Committee green‑lights short student survey to gauge climate priorities

The Corte Madera Climate Action Committee on Oct. 15 authorized staff and the student ambassador program to finalize and distribute a short survey asking students which climate topics matter most to them and whether they want to get involved.

The student ambassador who proposed the survey said the goal was to keep it “as short as possible” to maximize responses and use the Climate Action Plan to frame broad categories. The presenter asked that staff help push the survey to local high schools so the committee can have preliminary results at the next meeting.

Committee members and staff discussed distribution channels. Brynn (student) described using Redwood High School’s twice‑weekly “smart period” as an efficient way to reach every student; Penelope and Britney also offered to help identify school contacts. Phoebe (staff) confirmed town staff support and said the survey could be finalized with input from Britney, Penelope and other volunteers.

One committee member pointed out a formatting glitch in the PDF conversion that could confuse respondents (the packet showed both "select two" and "check all that apply"). The presenter said the glitch would not appear in the live survey and would be corrected. After discussing scope and distribution logistics, the chair signaled informal approval: “Green light to go, give it a try.” Staff will finalize the survey, work with school contacts to distribute it (priority: Redwood High School), and report preliminary findings at the next committee meeting.

The committee did not take a formal roll‑call vote on the survey but asked staff to proceed and to return with results for discussion.