The Maryland General Assembly is underway and we have been continuing our work providing support for laws that will lead to greenhouse gas free schools. Of course we do this as part of the Maryland Climate Justice Wing. Here is the second set of the testimony that we have submitted in the 2022 legislative session (the first can be found here and the second can be found here).

If you would like to help us review more bills let please consider volunteering.

The Maryland General Assembly is underway and we have been continuing our work providing support for laws that will lead to greenhouse gas free schools. Of course we do this as part of the Maryland Climate Justice Wing. Here is the second set of the testimony that we have submitted in the 2022 legislative session (the first can be found here).

If you would like to help us review more bills let please consider volunteering.

The Maryland General Assembly is underway and we have been continuing our work providing support for laws that will lead to greenhouse gas free schools. Of course we do this as part of the Maryland Climate Justice Wing. Here is the first set of the testimony that we have submitted in the 2022 legislative session.

If you would like to help us review more bills let please consider volunteering.

We are thankful that we were invited on February 10, 2022 to testify in favor of the Electric School Bus Pilot Program (HB696) sponsored by Delegate David Fraser-Hidalgo (HD-15).  If enacted, this legislation would create a program to create a partnership with utilities and schools to offset the higher costs of electric school buses and allow the batteries in the buses to be used on the grid when not needed for getting kids to of from school. Our lead volunteer spoke of the efforts of Prince George’s County Public Schools to plan for electric buses and on the negative health consequences of diesel pollution on children.

We are thankful that we were invited on February 8, 2022 to testify in favor of the Green School Construction Act of 2022 (HB365) sponsored by Delegate Marc Korman (HD-16).  If enacted, this legislation would prevent the state of Maryland from providing matching dollars for installation of most fossil-fuel equipment in Maryland schools.  Our lead volunteer spoke of the efforts of Prince George’s County Public Schools to switch to fossil fuel free heating and cooling systems and the need for change.

 

On February 3 at Second FY23 PGCPS Budget Listening Session two advocates spoke in favor of having a Sustainability/Resilieny Officer.  Community advocate and County Council candidate Lisa Burnam spoke in favor and additionally in favor of healthy meals for students among other topics.  One of our volunteers spoke in favor and additionally in favor of installing energy management systems in PGCPS buildings. 

We also wanted to say that we support continuing access to alternative learning resources such as those at Community Base Classrooms.

 

On Thursday September 9, 2021 the Board of Education held a public hearing on the Draft 2023-2028 Capital Improvement Plan (CIP).  We provided testimony on the need for all buildings, including those that use Alternative Construction Financing (ACF), need to be LEED Gold and use geothermal heating.  A good number of members of the public also stressed the need for efficiency, healthy, green schools.  It was great public testimony and keep telling PGCPS we need 100% Clean Energy Schools.  You can also watch our testimony.

 

Read the Full Testimony

 

At the PGCPS Board of Education Meeting on July 28 we provided the following testimony thanking the Board for their support of the work of the Climate Change Action Plan Focus Workgroup.

Chair Miller, Vice-chair Williams, and members of the Board I would like to thank you for this opportunity to address you this evening as the lead volunteer of Climate Parents of Prince George’s. 

I would like to thank you for extending the time frame for completion of the Climate Change Focus Workgroup and for adding these three students to the Workgroup. 

The Workgroup has been a huge success to date. In our fact finding we have learned of the importance of addressing equity and diversity in a final climate action plan and approaches for doing so. We have learned of how state and county legislation impacts climate planning for our schools and how we can affect it. We learned how to impact education of the climate in our curriculum. We also heard from the students directly, the students that need us to be successful. Next we will learn of how our climate plan will address staff and others in the unions. 

While we had hoped to complete this work in time for FY22 that unfortunately was too quick.  We do need to integrate our understanding of larger issues with the technological solutions available and the data that represents our school systems buildings, buses, grounds, and meals. We also needed the new group of students to participate since Asia and Nanette, whom have given amazing and thoughtful effort, are moving on to the next stage in their lives. We are thankful that you allowed the workgroup the necessary time, added the new student members, and are glad to see this strong leadership from the Board. 

 

 

The Maryland General Assembly is almost done with their 2021 session and many bills have been brought up that will have an impact on the climate future of our children and future generations. So we have been writing testimony on some of the more important ones as part of the Maryland Climate Justice Wing. Here is the final tranche of the testimony that we have submitted so far in the legislative session.

The other two sets of submitted testimony are here and here.

We were thankful to have been invited by Delegate Jared Solomon (HD-18) to testify in favor of HB 487, the School Pedestrian Safety Act. This bill would require Maryland school districts in high density counties to develop pedestrian safety plans for new and renovated schools.  Please call your State Senators to voice support for HB 487: https://msa.maryland.gov/msa/mdmanual/07leg/html/gacopg.html.

You can watch the testimony here: https://mgahouse.maryland.gov/mga/play/25319de3-6bf0-4fd7-84a3-c72432689d73/?catalog/03e481c7-8a42-4438-a7da-93ff74bdaa4c&playFrom=9101009

Here is the text of our testimony:

Thank you Chair Pinsky, Vice Chair Kagan, and the rest of the Education Health and Environmental Affairs Committee

My name is Joseph Jakuta and I man the lead volunteer with the Climate Parents of Prince George Campaign.

In pre-Covid times, one of the highlights of my mornings, as I was getting ready to go to work, was seeing a train of elementary school children walk past my house. They numbered three when they hit my block and by the time the got to the end it was seven, all cared for by a different set of parents each day. I know that by the time they got to our community school there were over a dozen of children walking together. Getting to know each other. Developing a community., It was healthier for children and encouraged the parents to bond, which fostered even more engagement and improvements to our community school.

But we have the benefit of living in a neighborhood built in 1910, when walking was still the norm. Children in many parts of Prince George’s County and elsewhere in Maryland don’t have that luxury. I know full well growing up in Northern Maryland how dangerous it was to walk to and from school along US One when I missed the bus or when I had to stay late for marching band.

But walking/biking to school is not just something nice to be able to do. Studies that we cited in the written testimony have shown that the increase in physical activity that can come with walking and biking leads to better health and learning outcomes for the children. Waking and biking reduce the pollution associated with car based drop off. For older children it increases the freedom to participate in more activities, while easing the burdens from transporting children on working parents. It is especially important to the children of the 10% of Marylanders and 15% of Marylanders of color that don’t even own a car.

Walking and biking to schools is important for the health, education, well being, and personal growth of our students and tHB 487 leads Maryland down the path towards that goal.

We encourage you to vote favorable on HB 487. Thank you for your time.