Schools intensify their climate change efforts as temperatures rise

Last year was the hottest on record, according to data released this week, but U.S. schools are stepping up the fight against climate change after President Biden announced a $1 billion investment in electric school buses. There is.

According to the Sierra Club, U.S. K-12 public schools consume 8 percent of the energy used in commercial buildings, so schools are gradually moving toward a more environmentally friendly direction in energy consumption. , says this is an important step.

“If you look at our emissions from society as a whole, our schools also play a part in that carbon pollution. “They have a lot of needs to do that,” said researcher Laura Schifter. Director of the Aspen Institute and This is Planet Ed.

“So it's really necessary to really think about opportunities to reduce carbon pollution within schools. That's what our schools need to do,” Schifter added.

The Biden administration announced this week that it will invest $1 billion to help 67 schools and school districts replace their school bus fleets with low- and zero-emission buses.

The President's electric school bus initiative has totaled $1.84 billion to date, and the Environmental Protection Agency announced that 5,000 low- or zero-emission buses have been funded.

“Every day, 25 million children ride school buses, our nation's largest mass transit system. The majority of these buses run on diesel, exposing students, teachers, and bus drivers to toxic air. We are exposed to pollution,” Vice President Harris said in a statement announcing the latest $1 billion in funding.

“As part of our efforts to tackle the climate crisis, the historic funding we announced today is an investment in children, their health, and education. strengthen our economy,” she added.

But the buses are only part of a bigger picture of how the school has worked to become an environmentally friendly operation.

shifter pointed out earlier The United States has 100,000 K-12 public schools, covers 2 million acres of land, operates 480,000 buses, and produces 53,000 tons of food waste. This means schools have ample opportunity to help deliver a greener future.

One of the biggest ways schools have changed their operations is by reevaluating the type of energy they use to operate their buildings.

According to clean energy advocacy nonprofit Generation 180, the adoption of solar power in schools is becoming increasingly popular, increasing by 81% from 2014 to 2019. But that still means only 5.1% of K-12 schools use solar energy.

Schifter highlighted a school in Batesville, Ark., that realized switching to a better energy source would reduce costs in the long run, leaving more money to pay staff salaries.

“They had an opportunity to build a solar array with an agreement that they didn't have to pay for the installation of the solar array, and then they ended up with a contract that saved them a lot of money.” is being consumed,” she said. “And what they were actually able to do is use the savings from solar power to increase teacher pay, and they're really thinking creatively about this.”

Another big way schools are tackling climate change is by switching up their heating and cooling methods. This is of some urgency as temperatures are rising around the world.

The European Union's Copernicus Climate Change Agency announced on Tuesday that 2023 was the hottest year in the 173 years it has recorded.

On Friday, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) confirmed that data.

“2023 was not only the warmest year in NOAA's 174-year climate record, it was the warmest ever. It means we need to prepare for the effects of climate change that are occurring here,” lead scientist Sarah Kapnick said in a statement.

Last year's changes were felt in countless schools, especially in areas unaccustomed to the heat, which lacked air conditioning and were ultimately forced to close for several days.

Holly Bender, the Sierra Club's chief energy officer, said schools can install heat pumps that can “significantly reduce climate impact” while cooling buildings.

“One of the first big opportunities is to replace fossil fuel boilers that heat buildings with heat pumps. It also provides cooling, which is very important,” Bender said. .

Advances in greener schools also help school districts educate a new generation that increases opportunities to think about environmental impact and how energy works.

“There's a lot of evidence that teaching people about the causes of emissions makes them think more about different activities and learn about the impacts of emissions,” said Jacqueline Kropp, co-director of Columbia University's Center for Sustainable Urban Development. There is,” he said.

“They will often be empowered to make choices in their lives to reduce their footprint. School is really important,” Klopp added.