustainability into facilities and operations, and across curriculum and community engagement programs. Learn more about these schools by utilizing the links below.
CALIFORNIA SITE AND DISTRICT EXAMPLES (Listed in Alphabetical Order)
Site Examples
Bishop O'Dowd High School (Private)
Credo High School: First One Planet School in the U.S. (charter)
Environmental Charter High Schools (charter)
Public School District Examples
Alameda Unified School District: Green Schools Programs
Berkeley Public Schools: Sustainability and Resiliency Master Plan
Culver City Unified School District: Green5 Program
Encinitas Union School District: Environmental Stewardship Initiatives
Los Angeles Unified School District: Learning Green Sustainability Initiatives
Oak Park Unified School District: Sustainability Initiatives
Sacramento City Unified School District: Sustainable Schools Program
EXAMPLES IN OTHER STATES
Austin Independent School District: Sustainability Initiatives
Colorado: Boulder Valley Sustainability, and Poudre, and Denver Public Schools (also check out Denver's commitment to a district-wide Climate Action Plan)
New York City Department of Education: Sustainability
Disclaimer: The content, views, information, or opinions expressed on this site and in these resources are solely those of the individuals involved in developing the resources. They do not necessarily represent the current or past employers of those individuals.
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