Retrofit, remediate, and weatherize all buildings, in order to implement the maximum capacity of on-site renewable energy, remove exposure to toxic materials, maximize energy/water efficiency, and enhance ventilation.

Currently, nearly two-third of CPS energy comes from natural gas and facilities are in need of billions of dollars worth of deferred maintenance. Safe and clean buildings not only means maximizing renewable energy, but also making all pipes lead free, ceilings are free of asbestos, and that schools aren’t located next to toxic factories.  All these are impacts that disproportionately Black and Latine majority schools. A safe learning environment isn’t just about environmental safety either—it’s also about making sure that students aren’t surveilled every day when they go to class, don’t live in fear of a school resource officer attacking them, and don’t have to think about an active shooter every day.

Provide opportunities and training for students to connect with meaningful, high-wage,  union jobs combatting the climate crisis

Many of the job options out of high school are demeaning, treating workers like cogs in a machine that exists to make profit for others. Students are recruited straight into the military, college, Amazon warehouses, and service jobs that don’t pay a living wage. At the same time, we’re in a moment of enormous opportunity. Decarbonizing our economy and restoring our environment will require millions of people working in whole new sectors of the economy.  These jobs need to be well compensated, unionized, dignified, and meaningful. This is a way to remake our economy and who it works for. Making sure CPS schools provide pathways to meaningful, high compensated, green, union jobs is essential to mobilize our society to face the climate crisis at the scale we need.

Designate schools as community relief zones during extreme weather events that serve to help both students and community members recover

Every year the impacts of the climate crisis continue to worsen around us, from extreme heat and wildfire smoke to devastating flooding. When these climate disasters strike, they impact some of us more than others. When the prices of essential supplies rise in times of crisis, it’s working families who can’t afford them. When the power goes out, it’s the wealthiest and white neighborhoods that have backup generators kick in.  As public places, it’s essential our schools, as public places, have climate disaster response plans that assist in keeping our neighborhoods safe, our communities functional, and our families cared during times of emergency. This might look like using schools as distribution centers for necessary supplies or serving as shelters for families and other community members during extreme weather. This must also include providing mental health support to students who are living through the ongoing mental toll that the climate crisis takes on us every day. 

Establish a climate justice curriculum that explores the root causes of the climate crisis, the impacts, especially on historically marginalized and frontline communities, and solutions necessary for a just and sustainable future for all.

Combatting the climate crisis will be one of the defining struggles for the next generation of CPS students. As such, our schools need a climate justice curriculum that counters the half-century of denial and deception of the fossil fuel industry. Instead of teaching about climate change through only the context of natural environments or the responsibility of individuals, a true climate justice curriculum must acknowledge the historic responsibility the fossil fuel industry has for the crisis and center the disproportionate impacts on frontline & historically marginalized (Black, Brown, Indigenous, & Working-Class) communities. Such a curriculum must extend beyond just science classes to history, language arts, and social studies. True understanding of the climate crisis is only possible if students are also taught about systemic racism, as well as the history of colonization and imperialism. By learning about the past, we can prepare ourselves for the future.

Provide free healthy and sustainable breakfast and lunches for all students, prioritizing food that is sourced locally and grown sustainably

In a city where approximately 20% of households face food insecurity, universal free meals in our schools are essential to ensuring that all students have access to the resources and energy they need to learn and grow. But, CPS also needs to do more than simply adhere to the bare-minimum federal and state school meal standards; ensuring more of the food that is  used in school meals is sustainably grown and locally sourced will lead to healthier students in addition to further grounding our schools in their communities.

Provide year-round free public transit access to all students, teachers, and CPS employees

The reduced fare program currently offered by the CTA,  creates needless barriers (only for students ages 7-20, on school days, 5:30am - 8:30pm) that limits its benefits, and can still cost hundreds of dollars a year for families. Students aren’t the only ones who have to travel to school each morning, and back home each evening. Teachers, cafeteria staff, janitorial staff, and all others who are essential to making our schools operate stand to benefit from year-round access to public transportation. Such a policy would incentivize more sustainable transportation, increase ridership, and lower costs for all.

Establish a program that provides students, teachers, and community members the opportunity to maintain community gardens & composting

Having staffed community gardens at every CPS school would guarantee students opportunities for important, hands-on lessons in soil health, nutrition, teamwork, and so much more. Students, teachers, staff, parents, & community members all working to maintain school gardens would deepen the ties between the schools and the communities in which they reside, in addition to acting as spaces where all could be outside and interact with the environment. Far too many schools have yet to be incorporated into CPS’s composting program, which, to truly meet its potential and be more than a greenwashing scheme, must cease relying on People’s Gas for its funding and continued existence.

Electrify the fleet of CPS operated vehicles

Thousands of special education students depend on school buses to get to school each day. These diesel school buses expose riders and drivers to pollution with links to increased likelihood of  asthma, respiratory illnesses, lung disease, and cancer. Transitioning CPS fleet of vehicles to be 100% electric would not only help reduce carbon emissions, but also prevent daily exposure to dangerous exhaust.