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A District-Wide Comprehensive Approach to Sustainability in Schools
Room: 207
Time: 3:00pm – 4:00pm
This presentation features Sustainable Marin Schools’ (SMS) comprehensive sustainability initiatives in K-12 public schools, exploring successes, challenges, and future goals.
SMS is committed to reducing schools’ climate impact to mitigate the worst effects of climate change on today’s students. By promoting climate justice, SMS works to advance equitable climate action and resilience by creating a sustainable framework from students to the Office of Education. Key programs (including Zero Waste, Environmental Literacy, Campus Greening/Resilience, and Decarbonization) lower carbon emissions, empower students to advocate for a livable future, and prepare them for the green economy.
This presentation will highlight SMS’s sustainability initiatives within the Novato Unified School District in Northern California, showcasing key achievements such as diverting 150,000 lbs of compost from landfills to composting facilities. It will also discuss current program support, including fellowships and funding, and provide strategies for ensuring the long-term success of these initiatives.
This session is essential for those interested in climate justice, engaging school districts in sustainability programs, making a significant impact on carbon emissions, and maintaining these initiatives long-term.
Sustainable Marin Schools (SMS) has developed a comprehensive, district-wide model, which has successfully expanded into marginalized communities, including Title 1 and majority-minority schools. SMS offers its services free of charge by leveraging California Climate Action Corps fellows and accessing county, state, and federal funding, now available at unprecedented levels.
Speakers:
Lisa Clarke, Executive Director, Sustainable Marin Schools
Lisa Clarke is the founder and executive director of Sustainable Marin Schools, an organization committed to reducing carbon emissions and fostering sustainability in K-12 public schools. With a background as an epidemiologist in cancer research, Lisa’s journey into sustainability began when she came to understand that climate change is the most significant threat to public health that our children will face.
Her hands-on experience with zero waste programs at her children’s elementary school, combined with extensive research into best practices nationwide, led her to establish Sustainable Marin Schools. Her mission is clear: to help schools curb their carbon footprints, reduce waste, create green, climate-resilient campuses, and empower students to become environmental advocates and future leaders in the green economy.
Currently, Lisa partners with the Novato Unified School District, delivering comprehensive programs in Zero Waste, Decarbonization, Campus Greening/Resilience, and Environmental Literacy across 10 schools. In this presentation, she will share her approach, the successes and challenges encountered along the way, and how this model can inspire and be replicated in other districts to make lasting environmental impacts.