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Sustainable Schools to Address Climate Change

Idea Category: Climate Change, Education

Having fought to make sustainability and other climate initiatives a priority in her school district, Santa Barbara, CA School Board Member Laura Capps recently celebrated the launch of a “massive plan to install solar energy, battery storage, and electrical vehicle charging stations at school sites districtwide.” Capps was a finalist in the 2019 NewDEAL Ideas Challenge for her sustainability agenda, recognizing that districts across the country can see major cost savings by shifting to renewable energy sources, conducting audits on energy and water use, and employing innovative strategies. Learn more about this week’s announcement of investments in new infrastructure, which, in part, addresses the need to prepare schools to serve as community safe havens during natural disasters and other emergencies. The schools would have the power to provide evacuees with warmth and light for days. The overall effort is also designed to foster a more comprehensive educational environment for students growing up in a climate crisis, directly showing them the tangible actions that can be taken