HOW WE WORK WITH SCHOOL DISTRICTS
The Climate Action Pathways for Schools (CAPS) program is an integrated way for schools to provide students with on-the-ground experience to prepare them for future educational and career opportunities while also making strides in cultivating meaningful action on climate change. We work with students, school faculty, and district leadership in under-resourced districts to improve energy efficiency in buildings, advance the use of renewable energy, develop clean transportation systems, and reduce waste—all through student-led projects that advance college and career readiness.
We know school districts and educators have a lot on their plates. That is why we prioritize integrating the CAPS program into current educational initiatives. We provide both staffing and financial support, including leading student career education programs, assisting with grant writing, and providing technical engineering support.
PROJECT AREAS
CAPS climate action plans encompass five key areas of school operations and culture:
TRANSPORTATION
BUILDINGS DECARBONIZATION
WATER CONSERVATION
ZERO WASTE
SUSTAINABLE FOOD SYSTEMS
As we develop the plan, we establish an energy use and GHG emission baseline for each school in the district. We then track each school’s progress toward the emissions reduction goals established in the plan.
THE FOUNDATION OF OUR WORK: AN INTEGRATED CLIMATE ACTION PLAN
CAPS serves public school districts by bringing the experience and resources necessary to deliver a bold and effective action program.
Developing the Plan
The CAPS program enables close collaboration between program staff, student leaders, district leadership, the business office, and operations and educational services teams to develop a climate action plan. The plan provides a roadmap to achieve school districts’ educational and environmental impact goals. Together, we identify key goals, then deliver the support and expertise to help your students achieve these goals.
Working with Educational Leadership
Collaborating with and supporting educational leadership is one of our key goals. We have developed numerous strategies to enable strong and cohesive collaboration. To scale the CAPS program throughout a district and develop the student programs, we collaborate with and provide learning opportunities for district staff and school faculty.
Delivering Expert Support
CAPS provides staff to lead student career education programs, help assist with grant writing, and provide technical engineering support. In school districts, we work with current educational services (pathway and Career Technical Education staff) and business services staff (Chief Business Officer and facilities and maintenance staff) to ensure a smooth integration between CAPS offerings and current educators’ goals.
As an example, our Porterville Unified School District (PUSD) Pilot Project program goals included:
Save Money: PUSD saves at least $300,000 in energy costs every year, which can be redirected to value-added activities for student learning or facility upgrades.
Protect the Environment: Reduce the school district’s greenhouse gas emissions by 80% over ten years. This is double California’s target of a 40% reduction by 2030.
Advance Education: Hire, train, and employ student interns who develop technical, professional, and leadership skills. Paid internships are a cornerstone of our programming and are traditionally difficult for students to secure, particularly in under-resourced communities.
Real-Life Results
In the first two years of work toward the climate action plan for the PUSD pilot program, we achieved the following goals:
COST SAVINGS
We exceeded our goal, achieving $850,000 in electric and natural gas savings in the first two years, a 25% cost reduction.
GRANT SUPPORT
CAPS helped raise $9.3M in state grants to support work-based learning and implement projects related to the district’s climate action plan.
REDUCED GHG EMISSIONS
Our goal is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 80% by 2030. In the first two years, we reduced GHG emissions by 28%.
EXCEPTIONAL STUDENT OUTCOMES
Paid internships build professional and technical skills, like learning how to collect, manage, and analyze large quantities of data and presenting findings to key stakeholders.