Co-Chairs
Schools Advisory Board
Tom Torlakson
California Superintendent
of Public Education
Chet Widom
California State Architect
Colleges Advisory Board
Erik Skinner
Deputy Chancellor
California Community Colleges
Chancellor’s Office
Van Ton-Quinlivan
Vice Chancellor
Economic Development and
Workforce Preparation
California Community Colleges
Chancellor’s Office
Summit at a Glance
Click Here
Pricing Schedule
Click Here
'
2015 Program Guide
Click here
Exhibitors:
Concurrent Session Descriptions
November 2
Technology Showcase
Energy Storage Plus Solar Solution
Adding renewable energy is an effective way to create efficiencies and enhance sustainability. With an energy management system that combines solar plus storage, facilities can rely on stored power during peak times to lower bills.
This session showcases two schools that adopted solar plus energy storage:
North Putnam Community School of Bainbridge, Indiana has grid infrastructure that caps power transmitted back to the grid. Energy storage is used so solar can fulfil most energy requirements while exporting excess power to the grid at a constant rate throughout the day.
Thacher School of Ojai, California uses energy storage to reduce “demand charges,” a fee that accounts for up to 50 percent of a utility bill. The system also serves as backup during outages. They independently produce 91 percent of their consumed energy.
JLM Energy is a renewable energy technology company based in Rocklin. All systems are designed and built in California.
Speaker:
Farid Dibachi, CEO, JLM Energy
Keep California Beautiful K-12 Recycling Challenge
The K-12 School Recycling Challenge Competition is intended for a school to reduce refuse costs while furthering student education through daily engagement with the students by a state wide competition that is designed for a school chart their results either by specific recycling of commodities or be all inclusive of their locations recycling programs which include food waste and composting.
Speaker:
Ray Scott, Board President, Keep California Beautiful
Zero Landfill and Roof Recycling
Over 8 million tons of roofing tear-off waste is dumped in the US landfills each year. Most major metropolitan areas now have mandatory recycling of construction and demolition waste. Corporations are increasingly moving towards building designs that include recyclable, or zero –waste materials. This presentation will assist designers in navigating zero landfill and recycling projects for new construction and retrofit commercialroofing systems.
Speaker:
Joseph Baca, MBA, Regional Manager, Southwest, Tremco Roofing and Building Maintenance
Can Schools Achieve ZNE by 2030 as Required by State Codes?
The State energy codes require all California schools and community colleges to achieve Zero Net Energy (ZNE) or equivalent to zero by 2030. The presentation will discuss how the project team utilized an integrated process to create customized road-map with benchmarks along a workable timeline to achieve ZNE. We will share the hurdles that were overcome and all the successes. How we leveraged investor utility resources and augmented Prop 39 funds to build a holistic focused strategic plan to reduce operations & maintenance costs. Some of our findings were surprising. Typically, the number one energy conservation measure taken is a lighting retrofit project. At the W S Hart High School District we found better energy conservation projects with greater returns on investment. In addition, New Buildings Institute will present strategies for integrating zero net energy into your projects, policies and delivery models.
Speakers:
Mike Otavka, Director of Facilities Planning and Construction, W S Hart Union High School
Bharat Patel, Principal, Harley Ellis Devereaux
Heather Flint Chatto, Principal, New Building Institute
Prop 39
Prop. 39 ABC & XYZ
Prop. 39 has run more than half of its course. It started in fiscal year 2013-2014 and will complete in fiscal year 2017-2018. Many schools are only beginning or have not filed an Energy Expenditure Plan yet. Time is clicking away...fast. CEC recently lowered the Savings-To-Investment Ratio (SIR), which will make the plan easier to implement. Will there be more such adjustments to the guidelines in the future? The presenter district applied for Prop. 39 funding and is ready to implement construction. However, there are gaps in construction cost and scope between the Prop. 39 audit and the real Prop. 39 project. Complying with DSA requirements, nonexistent potential rebates/incentives, district management fee, and construction activities limited by school schedules are a few of the barriers. Is the Lesson Learned to be better and effective in the next EEP, or should we scrap the existing program and start a new one?
