It’s a “Code Red” Climate Emergency.

We’re almost out of time before we pass the tipping point for runaway climate change.  Schools must take urgent,  transformative climate actions, mitigating and adapting to prevent the worst impacts of climate change to help give students a livable future.

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We can’t afford not to build Net Zero Energy Schools with Dallas ISD bonds.

K-12 schools in the U.S. are some of the largest public sector energy consumers. 

New schools need to be highly energy efficient—either Net Zero Energy (NZE), or at least NZE-ready for later installation of on-site solar and storage to increase resilience.   Energy efficient buildings cost less to operate and create better learning environments. NZE buildings have the lowest Cost-Of-Ownership. (The Net-Zero Lady Bird Johnson Middle School in Irving, Texas is pictured).

Environmental equity is essential.

The climate crisis and dirty air hurt youth and underserved low-income communities of color first and worst, increasing their health harms and risks, affecting a large proportion of Dallas ISD’s students. To improve equity, it’s imperative that climate actions and sustainable solutions are developed with early and substantial input from diverse, impacted communities and are considered in all departments, not siloed only in the Energy/Sustainability operations department.

Students need climate, sustainability and green career curricula.

Schools must educate students about the science and drivers of the climate crisis they have inherited, how they can shape a better future, and the urgency and opportunities of climate action solutions.

Cool school grounds & athletic fields help protect students’ health & improve learning.

Trees help to cool campuses and the community and natural turf fields help reduce dangerous heat, better protecting the health and safety of student athletes. School gardens and native plantings on campus improve sustainability and learning opportunities.

Schools need food options & operations which are good for the health of the students and the climate.

Learning about and access to lower carbon, nutritious and sustainable school food options are critical to students for making better food choices not just in school, but in their lives. Growing produce in school gardens helps cultivate appreciation for those healthy foods as well as benefiting the environment. Kitchen and food service operations must reduce food waste and single use plastics.

Together, we’re raising our voices for rapid, transformative climate actions.

Dallas ISD students, parents, educators, and supporters have had some important successes from their actions, starting the district moving in more sustainable directions.  We are grateful for the support of the Trustees and staff who helped move this forward.  That progress is great, but much more is needed and much faster.  And the supportive words of the Trustees and staff must very quickly become actions, despite resistance or hesitancy which may be encountered in some departments not eager to change.

Building on the goals of the  Environmental and Climate Committee, we’ll help develop and implement a comprehensive plan with the speed and scale needed.

The passage of the Environment & Climate Action Resolution put in place a temporary Environmental and Climate Action Committee to review Dallas ISD practices and offer sustainability solutions to reduce emissions contributing to climate change. That was a start. Now, students, parents, educators, supporters, and community members, can help expand and accelerate those goals. And with the input and assistance of experts, we can help Dallas ISD to follow best practices and the examples of other school districts which are already improving sustainability, health, and equity while reducing their carbon footprints, as they mitigate and adapt to climate change.

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Focusing first on making big impacts, we must get Dallas ISD to rapidly change the way they’ve long used fossil fuels, ignoring their atmospheric emissions and other harms. Using modern energy efficiency and all-electric technologies in buildings and student transportation will immediately make the learning environment healthier. And cutting Dallas ISD’s carbon dioxide emissions will help mitigate the adverse climate changes our children inherit. 

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