How Massachusetts just advanced equitable, climate-ready schools
Dear Friends and Allies,
August has been full of unexpectedly positive news on the climate policy front. We’re still unpacking what the new Inflation Reduction Act could mean for climate action in schools, but in the meantime, we’ve got a win from the Massachusetts State legislature to share.
Today Massachusetts’ Governor Baker signed the 2022 climate bill into law, including a provision for “Green and Healthy Schools”! This win would not have been possible without the tireless work of our legislative champions, their hard-working staff, and advocates across the state.
Here’s why this win is important for our work in states across the country:
This bill affirms the importance of setting standards for healthy school buildings. A deep body of research confirms just how fundamental healthy school buildings are to student health, thinking, and performance. We are long overdue to reflect that knowledge base in the work of government. With a prominent role for the Department of Public Health, this bill will provide Massachusetts with the opportunity to lead the nation in translating research into healthy building standards that will protect the well-being of children for years to come.
The legislation names equity as a core guiding principle. Massachusetts, like many states, has long struggled with inequitable school infrastructure and we know climate change impacts like extreme heat are worsening the situation. The Massachusetts bill calls on agencies to devise strategies that will address the existing inequities that characterize school infrastructure and are sensitive to vulnerable populations.
The bill moved beyond energy efficiency and embraces electrification. This bill requires the Massachusetts School Building Authority to assess schools “relative to energy efficiency, building conditions, safety, and public health.” Notably, the assessment must document the age and condition of systems reliant on fossil fuels. In addition, the Department of Public Health, in collaboration with other state agencies, must recommend standards and strategies for advancing healthy, green schools, with an explicit goal to increase electrification, and shift to fossil-free fuels.
A diverse coalition came together for a win on school infrastructure. Our advocacy work over the past several months featured a diverse set of voices including public health leaders, school facilities administrators, climate activists, and young people. A greater appreciation of the ways in which climate change is threatening our physical environment and our health served to reinforce long-standing calls by public health advocates for more robust data collection and new standards for school buildings. And the state’s ambitious climate goals meant that omnibus climate legislation ultimately proved to be the vehicle for action. Our take-away is that advocates from many sectors including public health, education, and climate can increase their power by finding common ground and speaking together.
Check out our explainer for a deeper dive on the bill text and the context for successful implementation in Massachusetts.
Read our Explainer on the Green and Healthy Schools Provision
Read our full statement on the Green and Healthy Schools Provision
We applaud legislators in Massachusetts for taking an essential first step towards equitable, climate-ready schools. Reach out if you’d like to discuss opportunities for your state to join the movement.
Thank you!
Sara and Jonathan
Baker signs major climate bill into law
(Boston Globe)
Governor Baker signed a major climate bill into law today. We’re glad to see its provision that “requires that all buildings over 2,000 square feet report their emissions annually, and that the state look at ways to make K-12 school buildings all electric, more energy efficient and improve indoor air quality.”
3 Things in the Senate Climate-Change Bill That Could Affect K-12 Schools (Education Week)
The $369 billion spending package is the most significant congressional action on climate change but K-12 schools also represent a tiny fraction of the investment. Still, funding for electric school buses and clean air solutions are worth celebrating
Schools are the ‘hubs and hearts’ of neighborhoods – here’s how they can strengthen the communities around them (The Conversation)
If, as one community school coordinator shared, schools want to achieve their goals to educate students, they should strengthen the communities that surround them. Our research suggests four ways schools might play a more meaningful role in supporting community development.
Let’s start thinking about climate change as a modern educational problem — and solve it (Hechinger Report)
Seeing climate change through this lens would highlight the multifaceted nature of the challenge — with critical emotional, attitudinal, motivational and behavioral dimensions complementing the requisite learning of key concepts.
To increase their impact, the early childhood and climate movements need to join forces (Chronicle of Philanthropy)
Children under age 9 are … distinct from older youth and adults. … They experience the effects of air pollution, extreme heat, and water scarcity more acutely, leading to increased incidences of childhood asthma, kidney damage, and even the risk of cognitive decline and mental illness as they get older.
New Report Reveals Opportunity for States to Drive Climate Action Through Education (NAAEE)
Ninety-two percent of U.S. states and the District of Columbia have a low level of climate change content in education policies, according to a new report by the NAAEE and the MECCE Project.
