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Lincoln Public Schools presents 2025 sustainability report, cites recycling, Energy Star gains and new solar arrays
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Summary
Sustainability coordinators told the board LPS kept over 3 million pounds of material out of landfills in 2025, added three 25 kW solar arrays and three EPA-funded electric buses, expanded EV charging and published dashboards to track trees, gardens and sustainability assets.
Lincoln Public Schools presented its 2025 annual sustainability report at the April 18 board meeting, highlighting waste diversion, energy-performance gains and student-centered programs.
Britney Wiese, the district's sustainability coordinator, and Alex Tunison, assistant sustainability coordinator, said the district succeeded in keeping over 3,000,000 pounds of material out of the landfill last year and received grant funding from the Nebraska Department of Waste, Energy and the Environment to expand recycling and organics programs. “We succeeded in keeping over 3,000,000 pounds of material out of the landfill,” Tunison said.
The presentation noted 38 LPS facilities earned Energy Star certification in 2025. The district added three ground-mounted solar arrays—at Northeast High School, Scott Middle School and Luxe Middle School—raising the district total to five systems. Tunison also said the district added three electric yellow school buses through funding from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and maintained 10 sites with EV charging stations that community members may use.
Wiese described student-facing programs that connect sustainability to curriculum and extracurricular activities, including 51 active school gardens, garden-gathering community events and a farm-to-school project that supported local foods in cafeterias. The district's Nutrition Services work helped LPS earn platinum recognition in a mayoral local-food challenge, staff said.
Presenters demonstrated new public-facing dashboards that inventory trees, map sustainability assets (bike racks, solar panels, garden locations) and track Green Schools Recognition submissions. Wiese said the district's tree dashboard is an ongoing inventory and that plans continue to map resources to identify gaps and opportunities.
Board members praised the work and asked operational questions. One board member asked where residents could take aluminum cans for the district's fundraiser; Wiese said the program partner is the recycling processor at 440 J Street (search terms: Green Quest/Recycle Link) and that cans may be dropped off through April 30 for the library-fund drive. When asked about plans for additional solar installations beyond the five existing systems, staff said facility assessments and “solar-ready” design considerations are underway but no sites are confirmed.
The presentation closed with invitations to review the detailed 2025 annual sustainability report on the district website and sign up for a monthly newsletter to follow ongoing work.
