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Student-led Climate Action Plan urges energy audits, native plantings and data dashboards
Summary
A student group presented a student-written HCPSS Climate Action Plan that urges the school system to broaden energy and waste data collection, launch energy audits, create native plant gardens and expand food-scrap composting, and students answered detailed questions from board members and staff on implementation.
A student committee presented a multi-pronged Climate Action Plan to the Howard County Board of Education, outlining operational and educational recommendations intended to reduce the school system's emissions and increase student engagement on environmental issues.
"Our primary goal for education is to empower students with the necessary tools and knowledge to adopt sustainable practices," Samuel Yoon, a senior at Glenel High School and one of the student presenters, said.
Students on the Climate Action Plan committee proposed five key areas for action: education, energy, land management, transportation and waste management. Their recommendations included launching energy audits across all HCPSS facilities, creating public energy and emissions dashboards, transforming at least 100 acres of district property to native plant gardens, expanding food-scrap collection beyond the nine schools currently participating in the county's program, and adding infrastructure and signage to reduce vehicle idling.
Neil Gateri, a River Hill High School senior who helped form the student committee, described the plan as intended to align district operations with county, state and federal climate goals while integrating student learning.
During board Q&A, Chief Operating Officer Quinell Brown said the district plans a solicitation in the fall to begin energy performance contracting and behavior-management conservation work; he told the board the operations team had reviewed the students' proposal and planned to "align what they're proposing with the behavior management work" and bring a recommended approach to the board in the spring of next year if the solicitation is successful.
Board members asked about actionable next steps and community partnerships. The students suggested scouting organizations for raised-bed plantings, partnerships with the Howard County Library System's LED bulb program, the Youth Climate Institute at the Howard County Conservancy, and the Howard County Food Bank for surplus-meal redistribution. They urged more student involvement through opportunities such as Annapolis "advocacy days" and recommended painting messages in car loops and installing signage to reduce idling.
Deputy Superintendent Turner Little and Chief Operating Officer Brown acknowledged the plan's alignment with planned district energy and conservation initiatives and said operations staff would explore integrating the students' recommendations into forthcoming solicitations and the district's behavior-management work.
The board invited the students to continue the work and recommended that the student committee pass its materials and contacts to the incoming cohort so the plan could be advanced in coordination with central office efforts.
