Building for the Future: Climate Change Mitigation & Adaptation in Schools

The nation’s public education sector includes 98,000 public school buildings, 2 million acres of land, and 480,000 school buses - the largest mass transit fleet in the country. Currently, school infrastructure earned a D+ on America’s infrastructure report card, but investments in schools can accelerate the transition to a clean economy, create good jobs now, and help advance a more sustainable, resilient, and equitable society.

Join K12 Climate Action, the American Federation of Teachers, the National Education Association, Sierra Club, and World Resources Institute for a two-part event to learn about the opportunities to make school buildings, grounds, and transportation models for sustainability. Hear from infrastructure experts, community leaders, and policymakers from around the country over the course of two days.

Day 1 (May 11, video above):

• Welcome remarks by Secretary John B. King Jr. and Governor Christine Todd Whitman
• Keynote address by Chairman Bobby Scott of the House Committee on Education and Labor
• Expert panel on school buildings
• Keynote conversation with Mayor Francis Suarez of Miami and Rep. Carlos Curbelo
• Expert panel on sustainable school grounds and green schoolyards

Day 2 (May 13, video below):

• Welcome remarks by Secretary John B. King Jr. and Governor Christine Todd Whitman
• Keynote conversation with U.S. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona, U.S. EPA Administrator Michael Regan, AFT President Randi Weingarten, and NEA Vice President Princess Moss
• Expert panel on electric school buses