“The American education system serves over seven billion meals annually with related food waste. Schools operate one of the largest mass transportation fleets in the country, with over  480,000 diesel school buses, and schools are one of the largest public energy consumers.”

These were the words that Bridget Long, Dean and Saris Professor of Economics of Harvard Graduate School of Education used to kick-off a recent Education Forum about how the education sector can be a force toward climate solutions and environmental justice.

The guest speakers for this event were John King Jr., President and CEO, The Education Trust and former U.S. Secretary of Education; Pedro Martinez, CEO, Chicago Public Schools; and Becky Pringle, President, National Education Association. Each of these guests is also a member of an Aspen Institute bipartisan commission that recently released a K12 Climate Action Plan.

These guests were united in both their concerns and their hopes for the future. Early in the conversation, John King Jr. expressed the fact that “sadly, we’re going to have more of these climate change crises, and schools are going to have a critical role to play in terms of community resilience.”

We have been thinking a lot about sustainability mindset and green schools and loved the way that this group of speakers prioritized student voice. One notable moment from the forum was when the speakers fielded a question from a high schooler in the audience who was looking for ways to build a network of young people who are passionate about combating climate.

The Aspen Institute put out a guide called Climate Action Plan: Key Questions to Get Started which serves as a valuable toolkit to self-assess your district and community for sustainability readiness. It prioritizes facilities and operations as well as more well-being centric questions.

Read the full article about K-12 climate action by Mason Pashia at Getting Smart.