Erika Eitland, MPH, ScD’s Post

The climate is changing—and our schoolyards should, too. California can unlock a greener and more climate-resilient future for all by allocating $1 billion in the Education Bond for schoolyard greening. By transforming asphalt playgrounds into green oases for children and communities to enjoy, we can improve test scores, boost health outcomes, and cool entire neighborhoods. https://lnkd.in/g5UQ2v9k

Actions and Policies from the West Coast inform decision making for the rest of our country eventually, why not get ahead of the curve with your next K-12 renovation, addition, or new build? https://lnkd.in/gK3tPza9

#ExtremeWeather is making it more and more difficult for American schools to stay operational. Resilient and modern facilities ensure a healthier, more sustainable future and help schools be better equipped to support the entire community in times of crisis. See their impacts: http://spr.ly/6045PIy8T

Mark your calendars and spread the word about the first-ever The White House Summit for Sustainable and Healthy K-12 School Buildings and Grounds, highlighting the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to equitable access to energy-efficient, climate-resilient, and healthy school facilities that are conducive to learning, live on 4/26 at 1 – 3:30 ET: https://lnkd.in/egdQzW_v U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) U.S. Department of Education #Sustainability

#HarvardClimateActionWeek – Day 4: Buildings and Heat As climate change intensifies, heat waves are becoming more intense, frequent, and prolonged. However, many buildings were not initially designed for scorching temperatures. Evidence of this was seen last summer when high temperatures interrupted the school year and forced schools to close. Research shows that hot classrooms lacking adequate air conditioning have detrimental effects on students’ and teachers’ health and performance. As the climate continues to change, facilities must adapt accordingly, requiring substantial investments in school infrastructure. Last month, our director, Joseph Allen, joined the White House Summit for Sustainable and Healthy K-12 School Buildings and Grounds and shared his insights in the following blog post: https://lnkd.in/e2nxT2UN Already in his 2022 op-ed for The Washington Post, he underlined the urgency of addressing the decades of neglect in school infrastructure, emphasizing the critical need for immediate action: https://lnkd.in/gTRYXTeQ

California schools lack essential infrastructure to safeguard student health in the face of increasingly extreme weather and a rapidly changing climate. Read my opinion piece with Leah Stokes of Rewiring America in the Los Angeles Times on why we need a statewide master plan to upgrade our schools to be climate-resilient. #SB394

Our Green Schoolyards have superpowers that benefit students, teachers and residents. Read Los Angeles Unified School District Board President Jackie Goldberg's Opinion advocating for adding $1Billion to fund Green Schoolyards. When too many Californians suffer from the effects of climate change—many of them in low-income communities and communities of color—we need to start thinking of green schoolyards as essential infrastructure rather than just nice-to-haves. I support the $1 billion funding ask from this year’s school bond measure, which will help set us on a path for a greener future for all. https://lnkd.in/gY95z7Wb 

Explore the challenges students in water-scarce regions face in our latest blog, "When School is a Burden." The article highlights how the daily struggle to access clean water can hinder education and emphasizes the need for sustainable solutions to ease these burdens. #EducationForAll #WaterCrisis

Did you know that building codes regulate minimum temperatures in buildings, but don’t regulate maximum temperatures, even in school buildings. We are working to change that.

📣"The moment of urgency is now. The current students that are in our schools are not even protected, let alone future generations of students. And so, this bill is absolutely critical to minimize disruption to schools, so our kids can actually learn." -Andra Yeghoian, Ten Strands chief innovation officer Check out the latest coverage on #SB394—a bill that would ensure school buildings and grounds are climate-resilient to support student health, safety, learning, and development in a time of rapidly increasing extreme weather. #CALeg https://lnkd.in/gkc8r86Y