Testimony to OBFA on FY25 Operating Budget

Posted on by Climate Parents of Prince George's

On October 25, we testified to the Prince George’s County Board of Education Operations, Budget, and Fiscal Affairs
(OBFA) Committee on the need to include important climate action items in the PGCPS FY25 operating budget. Those include:

  • Continue to fund the new sustainability/resiliency officer position.
  • Continue to fund the Student Environmental Alliance Summit.
  • Perform a comprehensive energy audit of all existing buildings.
  • Purchase solar energy through Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs).
  • Begin purchasing Electric Vehicles (EVs) and electric grounds maintenance equipment.
  • Fund a baseline assessment for food waste.
  • Provide staff funding for expansion of composting pilot programs to more schools.
  • Provide funding for maintaining natural turf fields.
  • Ensure that purchases related to school food packaging lead to less packaging that is destined to
    the landfill by switching to packaging that is compostable, recyclable, or just reduced in amount.
  • Invest in planting more native trees across the school system.

You can read the full comment letter here.

2023 Prince George’s County Green Summit

Posted on by Climate Parents of Prince George's

 

We had a great time at the Prince George’s Green Summit in Hyattsville this Saturday.  It was a great opportunity to talk about PGCPS’s Climate Change Action Plan, the progress being made, and how folks can get involved. Residents are excited to hear that composting is expanding to more schools and that an electric bus lot is being built.  They are also concerned that schools are still being built in flood zones and want to see more climate-friendly food options.

PGCPS Climate Change Action Plan Committee Year-End Report, July 2023

Posted on by Climate Parents of Prince George's

Last month PGCPS released the second progress report on Climate Change Action Plan implementation (CCAP).  Once agin they are showing great progress on many of the CCAP Focus Workgroup recommendations.  Of course, there is always need for more on this very important issue and we will continue to advocate for full implementaiton.

Read the report here.

Testimony to the IAC on May 11, 2023

Posted on by Climate Parents of Prince George's

On May 11, we testified to the Interagency Commission on School Construction (IAC) on the need to develop regulations as directed by the General Assembly in Maryland Education Code Section 5-319 to require solar installation to be analyzed for new buildings and major renovations. The IAC was very receptive to our comments and even stated they are moving towards net-zero school construction. You can watch the video and read our written statement below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lj7EqvjUOAY

Read the comments.

IAC’s response was excellent as well:

“The IAC is moving forward to implement, in coordination with all the other state agencies around the climate change requirements laid out in the recent Climate Solutions Now Act, as well as other statutes recently enacted.  We are looking forward to pushing forward with all the LEAs around net-zero of which we are able to support with a 5% state share as well as solar for other projects in school facilities. This is all part of a larger movement forward.  The IAC is fully on board with those actions.”

 

Comments on the USDA “Revisions to Meal Patterns Consistent with the 2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans”

Posted on by Climate Parents of Prince George's

The USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service issued a major proposal updating school nutrition standards to be based on the latest science.  Our students need access to health meal to learn and climate-friendly foods to reduce our impact on the planet and get PGCPS to net-zero.  We reviewed the proposal and provided the following comments to the USDA to call for healthy, sustainable nutrition standards.

Read the comments.

Comments on the PGCPS Climate Change Action Plan Mid-Year Report 2023

Posted on by Climate Parents of Prince George's


In January 2023 PGCPS issued its first report on the progress they have made in implementing the Climate Change Action Plan.  The report shows excellent progress implementing the plan.  It looks us awhile to digest all of the details in the progress report, but we did and provided feedback to the school system. You can read those comments here.

PGCPS Superintendent Search Committee Testimony

Posted on by Climate Parents of Prince George's

Unfortunately, climate champion and CEO of PGCPS, Dr. Monica Goldson is retiring at the end of the school year. The hiring process is underway for her replacement, and we need to act to make sure the new superintendent will continue her work on implementing the Climate Change Action Plan.

On April 26, County Executive Angela Aslobrooks is hosting a town hall to allow residents to speak on what they want to see in the new superintendent. We spoke out encouraging the hiring committee to ensure that the new superintendent continues Dr. Goldon’s leadership on school climate action and implementing the Climate Change Action Plan.

We also submitted written testimony that you can read here.

Call to Hire a Climate Action Superintendent

Posted on by Climate Parents of Prince George's

Unfortunately, climate champion and CEO of PGCPS, Dr. Monica Goldson is retiring at the end of the school year. The hiring process is underway for her replacement, and we need to act to make sure the new superintendent will continue her work on implementing the Climate Change Action Plan.

On April 26, County Executive Angela Aslobrooks is hosting a town hall to allow residents to speak on what they want to see in the new superintendent. We want to make sure that the new superintendent continues Dr. Goldon’s leadership on school climate action and implementing the Climate Change Action Plan. To do that, we need you to testify on April 26.

Please sign up to testify on April 26 and we get you registered and will be in touch with instructions. Of the things you can do this Earth Month to make your children’s environment better this is high on on the list.

Testimony to PGCPS Board of Education on State Legislation

Posted on by Climate Parents of Prince George's

One March 23, 2023 one of our volunteers attended the Prince George’s Board of Education meeting to thank the Board for supporting state legislation that would make the community solar program permanent and would phase out diesel school buses as well as opposing legislation that would shrink school zones drastically.  He also spoke on the need for dashboards set up by PGCPS to include progress on implementing the Climate Change Action Plan.

Watch the testimony.

https://www.youtube.com/live/bc0jDOkvVNU?feature=share&t=5647

Action Alert – Stop MD SB 11

Posted on by Climate Parents of Prince George's

Unfortunately, the Maryland Senate has decided to prioritize drivers speeding through school zones over students. Even though our students aren’t guaranteed bus service for over a mile in many cases around a school and current law allows school zones to be within 1/2 mile of the school, the Maryland Senate voted to shrink default zones to roads adjacent to a school and within 500 feet of an entrance.  The only recourse is if a traffic engineer determines our children’s safety won’t impede speeding.  This is a bad bill and bad for our children’s safety.  They need safe routes to school and they need SB11 to go down in the House of Delegates.

ACT NOW