Speakers:
Elizabeth Shirakh, Prop 39 Program Manager, California Energy Commission
Samer Alzubaidi, Director, San Bernardino City USD/Facility Design and Planning
Ying Wang, Architect - Sustainability Consultant, Okapi Architecture
Christos Chrysiliou, Director of Architectural & Engineering Services, LAUSD – Facilities Services Division
Proposition 39: CEC Deadline Changes and New Energy Plan Formulas
Mean It's “GO TIME”
The CEC has issued a new FINAL deadline for submitting Proposition 39 energy expenditure plans: August 1, 2017!! Are you still waiting to apply for Proposition 39 funding? Think it’s not enough money to make it worth your while? Don’t know where to begin with surveys or analysis? This workshop is for you. Hear how school districts are making Proposition 39 work and ideas for local education agencies (LEAs) banding together to achieve approvals, leveraging funding and laying the groundwork for more energy savings through master planning.
Hear from school districts and consultant experts who will share their successful experiences in planning for and executing projects with Proposition 39 Clean Energy Jobs Act funding.
Speakers:
Anna Ferrera, Executive Director, School Energy Coalition
Dale McCurry, Energy Manager, Santa Ana Unified
Rick Brown, Terra Verde Renewable Partners
Matt Spence, IES
Kyle Fransden, Balfour Beatty
Energize Schools: Sustainability Projects to Develop STEM Skills
This session is designed to help educators and district leaders get the most out of Prop 39 energy efficiency and conservation projects. Prop 39 has the potential to simultaneously reduce school operating budgets and environmental impact, while engaging students in applied STEM service-learning and leadership. This session will explore how Energize Schools can help high schools throughout California increase student learning by supporting successful energy conservation campaigns and engaging students in meaningful professional development through project-based learning. Attendees will learn about hands-on student projects and instructional resources, including a 2-course series in the CA CTE Energy, Environment & Utilities Sector and project-based learning curriculum units with specific training related to solar, energy efficiency, and energy conservation. Energize Schools provides no-cost curriculum, instructional planning, and direct instructional support to enable teachers to prepare high school students for the energy workforce while maximizing the savings from your Prop 39 funds.
Speakers:
Sophia Zug, Associate Program Manager, Strategic Energy Innovations
Tim Bingham, Program Manager, Strategic Energy Innovations
ZNE
Toward ZNE for Schools: Roadmap with Prop 51 Bond Funding
California has adopted a number of policies to reduce energy use in the interest of lowering greenhouse gases from the building sector including the California Public Utilities Commission’s (CPUC) Long-Term Energy Efficiency Strategic Plan which calls for all new residential construction and all new commercial construction in California to be zero-net energy (ZNE) by 2020 and 2030, respectively. For schools it takes leadership and resources to move in this direction. Proposition 39 has given us a glimpse of what can be achieved through energy efficiency and renewable projects and planning. Many school districts are willing but navigating state rules to attain ZNE status may be a challenge.
Earlier this year, a focus group of 20 energy professionals representing state agencies, utilities, federal and private sectors, recommended a definition of ZNE, which was accepted by the governor’s office for use by state agencies in achieving and reporting on ZNE status for new and existing state buildings: ZNE Source – Produces as much energy as it consumes over the course of a year, when accounted for at the energy generation source.
In this workshop you will hear experts discuss how ZNE for K-12 schools is more attainable than ever before, with Prop 39 funding and Statewide School Bond funding on the horizon – yet some obstacles remain. If these goals are to be achieved in any meaningful way, we need to balance state rules with state renewable and climate change priorities.
Speakers:
Tom Duffy, Coalition for Adequate School Housing (CASH)
Jenny Hannah, CASH Chair and Kern County Superintendent of Schools
Aaron Jobson, Partner, Quattrocchi Kwok Architects (QKA)
Rick Brown, Terra Verde Renewable Partners
Dale McCurry, Energy Manager, Santa Ana Unified
Additional speakers to be announced
Solar Heating and Hot Water – An Essential Part of a Net-Zero School Building
Producing thermal energy for heat and hot water in a green school building, without carbon emissions, requires a renewable energy source. Non-renewable fuels, even for just hot water in a typical 1000-student school, would emit 30 tons of CO2 each year. Eight years ago, the Albuquerque Public School system (APS) created a demonstration project in three, identical elementary schools, using solar thermal panels to reduce the carbon footprint from the production of hot water. Unfortunately, those systems were never proven out, and were subsequently disabled due to a lack of demonstrability and reliability. In 2016, the APS Energy Conservation and Sustainability Strategies group undertook a refurbishment/retrofit/upgrade, including remote monitoring and energy measurements. This presentation tells the story of that successful project, along with data for the system’s current performance. The session will also log-in to the system over the internet, demonstrating some of the system’s unique control and monitoring aspects.
