On June 2, 2016, Local District Northwest held a ribbon cutting ceremony to celebrate the completion of its Environmental Sustainability Garden, which was designed and installed as part of the Local District's Global Humanitarian Challenge.  The Challenge is a system-wide Pre K - 12 instruction plan which uses the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (2015-2030) as global context for local schools to solve real world problems.  

The Environmental Sustainability Challenge asks students to design and create a xeriscape (drought tolerant garden) that addresses the need for green space in schools while taking into consideration the State's current water shortage crisis.  These projects are intended to promote sustainability, engage the community, and support the school curriculum.  Several schools are participating in the Challenge, including Canoga Park High School, Miller CTC, Andasol Ave ES, Hale Charter Academy, Northridge Academy, Northridge MS, Panorama City ES, Parthenia ES, Pomelo Community Charter, Porter MS, Valley Alternative Magnet, Wooden HS, and Woodlake Community Charter.  At the same time, Local District Northwest worked with students and other partners to design and install the xeriscape at its Valley offices.

The xeriscape includes drought tolerant plants native to areas around the world with climates similar to Southern California (Mediterranean, Australian, and South African), as well as local California sun and shade plants.  

Local District Northwest's Global Humanitarian and Environmental Sustainability Challenges are a key component in LA Unified's achievement of the District Sustainability Award from the California Department of Education and US Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools programs.  

More information on the Challenges may be found at LDNW's website.

Work in Progress

Re-posted from LAUSD Daily

U.S. Secretary of Education John B. King Jr. was joined by Managing Director of the White House Council on Environmental Quality Christy Goldfuss to announce the 2016 U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools, District Sustainability Awardees, and Postsecondary Sustainability Awardees on the Department's YouTube channel. LA Unified joins 15 Districts, along with 47 schools and 11 post-secondary institutions which were honored for their innovative efforts to reduce environmental impact and utility costs, improve health and wellness, and ensure effective sustainability education.

"I congratulate these schools, districts and post-secondary institutions for their commitment to sustainable facilities, health, and classroom practices," King said. "The healthiest, most inspiring school facilities can and should be another tool to level the playing field, particularly for under-served students. These honorees are 21st century learning environments that encourage every student and teacher to perform at his or her best."

"Earth Day reminds us of the great strides we've made to address climate change and protect our planet, but there is still a long way to go to ensure that our children and grandchildren can experience our earth's natural treasures just as we have," Goldfuss said. "By inspiring young people to connect with their environment every day, today's honorees are creating the next generation of environmental stewards."
The honorees were named from a pool of candidates nominated by 25 states, Washington, D.C., and the Department of Defense Education Activity. The honorees include 41 public schools and six private schools. The schools serve various grade levels, including 27 elementary, 18 middle, and 14 high schools, with several schools having various K-12 configurations. Fifty-one percent of the 2016 honorees serve a disadvantaged student body. The post-secondary honorees include two community colleges and one work-college.

The list of all selected schools, districts, colleges, and universities, as well as their nomination packages, can be found here. A report with highlights on the 73 honorees can be found here. More information on the federal recognition award can be found here. Resources for all schools to move toward the three Pillars can be found here.

In partnership with the Los Angeles Mayor’s office and the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, L.A. Unified on Monday launched a multimedia contest aimed at encouraging conservation and promoting drought awareness.

​The LAUSD Water Conservation Contest encourages individual students or teams of kids in grades K-12 students to use art, photography, media, community projects or other methods to illustrate their ideas for saving water at their school, home or in their community. Action Plans will be judged on innovation, inspiration, feasibility, educational value, artistic interpretation and level of school and community engagement.

Winning multimedia projects will be incorporated into the 2016-17 Sustainability Calendar and/or posted on the LA Unified Sustainability Initiatives website.

The top Action Plan in each grade level will receive $10,000, while the top Action Plans for the elementary, middle, and high school levels will win $50,000, with the prize money going toward a school project.

“We are excited to partner with the Mayor’s Office and LADWP to increase water literacy among the District’s students,” said Christos Chrysiliou, director of Architectural and Engineering Services.  “The District aims to reduce our water consumption and looks forward to seeing some really creative solutions from the students.”
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The registration deadline is Sept. 16. Click here to register and for more information.

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson today nominated LA Unified and two California school districts and two individual schools to compete in the U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools (ED-GRS) recognition program, which honors schools that conserve resources while promoting health and environmental literacy.

In addition to LA Unified, the nominees are:

•Manhattan Beach Unified School District, Los Angeles County
•San Francisco Unified School District, San Francisco County
•Bay Farm School, Alameda, Alameda County
•Bishop O’Dowd High School (private), Oakland, Alameda County
           
The schools and districts were also named "Green Achievers," the highest honor in the California Green Ribbon Schools recognition program.

Two LA Unified schools, George K. Porter Middle School and Westchester Enriched Sciences Magnets, were awarded California Green Ribbon Schools' Gold Award for their sustainability efforts.  

“I commend these schools and districts for reducing their environmental footprints and engaging students using sustainability and the environment as the context for learning,” Torlakson said. “Their efforts are helping to build healthier, more resilient communities and a more prosperous California.”

Today's announcement came at a news conference at Bay Farm School in the Alameda Unified School District. Torlakson was joined by Dr. Ron Reynolds, Executive Director of the California Association of Private School Organizations (CAPSO).  On hand at the awards ceremony was Teacher Curtis Ward from Porter MS, and Christos Chrysiliou, Director of Architectural and Engineering Services, which includes the District's Sustainability Initiatives Unit.

