Sierra Club’s Climate Parents, in partnership with Ready for 100, is working to move school districts around the country to 100% clean energy. Ready for 100 has already moved over 120 US cities to commit to 100% clean energy.
School districts--at the heart of our communities--are key institutions to mobilize too! School districts are major energy consumers -- so transitioning to 100% clean energy can have big impacts. In fact, the square footage of the buildings and land managed by school districts amounts to half the square footage of commercial office buildings across the country. The carbon pollution that comes from powering school districts with fossil fuels amounts to that produced by 17 coal plants! When schools and school districts take action and become climate leaders, the positive effects ripple out across the broader community -- demonstrating that a clean energy future for all is not only possible, but that they're already making it happen!
Why 100% Clean Energy School Districts?
- Reduced carbon emissions. K-12 public schools are major energy users. If all K-12 public school districts in the US transitioned to 100% clean energy, it’d be the equivalent of taking 1 in 7 cars off the road or retiring 18 coal plants. That’s huge!
- Cost savings. When school districts -- many which are under-resourced -- move toward sustainable power and away from dirty fuel, they save money on energy that can be reinvested for students and classrooms.
- Community resiliency. Schools are common sites for emergency shelters and services. As communities across the country are increasingly vulnerable to impacts of the climate crisis -- sea level rise, flooding, forest fires, extreme heat, and earthquakes -- solar plus battery storage in schools is an important way for our communities to be more resilient in the face of climate disasters.
- Opportunities for classroom learning. When we power our schools with 100% clean energy, we expand educational opportunities such as STEM curriculum focused on clean energy, climate justice, and hands-on projects. This can help lay a path for post-secondary students to secure green jobs in the rapidly growing clean energy sector.
Sierra Club's Climate Parents and Ready for 100 campaigns want to work with you -- whether you're a parent, student, teacher, community activist, school official or facilities manager -- to help your school district make the shift to 100% clean energy. Click here to get our 100% clean energy organizing toolkit and "how to" handbook today! Please also contact info@climateparents.org to get involved!