Speakers:
Tony Sparks, Staff Project Manager, Albuquerque Public Schools
Fred Milder, CEO, Solar Logic
Foundation for Success of ZNE Buildings Rests with What Resides
“Behind Closed Doors”
On the horizon of School Construction/Renovations/Performance Contracts (PC), is ZNE. The first step to achieve ZNE was taken in 2007 in California with development of the “Grid Neutral document” for K-12 Schools and CC. The electrical system foundation is the Low Voltage Dry Transformers (LVDT) and impacts the success of achievement of ZNE economically. Note: ZNE building plug load consumption will be up to 50% of total energy. This presentation will provide background on ZNE definitions, legislation, its future and then review how the U.S. DOE over the past 20 years, took actions to improve the efficiency and reduce of energy waste of LVDT’s; and how 2016 DOE LVDT’s can reduce energy consumption in achieving and maintaining ZNE in new construction, success of PC with shorter paybacks, all leading to ZNE buildings now and maintaining ZNE well into the 21st Century.
Speaker:
Lorenz Schoff, Energy Consultant, Energy Efficient Solutions
Workforce Development
Strong Workforce Build to Industry Standards
The California Community Colleges is the largest system of higher education in the nation composed of 72 districts and 113 colleges serving 2.1 million students per year. Community colleges supply workforce training, basic skills education and prepare students for transfer to four-year institutions. The EC&U sector is working to address the disconnect between the required skills and competencies and industry’s need for a qualified workforce. An aging workforce and a lack of qualified applicants is creating a statewide need for effective training and recruitment. Industry needs a robust worker pipeline and programs that bridge skills gaps among incumbent workers. Community colleges are well positioned to deliver education and training toward sustaining growth in the energy efficiency sector through Regional Curriculum and Employability Alignment with Industry Standards.
Speakers:
Jim Caldwell, Sector Navigator, Energy, Construction and Utilities, Doing What Matters
Bruce Noble, Deputy Sector Navigator, Energy, Construction and Utilities, Doing What Matters
Len Pettis,
Deputy Sector Navigator, Energy, Construction and Utilities, Doing What Matters
Building Career Pathways to the Green Economy:
Workforce Development at Pasadena City College
As a participating college in two career pathway trust grant consortia, LA HiTECH (Information Communication Technology) and AMETLL (Advanced Manufacturing Engineering Technology Linked Learning), Pasadena City College is at the forefront of implementing the CCC Chancellor’s Office Doing What Matters and Strong Workforce Program recommendations. This session will outline how these policy recommendations are being integrated into PCC Engineering and Technology programs at the district and regional level. Using Experiential Learning, Integrated Academics, Stackable Credentials and Industry Engagement, PCC Career Pathways are moving towards an integrated system aligned to labor market demands and occupational ladders within green industry sectors. Time will be reserved for questions and discussion.
Speakers:
Salomon Davila, Dean of Economic and Workforce Development, Dean of Division of Engineering and Technology, Pasadena City College
Deborah Bird, Director, Design Technology Pathway, Career Pathway Developer, Pasadena City College
A Sustainable Public-Private Environmental Education Partnership
The Santa Clarita Environmental Education Consortium (SCEEC) is a sustainable, public-private partnership sponsored by Lockheed Martin, College of the Canyons and other community stakeholders. SCEEC’s mission, “improving environmental literacy in the Santa Clarita Valley,” is achieved through three goals: Supporting K-14 schools with EE resources; developing partnerships for its activities; and promoting sustainability. SCEEC holds its premier events in spring and fall. Last November, Lockheed engineers spoke about fusion and wind energy being developed at the Skunk Works® during SCEEC’s Green STEM Summit. Over 200 students were entertained by an environmental magician and gave environmental project presentations. This April, eleven high schools competed in California Envirothon at COC. Envirothon is a great example of STEM and real-world green careers. SCEEC also provides routine EE services, such as teacher mini-grants for environmental projects, student mentoring, and green career presentations. These activities are an essential part of attracting students to job training programs.