"We are thrilled to be honored by the California Green Ribbon Schools program and nominated for recognition by the US Department of Education for the efforts of so many Divisions and staff members District-wide towards sustainability, student and staff health and wellness, and environmental education," said Mr. Chrysiliou.
           
Green Ribbon Schools demonstrate exemplary achievement in three “pillars.” Pillar I: reduce environmental impact and costs; Pillar II: improve the health and wellness of schools, students, and staff; and Pillar III: provide effective environmental education that teaches many disciplines and is especially good at effectively incorporating science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education, civic skills, and green career pathways.

The California Green Ribbon Schools recognition award uses the applications submitted for nomination to ED-GRS to recognize schools and school districts for environmental excellence. Private school awards are conferred by CAPSO.

California is one of 25 states as well as the District of Columbia and the U.S. Department of Defense Education Activity that are expected to nominate schools and districts for federal recognition this year. Continued participation and leadership in the program is a recommendation of Torlakson’s Environmental Literacy Task Force.

 The U.S. Department of Education will confirm state nominees on Earth Day, April 22, 2016.
           
For more information, please visit the California Department of Education's Green Ribbon Schools Award Program Web page and download A Blueprint for Environmental Literacy: Educating Every Student In, About, and For the Environment 
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Six LAUSD campuses have been selected by the California Water Resources Controls Board to receive $6 million to develop low-impact features through the state’s Drought Response Outreach Program for Schools (DROPS) and Proposition 84 grant programs.
These programs aim to create features that serve to capture, treat, and infiltrate storm water into groundwater basins to mimic a natural watershed. These features include bioswales, permeable pavement, infiltration galleries, rain-gardens, and cisterns.
The six selected campuses are Belvedere, Normandie and Victory Elementary schools; and Markham, Northridge and Webster Middle schools.
The District’s Architectural and Engineering group and Sustainability Initiatives Unit had initially identified these schools as being in critical need of site improvement and took advantage of DROPS program to develop comprehensive projects that address the deteriorated paving conditions while incorporating features crucial for capturing and infiltrating storm water.  This also serves to recharge our local aquifers.
The DROPS grant also requires development and implementation of a robust education and outreach component at each school, so while the LID features will vary by campus, each project includes benefits extending to the classroom and beyond.  Through partnership with the Council for Watershed Health, TreePeople and Los Angeles Audubon Society, the LID features will serve as outdoor, experiential classrooms and learning laboratories that can be incorporated into the curriculum and activities at school.  Students will be engaged during design and construction, and will create signage and collaborate on aspects such as plant selection.  Additional DROPS program components include field trips, student leadership training, professional development, teacher trainings, and formation of eco-clubs.
“We are excited to be working with the State Water Resources Control Board to implement these crucial projects.  We are looking forward to partnering with the Council for Watershed Health and community-based organizations to engage students and raise awareness in the community about the importance of storm water management and stewardship of our local aquifers,” said Christos Chrysiliou, Director of the Architectural and Engineering Services unit of the Facilities Services Division. District.
The District’s DROPS program also includes staff training for Maintenance & Operations employees responsible for managing the LID features and maintaining the native landscaping.  The DROPS LID program will serve as a model for other schools and districts seeking to use water resource management as a tool for education and advocacy.

Imagine not being able to take a shower.
Or do laundry.
Or flush the toilet.
Imagine a day without water.
With California now in its fourth year of a severe drought, Los Angeles Unified and city officials have joined together on educational initiatives encouraging water conservation and efficiency. The need to safeguard our natural resources was underscored Thursday during a press conference for “Imagine a Day Without Water,” a nationwide campaign to promote conservation efforts.
“We, as a city, are continuing to take action against wasting this precious resource during this historic drought,” Mayor Eric Garcetti said. “By educating our future water leaders of tomorrow, we are ensuring that each and every Angeleno is fully equipped with the necessary tools and information on how we can take advantage of El Niño and capture every drop.”
Garcetti also expressed his gratitude for the partnership with LAUSD in developing the “One Water LA” educational initiative and the “Save the Drop” outreach campaign.
One Water LA is a water sustainability curriculum that will be implemented this year in 14 middle and high schools. The Los Angeles Bureau of Sanitation and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency are funding the initiative.
The District’s participation in Save the Drop campaign has been led by the Sustainability Initiatives Unit. The program includes a contest aimed to conserve water and promote creative and innovative thinking about conservation and water resilience solutions.
“It is essential that we teach our students how to reduce water use at schools and at home,” said school board President Steve Zimmer. “Both programs will not only educate, but also build knowledge and skills to motivate and encourage a sense of responsibility to conserve natural resources and develop solutions for a sustainable future.”
Zimmer shared his vision of having LAUSD be the leader in environmental sustainable design and practices, with students transferring the knowledge to our communities and future generations.
The press conference was held at Helen Bernstein High, where students talked about their efforts to conserve water.
Sevak Malkhasyan said his family has installed low-flush toilets and high-efficiency washing machines, and he’s taking shorter showers. At school, athletic fields are going brown as irrigation has been reduced.
“Los Angeles, the message is very clear,” said Mariane Bangui, the student body president. “We cannot go a day without water.”

Written by Barbara Jones