Sammamish student ambassadors outline school-focused climate curriculum; commission approves routine business

At a recent meeting of the Sammamish Sustainability Commission, the city-contracted Sustainability Ambassadors presented program results and a plan for a July curriculum design lab aimed at linking the city’s climate action plan to classroom projects, while commissioners completed routine business including approving the agenda and minutes and naming an acting chair for the July meeting.

The Ambassadors’ presentation emphasized youth leadership, in-class projects and measurement. “Our mission is to rapidly advance the sustainable future,” Peter Donaldson, director of Sustainability Ambassadors, told the commission, describing a program the director said supports teachers, develops student project managers and connects students to local climate-action goals. Peter said the group runs a regional network and that the Sammamish cluster is one part of a larger 60–70 person ambassador effort.

The commission’s sustainability coordinator, Rose Weicker, described the city contract and deliverables that led to the Ambassadors’ work in Sammamish, including school presentations, social media campaigns and a curriculum design lab scheduled for late July. “As part of the SNAP program at Sammamish, we have a scope of work with particular deliverables,” Weicker said, and noted the team has already engaged students in presentations and planned pilot activities for fall 2025.

Why it matters: Commissioners framed the Ambassadors’ work as a way to advance the city’s climate action plan by bringing measurable, school‑based projects into classrooms and by building relationships with teachers and school administrators. Commissioners and staff said those connections could help the city track student participation, collect baseline transportation and energy data, and increase community awareness of municipal climate objectives.

Key details and metrics

- Ambassadors and scope: Peter Donaldson described the Ambassadors as a nimble nonprofit partnership; he reported roughly 60–70 ambassadors across the region and said the Sammamish team includes 17 ambassadors locally.

- Student projects and outreach: Ambassadors reported 27 committed student “impact projects” from the 17-member Sammamish team and said they have run in-school presentations that reached “100-plus” students at events such as National Honor Society meetings. Peter and Rose said classroom work included a Skyline ninth-grade biology unit that reached 416 students and a Pine Lake Middle School program that reaches about 300 students.

- Transportation and data pilots: The Ambassadors described a carbon-commute baseline survey done at Skyline High that collected 153 responses and 71 responses at Pine Lake; the group plans to expand the “school vs. school” competition model and to normalize an annual, one-minute commute survey (a 60-second checkbox) so teachers can deliver the survey in homeroom or advisory.

- Behavior and transit campaigns: Ambassadors reported distributing hundreds of ORCA cards at events and said they have handed out more than 450 ORCA cards at prior outreach (the city progress report later cited 512 registered ORCA cards). They also described a “bus bingo” peer challenge and said King County Metro has amplified some student-produced transit videos.

- School engagement challenges: Ambassadors and students described mixed administrative responses. At Eastlake High School, student ambassadors said repeated requests to principals for permission to run a carbon-commute count and a “turn off the lights” day were not approved; students said a formal letter from city staff (Rose) to school administrators would help secure permissions next year.

- Curriculum design lab: The Ambassadors and staff invited teachers and commissioners to a July curriculum design lab that will run as a half-day in-person session (afternoon) at City Hall plus a morning online workshop. The stated purpose is to translate climate-action strategies into grade-appropriate curricula across subject areas (science, civics, math) and to identify measurable classroom activities teachers can adopt.

City programs and funding mentioned

- City staff described related programs and grants: EnergySmart Eastside (heat-pump outreach/rebates), Solarize Eastside (community solar outreach) and a pending RE+ recycling grant application (approximately $100,000) to pilot compostable/reusable serviceware with the city of Issaquah.

- Progress metrics provided by staff during the meeting (midyear): 156 single-family heat-pump permits logged (permits and program reporting), three Sammamish adult-family homes received free heat pumps under a grant pilot, and ongoing recycling events that the city runs in partnership with Issaquah. Rose said the Solarize Eastside campaign was ending July 4 and that the city would report to council likely in September once more data is aggregated.

Votes and formal actions

- Approval of agenda: Motion to approve the meeting agenda passed (mover: Steve Christensen; second: Nick Garson). The motion carried by voice vote; the chair declared the agenda approved.

- Approval of minutes: Motion to approve the commission’s May meeting minutes passed (mover: Steve Christensen; second: Nick Garson). The motion carried by voice vote; the chair declared the minutes approved.

- Extension of meeting time: The chair moved to extend the meeting time late in the agenda; the extension motion passed by voice vote.

- Acting chair for July meeting: Commissioners nominated and approved Christy Santadomingo as acting chair for the commission’s July 10 meeting (mover: Steve Christensen; second: [recorded second]). The motion carried.

Discussion, directions and next steps

- Staff and Ambassadors asked the commission to help legitimize school data collection by sending targeted letters to principals and district curriculum contacts. Staff said the city can share its contacts and that a coordinated request from the city, the commission and ambassadors would open doors with administrators.

- The commission and Ambassadors requested commissioner participation in: (1) the July curriculum design lab afternoon session at City Hall, (2) summer and fall outreach events (farmers markets and school assemblies), and (3) amplification of student-produced content on city social channels.

- Measurement and reporting: Ambassadors and staff said they will continue to refine impact tracking (for example, kilowatt-hours saved during school “turn off the lights” events, carbon‑commute baselines and ORCA card registrations) and will present a more complete progress report to council in September and a fuller annual report early next year.

Ending

Commissioners thanked the Ambassadors for in-person presentations and encouraged students to remain engaged over the summer. Staff said they will circulate the Ambassadors’ materials and the July design-lab invitation and will follow up with a midyear progress report to council in September.