A brief discussion item on the Thursday, Jan. 13, Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District (SMMUSD) Board of Education meeting will address a new policy focused on making the district more sustainable.
“The policy addresses ways in which the District can minimize the environmental impacts of its facilities and operations, and maximize positive, tangible environmental change while preparing students to be stewards of their communities, the earth and its resources,” according to the agenda item for the discussion.
Aspects of the proposed new policy, BP 3510, include a recycling program, energy and water conservation, and sustainable transportation.
According to the meeting’s staff report, it will be up to Superintendent Ben Drati or his designee to prioritize which strategies will have the greatest impact while mitigating costs.
The proposed policy includes various suggestions including reducing water consumption (which would afford the benefit of cost savings), establishing recycling programs and shifting from paper communications to electronic ones where feasible (another cost saving program). Other suggestions include selecting products, including cleaning products, that are minimally toxic, hazardous, and odorous, ideally that also include recycled content, are especially durable, and/or reduce waste.
Another aspect of the proposed green policies is education: “Integrating green school practices and activities into the educational program by providing instruction to students on the importance of the environment, involving students in the implementation and evaluation of green school activities and projects as appropriate, and utilizing green school activities and projects as learning tools.”
The board policy also recognized the district’s size — 16 campuses, containing 650 classrooms — made it impossible to implement a “one-size-fits-all solution” that will meet the needs of every space.
Implementation of the policy was placed on the shoulders of nearly every employee of the district, from the superintendent’s office planning and offering training and guidance; maintenance & operations ensuring their equipment fits requirements; staff members implementing guidelines; custodians verifying aspects of the rules; and administration communicating the importance and impact of the conservation program in each school community.
Many of the specific suggestions offered were simple, like turning off office machines such as copiers at night, keeping doors closed between air conditioned rooms and non-air conditioned rooms, and reporting any plumbing leaks to be repaired in a timely manner.
The discussion is set to take place during the Thursday, Jan. 13, meeting, which begins at 5:30 p.m. and is available to watch on Zoom (meeting ID: 823 3543 7756 ; passcode: 011363 ; call-in number: 669.900.6833).
emily@smdp.com
