Districtwide Sustainability Plan Development Underway

The Long Beach Unified School District is developing a climate action plan that will outline strategies for reducing the District’s carbon footprint and integrating sustainability into all operations, including classroom instruction.

LBUSD’s Board of Education adopted its Green School Energy and Sustainability Policy last year following two years of collaboration with local environmental activists, including a student-led Green Schools Campaign. The policy calls for a reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by 2045 and transition to zero-emissions vehicles and machinery as rapidly as construction replacement cycles and budgets allow.

Slated for presentation to the Board later this year, the District’s new sustainability plan will map out strategies for improved energy efficiency, carbon reduction, electrification of LBUSD’s vehicle fleet and other green initiatives over the next decade. Recommended strategies will be coordinated with LBUSD’s maintenance and capital improvements schedule, maximizing resources and the sustainability plan’s impact.

The District’s new Climate Crisis and Sustainability Taskforce will monitor the plan’s implementation and report annually to the Board.

“LBUSD is committed to ensuring a bright future for students, in the classroom and beyond. Our new sustainability plan will make a lasting impact on our schools, communities and planet,” LBUSD Superintendent Jill A. Baker said.

Several eco-friendly programs are underway across the District. Solar energy helps power 25 District campuses, and renewable energy will help fuel an additional 16 schools by 2025. Energy-efficient LED lights illuminate most LBUSD classrooms. Waste reduction, recycling and composting programs can be found at a number of District schools. Drought tolerant landscaping taking root at Keller Middle School will launch a pilot program for water-wise greenery at all LBUSD campuses. School renovation projects funded by the District’s voter-approved bond program are planned and executed with sustainability in mind.

LBUSD’s new sustainability plan will formalize these efforts and integrate environmental stewardship into all District operations.

“Our new sustainability plan will provide a holistic, systemic approach to meeting the goals set forth in the District’s green energy policy,” said LBUSD Business Services Administrator Alan Reising. “We’ll work hand-in-hand with students and stakeholders in the plan’s development, as with our green energy policy.”