The Los Angeles Unified School District is committed to becoming the most sustainable and environmentally-friendly large urban school district in the country. Click on the buttons above to learn about the six sustainability focus areas and what we're doing to integrate sustainability into the District's core educational mission.
​To learn about our solar initiative, click here. 
Find out more about LA Unified's Green Ribbon Schools!

Announcing the 2018/19
HEROES for ZERO
Contest!

Sustainability Initiatives Unit presents the second annual HEROES for ZERO Contest! 

HEROES for ZERO challenges K-12 student teams to help make their schools “Zero Net Energy (ZNE) Ready” by reducing energy consumption, maximizing energy efficiency, and educating fellow students and staff. 

Teachers are encouraged to connect ZNE activities with STEAM curriculum.  Teams can badges in six HEROES categories, and schools can up to $25,000 for sustainability-related projects at their schools! 

Registration Deadline Extended to November 9, 2018!
Click for more information!

 ​​Sustainability Events

Click Calendar to learn more

Check out the Sustainability Calendar for more special days to observe and celebrate!


​​Sustainability Stars
Sustainability Initiatives congratulates Teacher Jennifer Cheng, who has been honored with the Green Leadership Award by the Advisory Board for the Green California Schools Summit.  Ms. Cheng is a science teacher and science fair coordinator at San Pedro High School.  She was selected as a faculty fellow to the 2014 Student Climate & Conservation Congress, and received the Project Green Schools Green-o-vation (Green + STEM + Innovation) award  in 2015 and 2016.  The Summit Board stated that Ms. Cheng's "work to help educate and open students hearts and minds to a more sustainable future is a model and inspiration".  The awards ceremony will take place on October 29 at 5:00 p.m. at the Pasadena Convention Center.  
Do you know a Sustainability Star?  Maybe it's you!  Let us know what you're doing to promote sustainability at your schools and in your community. Check back and you could be featured here!

Be(e) a Pollinator Hero!
According to the National Pollinator Garden Network, Pollinators are responsible for 1 out of 3 bites of food we eat each day, and yet pollinators are at critical point in their own survival. Many reasons contribute to their recent decline.  Increasing the number of pollinator-friendly gardens and landscapes will help revive the health of bees, butterflies, birds, bats and other pollinators across the country.

Here are some ways you can help, at your schools and at home:
Take the Million Pollinator Garden Challenge!
  • Plant a Pollinator Garden
  • Register your Garden to Be(e) Counted!
  • Plant Sustainably
  • Keep an Eye Out for Free Seeds!
  • ​Spread the Word
Certify your garden with the National Wildlife Federation!  Learn how to develop a Certified Wildlife Habitat with NWF's Step-by-Step Guide.
Create habitat for monarchs by planting milkweed!  You don't need a huge garden to support these beautiful pollinators and bees and other butterflies as well.  
Visit our Grants page to learn more about financial opportunities for students, teachers, and school projects.
Visit our Challenges & Competitions page to learn more about sustainability-related awards and competitions for students and educators
Look deep into nature and you will understand everything better.   Albert Einstein                         ❧                        One touch of nature makes the whole world kin.  Shakespeare                        ❧                        The sun shines not on us but in us, the river flows not past, but through us.  John Muir                        ❧                        There is no such thing as "away". When we throw anything away, it must go somewhere. Annie Leonard                        ❧                        Stay close to nature. It will never fail you. Frank Lloyd Wright                        ❧                        A society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they know they shall never sit in. Greek Proverb                        ❧                        We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children. Native American Proverb                        ❧                        Each and every one of us can make changes in the way we live our lives and become part of the solution. Al Gore                        ❧