Culver, a Green Champion

Geoff MalemanNewsLeave a Comment

Look what our garden grew

The U.S. Dept. of Education announced today that the Culver City Unified School District is one of only nine district across the country to be honored among the agency’s Green Ribbon School District Sustainability awardees.

The School District was nominated by the state Dept. of Education for its extensive efforts in not only teaching environmental sustainability but making the District more sustainable.

“This is an incredible achievement,” said District Supt. Josh Arnold.

“It speaks to our ongoing commitment to make our campuses a national leader in the effort to create more sustainable schools and more environmentally aware students.”

Dr. Arnold says the District takes pride in the continual improvements that are being made to

  • “Reduce the environmental impacts,
  • “Improve the health and well-being of students, staff and the community, and
  • “To provide effective environmental and sustainability education.”

The recognition rewards schools and districts that demonstrate exemplary achievement in three pillars.

  • Pillar I: Reduce environmental impact and costs
  • Pillar II: Improve the health and wellness of schools, students, and staff, and
  • Pillar III: Provide effective environmental education that teaches many disciplines and is especially good at effectively incorporating science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education, civic skills, and green career pathways.

Trying to be Greener

School Board member Dr. Kelly Kent said the School District “is working hard to foster a culture of sustainability.

“When people come to our campuses and see our solar PV arrays, award-winning custom-designed sorting stations, Green5 banners and posters, they know the District embraces the responsibility to create a more sustainable world.”

Dr. Kent said that students and staff have cultivated a habit of practicing the Five Rs, and an understanding of what kind of positive impact they are making as a collective community.

“As they go out into the world,” she said, “they are carrying this knowledge with them.”

In October 2010, the School Board created the Environmental Sustainability Committee to help the District become more environmentally and fiscally sustainable, and foster an ecoliterate and globally responsible student body.

The Sustainability Committee comprises parent volunteers with knowledge and experience in sustainability and a passion to help the District.

Their Accomplishments

In 2011, the Committee facilitated a third-party baseline energy audit of the school facilities, created a sustainability master plan for the school board, and began working on bringing a 750 kilowatt solar photovoltaic system to the district’s main campus – where the comprehensive high school, middle school, and one elementary school are co-located – to reduce the district’s carbon footprint and raise money for the general fund.

As of February 2014, the solar panels accounted for 50 percent of the energy needs of the main campus and 25 percent of the entire District. The solar panels  delivered $400,000 back into the District’s general fund each year over the life of the system, and avoided 2,326 tons of greenhouse gas emissions annually.

The School District also retrofitted all lights with LEDs and all toilets and urinals with low-flow fixtures. The District achieved a 29 percent reduction in greenhouse gases and a 20 percent reduction in water use in just three years.

In 2014, the District received an EPA rebate to replace two old diesel-fueled buses with new, cleaner, low-emission buses, reducing emissions by over 90 percent. Maintenance crews and middle and high school custodians use electric vehicles to get around the campuses.

During the 2011–12 school year, the Sustainability Committee launched the Green5 co-curricular sustainability education program to increase awareness among students and staff about recycling.

Besides reducing waste, energy use, and water consumption, and reusing 28 materials,  the District rethought local solutions to global problems.

The Green5, also known as the Five Rs (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Ride, and Rethink), was piloted at Lin Howe Elementary.

It included recycling audits, surveys, a campus-wide recycling program, signage and other messaging, and the establishment of a student leadership program.

The post-audit findings showed recycling rates increased by 500 percent, and sustainability awareness amongst the students and staff also increased substantially fund.

Since 2014, the amount of materials being sent to the landfill by the School District has been reduced by more than 50 percent, for a district-wide diversion rate exceeding 80 percent.

District-wide, an estimated 29 tons of mixed recycling is diverted from the landfill each year.

This is the equivalent of 100 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions avoided, while 935 tons of compostable food waste are diverted from the landfill each school year. This is the equivalent of 823.5 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions avoided.

The District was an early adopter of California’s Education and the Environment Initiative curriculum. It provided training to a cross-section of teachers in 2011. Although only a subset of teachers is currently using the initiative in their classrooms, the District is considered a Deep Implementer School District.

It is looking forward to adopting new statewide textbooks in 2018 that will integrate the initiative curriculum across grades and subject areas.

Currently, there are three environmental studies courses approved by the School Board.

All elementary students have garden class as part of formal instruction. At the Middle School, all students are eligible to participate in the Edible Garden Club and the Butterfly Garden Club, where they spend time tending to their gardens for one hour every Friday.

The Green Thumbs Club at the high school also is open to all high school students and is student-led. There are seasonal farmers markets at all schools. The high school incorporates their harvest into the school lunch program. The District offers a science camp on Catalina Island, students participate in coastal cleanup, and some grades engage in raising trout in the classroom.

The District holds all physical education classes outdoors except in rain, and offers a K-9 rescue dog care and training after-school program.

Free annual eye exams and dental exams are given to all children, unless their families opt out. Flu shots also are offered to all students free of charge. Each school site has a school nurse or health aid onsite at all times. Each elementary school also has either a full-time or part-time school psychologist as well as a school counselor.

The Sandy Segal Youth Health Center, between the middle and high schools, provides free quality health care for hundreds of Culver City youth each year, along with supportive services and health education benefiting entire families.

In addition to 30 minutes of physical education every day, all elementary schools have a total of 60 minutes of recess for free play in outdoor spaces.

Last June, the School Board passed an Environmentally Preferential Purchasing Policy and Administrative Resolution. The Board presently is considering the adoption of a Green Operations BVoard

policy, which includes a commitment for advancing ecoliteracy.

community.

Across the country, 45 schools, nine districts, and nine postsecondary institutions are being honored for their innovative efforts to reduce environmental impact and utility costs, improve health and wellness, and ensure effective sustainability education.

The list of all selected schools, districts, colleges, and universities, as well as their nomination packages, can be found here. A report with highlights on the 63 honorees can be found here. More information on the federal recognition award can be found here. Resources for all schools to move toward the three Pillars can be found here.

 

Mr. Maleman may be contacted at gmaleman@aol.com

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