The PowerSave Schools Team at Madison Elementary

Education & Awareness Initiatives   |   Education & Awareness Policies

LAUSD Education & Awareness Initiatives

Education & Awareness is a crucial component of sustainability.  Sustainability Initiatives Unit strives to complement the District's core educational mission by identifying opportunities for education, training, and community engagement as we implement each of our initiatives.  From increasing eco-literacy through our DROPS Education & Outreach program to contributing to workforce development through our Prop 39 energy audit training program, awareness is at the core of our sustainability mission.

Current LAUSD Goals
  • Raise awareness about:
    • energy conservation and climate change
    • water stewardship
    • sustainability in the built environment
    • environmental stewardship and urban habitat
  • Develop partnerships to:
    • provide experiential and place-based learning opportunities 
    • promote Professional Development opportunities linking sustainability and STEM/Standards-Based curriculum
    • link sustainability projects with opportunities for student training and workforce development
  • Encourage and celebrate:
    • sustainability leadership
    • school-based sustainability efforts
    • environmental volunteerism and community engagement

Numbers & Resources

LA Unified Schools participate in dozens of sustainability related programs and contests 
LAUSD celebrates our collaboration with the City of Los Angeles and LADWP to bring drought awareness to our students!
This video was taken in May 2018 at a joint LAUSD-LADWP event at Reed Middle School.  Visit LAUSD Daily for more information on this event.

Education & Awareness Initiatives

King MS Styrofoam Art Installation

HEROES for ZERO Contest

Sustainability Initiatives Unit announces the HEROES for ZERO Contest!  The contest challenges K-12 students to help make their campuses Zero Net Energy-ready.  Click for more information!

Children's Environmental Literacy Foundation (CELF)

Three middle schools are participating in a 3-year pilot program with CELF, a non-profit organization dedicated to making sustainability an integral part of every child's K-12 learning experience.  Teachers and Principals attended CELF's Summer Institute and teachers have received training, project and curriculum planning support, and in turn share their knowledge and experience with other teachers. Each school has an assigned Sustainability Coordinator who shares knowledge and skills with colleagues, coordinates the program with school administrators, and shares their school's accomplishments with the education community.  The program is expanding to three additional schools in 2018.

LAUSD emPowered (Alliance to Save Energy)

The District is collaborating with the Alliance to Save Energy to pilot an online team-based interactive version of their PowerSave Schools energy education program called LAUSD emPowered. A total of 40 schools will participate in the pilot, which began in the 2018/19 school year.

Student Energy Audit Training (SEAT)

One of the goals of the Proposition 39 Clean Energy Jobs Act program is to train Californians for energy-related occupations and career programs. To that end, the District developed the SEAT training program to provide students a hands-on real world experience in conducting energy audits.  Participating students also learn the importance of sustainability, and gain employment skills such as resume writing and interviewing techniques.  More information is available at our SEAT page.

Drought Response Outreach Program for Schools (DROPS)

LAUSD is partnering with Council for Watershed Health, TreePeople, and Los Angeles Audubon to provide the required education/awareness component of the DROPS storm water management grant. Find out more about DROPS and our other storm water management efforts here.

Primary Partners