Speakers:
Michael Haro, Principal Environmental Engineer, Lockheed Martin
Jia-Yi Cheng-Levine, Director, International Student Program, College of the Canyons
Green Building
The Next 10 Years: Smart Green Schools and Colleges
Public and now private schools and colleges in California (USA too) are all under extreme economic pressure. The elections on the state and national levels are only one large part of the problem. The issue is how? Where is the money? And how do people pay for all of these critical needs? Prop 39 and now other additional bond funds have been voted on in many communities for buildings. However, these financial mechanisms have put families, communities, cities, districts around the state (and now other states in deep long-term debts that will last for decades. More economic support cannot be added without causing financial problems. The only survivors seem to be the Wall Street financial, brokers, lending and bank companies. What are their solutions and others?
Speaker:
Woodrow Clark, Managing Director/Qualitative Economist, Clark Strategic Partners
15 Years of High Performance School Design and Construction
This session will focus primarily on the District’s efforts, achievements, and lessons learned over the last 15 years of High Performance school design and construction. The Los Angeles Unified School District has partnered with Collaborative for High Performance Schools (CHPS) as well as piloted working with Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) criteria to develop and implement standards for resource-efficient schools that enhance student comfort and performance and minimize the impact of its operations on the environment. District schools have since been designed with an array of high performance components, including solar and geothermal energy, reclaimed water, low albedo surfaces, low VOC materials, water efficient fixtures, LED lighting, storm water management, native and drought-tolerant landscaping, and educational tools built directly into school infrastructure. Thus far, there are 101 CHPS Certified LAUSD school projects, 3 LEED Gold Certified and 1 LEED Silver Certified.
Speakers:
Jennifer Natividad, Sustainability Specialist, Los Angeles Unified School District
Christos Chrysiliou, Director of Architecture and Engineering, Los Angeles Unified School District
CHPS PreFAB: A Fast, Affordable Solution for Schools Wanting Healthy, High Performance Prefabricated Classrooms Pre-Verified to CHPS Criteria
Budget-strapped school districts have limited funds to modernize their facilities, leaving many California students to learn in outdated, even unhealthy, classrooms. This workshop presents a solution to Districts’ modernization and expansion needs, introducing CHPS PreFAB classrooms as a cost-effective way to build high quality prefabricated classroom buildings that meet the Collaborative for High Performance Schools’ (CHPS) stringent standards for indoor environmental quality, energy efficiency, responsible materials and other sustainable attributes that help students learn and thrive. The workshop will explore permanent modular construction as a practical alternative to conventional construction and review the benefits the CHPS PreFAB program offers to schools and Districts looking to update and expand facilities with CHPS pre-verified classroom buildings. Workshop leaders will guide participants through the PreFAB process and show how streamlined design and DSA pre-approval expedites delivery to meet a school’s immediate needs, while allowing customization to individual specs.
Speakers:
Stephany Mason, Program Manager, Collaborative for High Performance Schools
Casino Fajardo, Director of Construction and Modernization, Morgan Hill Unified School District
John Zinner, Zinner Consultants
Potpourri
A Conversation with California Green Ribbon Schools Honorees
Pulling together lessons learned from DSA’s 7x7x7 Initiative, five cohorts of U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools (ED-GRS), and school-based sustainability efforts in public and private schools, this session will spotlight replicable best practices at two schools in an engaging conversation-style format.
Moderator:
Lesley Taylor, Field Representative, School Administration, California Department of Education
Pauline Souza, National Green Schools Committee Chair, USGBC Center for Green Schools
Andra Yeghoian, Director of Sustainability, Bishop O’Dowd High School
Jeff Rivero, Social Science Teacher, Yosemite High School
Transforming Ego-Districts into Eco-Districts
Envision the environment where you’d like to live and work: A place that is beautiful, clean and safe. Streets are easy and walkable – with multiple transportation options, accessible parks, greenspace, and a menu of public services. In this session we recognize that collaboratively, developers of different types, including school Districts, can achieve more together than separately. Eco-Districts are neighborhood scale public-civic and public-private partnerships that strengthen the economy and reduce environmental impacts while creating a stronger sense of place and community. There are protocols in place including goals, objectives, and indicators used to scope and define a district’s sustainability agenda. Public School campuses can be leveraged to realize deeper benefits for its broader locale, while achieving strategic goals for increased Equity, Resilience, and Climate Protection. Across California, communities are piloting partnerships, with schools at their center, that will transform how we see our own campuses in a wider context.
