1,840 school buildings covering 186 million square feet that are responsible for 880,000 metric tons of carbon every year
State leadership has committed to achieving net-zero by 2050. There is no path to achieving net-zero that does not include our schools. And with more extreme heat and flooding expected, schools need to be prepared. Meanwhile, inequitable investment in school facilities means too many students attend schools that do not support their health and learning.
Yet leaders have not aligned the state’s current $2.6 billion in annual spending on school buildings and grounds to achieve healthy, equitable, climate-resilient schools.
We can do better. We believe Massachusetts can be on the vanguard setting the example for how other states can support schools in playing their transformational role in the climate emergency.
Opinion: Schools are missing from the state’s climate plan
One out of every 6 Americans visits a school daily but they are conspicuously absent from Massachusetts’ recent landmark climate bill. While the legislature acknowledges that school buildings play an important role in addressing the climate crisis, this bill falls short of making an action plan.
How Massachusetts just advanced equitable, climate-ready schools
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.
Massachusetts’ 2022 Climate Law: Green & Healthy Schools Explained
Section 82 of H.5060 calls on a group of key state agencies to collaborate to assess the current state of our school buildings with an eye to eliminating fossil fuels and to recommend standards and strategies for advancing healthy, green schools. Here’s a quick take from us on some of the important passages in the law.
Our Statement on the 2022 Massachusetts Climate Bill
UndauntedK12, a national nonprofit supporting climate action in America's K-12 public schools, reacts to the 2022 Massachusetts Climate Bill.
The Climate Minute: Massachusetts legislative deadline approaches
Our co-founder Sara Ross appeared on the Massachusetts Climate Action Networks podcast “The Climate Minute” to talk to the host Ted McIntyre about how bills get a final vote in the Massachusetts’ legislature. Listen as they discuss one of many items up for consideration — a plan to examine how green and healthy our schools are.
Support for Inclusion of Schools in the Climate Bill
We are advocating that lawmakers advance climate policy in a key and powerful sector for transformative leadership — our public school buildings.
Report: Gas Leaks at Massachusetts School Properties
We collaborated with HEET to perform a first-ever analysis of the prevalence of leaks in gas mains and service lines at school properties. (NOTE: All of the hazardous leaks we report on in this report have be repaired.)
Advice for the next Governor
We worked with collaborators to provide proposed commitments on schools and climate for the next Governor of Massachusetts. In addition to this guidance, we also curated model efforts and information on current relevant legislative efforts in the Commonwealth.