Speakers:
John Diffenderfer, Principal, Aedis Architects
Eric Corey Freed, Director of Business Development and Partnerships, EcoDistricts
Turn Your Key, Be Idle Free! No Idle Zone with Grades of Green
At GradesofGreen.org, there are 40+ student focused Environmental Education Activities. One of the most successful choices is the No Idle Zone Activity which focuses on reducing carbon emissions and helping students breathe cleaner air. The step by step instructions for Grades of Green’s No Idle Zone Activity on the website provide anyone with the tools they need to implement No Idle Zones at their schools. Grades of Green introduced one of our students who tackled the No Idle Zone Activity, Antonio, to Assembly-member David Hadley, who wrote and carried a state-wide Resolution to encourage No Idle Zones at all California schools. ACR 160 passed unanimously on the California State Assembly floor and is headed to the state Senate and then to the Governor’s desk for signing into law. Once passed, it will result in 6 million students breathing cleaner air, all because Grades of Green inspired this one student’s mind.
Speakers:
Megan Gleason, Program Coordinator, Grades of Green
Antonio Jorgenson, Grades of Green
Maxine Finster, Grades of Green
Elise Yee, Grades of Green
November 3
Technology Showcase
Schools and Energy Independence
How prepared are your schools for a natural disaster? Thousands of power outages occur annually due to fires, storms, extreme heat, earthquakes and disasters. With Net Zero Plus, you can learn how your schools can maintain uninterrupted power during power outages or rolling black-outs using solar and energy storage systems. IBEW/NECA Net Zero Plus, Electrical Training Institute has revolutionized the way buildings use, produce, store and sell energy. In this session you will learn about buildings as energy solution providers via a comprehensive strategy involving the way buildings use, produce, store and monitor energy. Of additional importance to school administrators is the ability to operate independently during a natural disaster, providing power and a source of refuge to the community in times of need.
Speaker:
Jennifer Kropke, Energy Efficiency Work Force Development Chair, IBEW Local 11
The TLED Lighting Revolution
The speakers will discuss the technology as well as the application of a new generation of Tubular LEDs (“TLEDs”) that can replace fluorescents with fewer than half the watts, at greater than four times the life, while paying for themselves through savings in less than two years. In addition the speakers will discuss how the new TLED sources offer not only the potential for dramatic improvements in lighting quality but “lighting wellness” as well through the creation of a more “sun-like” spectrum compared to fluorescents, and flicker removal.
Speakers:
John Davenport, Executive Director, Energy Focus
Janna Mino, Research Analyst, Energy Focus
Prop 39 Expenditure Plans: Moving from Audits to Approval
Prop 39 expenditures plans are a sticking point for many school districts. In this session, we will cover the lessons learned from working with how Long Beach Unified School District, the third largest school district in California, on their $6.8 million phase I expenditure plan. Leveraged funding, the role of consultative partners and plans for phase II of the plan will be covered.
Speakers:
Gabriel Peredo, Senior Program Manager, Richard Heath and Associates
Arash Mir, Director, K-12 Education, ARCADIS
Water Conservation
Solving the Water Crisis on Your Campus
California has entered a period of unprecedented water uncertainty. Besides the current five-year drought, recent studies have found unhealthy, contaminated water at several schools around the state. Unreliable water supplies, coupled with uncertain water quality, are an operational challenge to schools today and will continue into the future. At this session, longtime sustainability consultant Ryan McEvoy will examine a variety of potential solutions to the water crisis. Ryan will illuminate the basic mechanics of technologies like atmospheric water generation and compare them to the price, environmental impacts, and quality of more traditional ways of providing water. As wrangling continues over California’s water sources and concern mounts about water quality, schools are beginning to test methods such as atmospheric water generation as part of an overall approach to campus water management. This session will demonstrate how various methods could give schools the capacity to provide for their water needs independently on-site.
Speaker:
Ryan McEvoy, Founder, Principal, Gaia
Managing Water (Conservation and Quality) for Schools
With California’s water supplies becoming more scarce and costly, it’s more important than ever to preserve and protect this precious resource. While codes are fairly prescriptive for buildings, the options for site water management vary throughout the state. Are planners stuck with using artificial turf to save water and expensive treatment systems to clean runoff… or are there other options? How can schools balance site water regulations with space needs for new classrooms and learning environments? In this session, designers will talk about these items through case studies and lessons learned, as well as discuss practical considerations for both new construction and existing renovations. Attendees will learn how well-planned water conservation and quality measures not only “fulfill the rules”, but can contribute to a more inviting learning environment for your students.
Speaker:
Cynthia Harkness, Project Engineer, LPA Inc.
Update on Water Efficiency Incentives, Supply and Regulations
This session will talk about what's new in water efficiency incentives for schools and others. Also, current water supply situation and water regulations.
Speaker:
Bill McDonnell,
Water Efficiency Manager, Metropollitan Water District
Energy
Let it Shine: The 6000-Year Story of Solar Energy
This session, from the author of Let It Shine: The 6000-Year Story of Solar Energy, will provide a comprehensive account of the development and application of solar techniques throughout time. Houses have been designed since Neolithic times to scoop up sunlight in winter, and over the last three thousand years people have used solar concentrators to focus sunlight to light fires, solder metal and run steam engines. As far back as the 1870s, scientists and technologists discovered and used certain solid state materials to convert sunlight directly into electricity. Solar literacy allows for making better choices in using the sun for heat and power, allowing for making more informed choices about solar projects, as this approach provides a better understanding of the current state of the technology and its potential, as well as lessons learned to avoid costly past mistakes.
Speaker:
John Perlin, PhD, Research Scholar, Department of Physics, UC Santa Barbara
Leveraging Prop 39 with Other Funding Sources
Prop 39 provides funding for energy efficiency, demand response and renewable energy generation, however, districts have identified more need then available funding. Learn how districts can leverage their Prop 39 funding with other funding sources to create a larger project, include deferred maintenance items, and make a larger impact to better the learning environment while further reducing operating expenses.
Speakers:
John Burdette, Account Executive, Bundled Energy Solutions, ABM Building Solutions, LLC
Kecia Davison, Vice President, Bundled Energy Solutions, ABM Building Solutions, LLC
Master Planning + Sustainability = Long-Term Savings
Incorporating sustainability into campus master-planning positions your school to maximize environmental performance, regulatory compliance and operational efficiency. In this session presenters will show how—as water and energy become ever more critical—a master plan integrating sustainability helps guide efficient resource use and leads to savings over the long-term.
Typical activities covered by a master plan—land management and space allocation as well as development and renewal of facilities—all have a measurable environmental footprint. Presenters will discuss how Integrating sustainability can help you manage the impacts of these activities while allowing for continuous adaptation to educational and organizational needs.
Incorporated into your master plan, sustainability guidelines inform how your school moves through constructing, demolishing, occupying and operating facilities over many years. This session will demonstrate how master planning with sustainability can save money, improve stewardship and help manage present and future campus impacts.
Speakers:
Ryan McEvoy, Founder/Principal, Gaia
Joe Pica, Founder/Principal, Pica + Sullivan Architects Ltd.
Curriculum
Implementing a Green Curriculum: Strategies and Success Stories
Sustainability is being implemented into K-12 curriculum and being tied to state standards at all grade levels across California. Our students are actively engaged in addressing environmental issues in their schools and communities. Though often the ties to science standards are emphasized, green curriculum bridges across all subject areas, encourages holistic thinking and offers opportunities for creative problem solving. Community engagement, service projects and service learning are an essential elements of green curriculum and give students the opportunities to address real world problems.
The panel brings together teachers that are implementing green curriculum from several California school districts. Each panelist will briefly describe their individual perspective and experiences. Each statement will include the panelist’s opinion of the idea of green curriculum and how to overcome any obstacles that they have experienced.
Speakers:
Duke Graham, Principal, Argento/Graham
Xochitl Gilkeson, English Teacher, El Camino Real Charter High School
Jennifer Suzara-Cheng, Science Department, San Pedro High School
Curtis Ward, Classroom Teacher, LAUSD/Porter Middle School
Teacher-Student Activism 101
This how-to workshop aims to help teachers and students identify and mitigate real environmental issues. After brainstorming ways to be part of the solutions, teachers and students will be given tips on how best to achieve all levels of participation, from low level actions, such as role modeling positive behaviors and products, to higher level actions, like launching environmental school clubs and service learning projects. This workshop will further assist higher level teacher-student teams in designing and executing solution-based campaigns/projects while addressing common hurdles to progress. Attendees will design, present, and receive feedback on their own teacher-supported, student-driven project as they seek to optimize and leverage their group’s research (collected data), social networking, PSA videos, press releases, art displays, advocacy through public speaking, and other service learning and educational outreach initiatives.
Speakers:
Benjamin Kay, Santa Monica High School, Santa Monica College, Team Marine
Zoe Parcells, Student, Team Marine
STEAMing Down River
Based on the neighboring river's meander, and the history of the surrounding Chumash Native American Tribe, a new K-8 STEAM campus will bring unique learning options to a formerly undeserved population. The discussion will touch on four main points: outdoor classroom curriculum, design concept and development, integrating landscape, and integrating history.
Speakers:
Rachel Adams, Managing Principal, Architecture for Education Incorporated
Gaylaird Christopher, President, Architecture for Education Incorporated
John Puglisi, Superintendent, Rio School District
Olivia Graf Doyle, Design Principal, Architecture for Education Incorporated
Facilities/Green Culture
Cultivating Successful School Gardens: A Guide for Secondary Schools
Learn strategic pathways for developing school gardens that connect secondary students with local ecosystems and sustainable food systems. Bishop O’Dowd High School, located in East Oakland, has worked for over 15 years to truly dissolve the walls between the classroom and the natural world through the Living Laboratory, a dynamic model of environmental restoration, ecological agriculture, and sustainable systems. The Living Lab provides the ideal academic, physical, and spiritual setting for applied and experiential learning, reflective and inspirational activities, team projects, investigative activities, and cross-curricular collaboration. Additionally, it serves as a catalyst for sustainability initiatives across the campus, curriculum, and community. Come learn of the challenges and successes throughout O’Dowd’s journey, and the most recent infrastructure and program development. Leave with practical tips for engaging students in farming small, dreaming big, and planting native at your own school site.
Speakers:
Andra Yehoian, Director of Sustainability, Bishop O’Dowd High School
Jeremy Pearson, Ecological Gardener, Bishop O’Dowd High School
Annie Prutzman, Naturalist and Garden Educator, Bishop O’Dowd High School
Biophilic Design for Health and Well-being: Educational Environments
for ALL Generations
The iGeneration student is a digital native, prefers video over text, and understands the devastating effects of climate change. Barraged by information and constant multi-tasking, students (and teachers) understandably get stressed out, sick, and lose focus. Biophilia is the instinctive bond between human beings and other living systems. Biophilic design features capitalize on our love of nature to reduce stress, improve cognition and enhance emotions and mood. These benefits have been studied and proven in corporate office and healthcare environments. Education is next. Students, teachers, administrators, and staff of ALL generations can thrive in educational environments that literally improve health and well-being. This session will present scientific evidence gathered by Terrapin Bright Green in their seminal white paper 14 Patterns of Biophilic Design, and give you the tools to incorporate biophilic design features on your campuses, that are economical, and easy to implement and maintain.
Speakers:
Anna Harrison, Senior Design Specialist, Aedis Architects
Katherine Anderson, Glumac
How to Conduct a Leftover Food Assessment at K-12 Schools
Many K-12 schools generate significant amounts of leftovers from cafeteria lunches. According to the Harvard School of Public Health, wasted food in schools is estimated at $1 billion annually. Post-consumer leftover food assessments are an effective way to learn how much and which kinds of cafeteria foods students throw away. Moreover, the assessments identify why the students are leaving partially eaten food on their trays. The data gained from an assessment can help schools develop strategies to reduce food waste. The speaker will demonstrate the step-by-step process for conducting a K-12 Lunchtime Leftover Food & Beverage Assessment, including the team needed for performing the assessment, how to conduct all aspects of the assessment, the low-budget equipment needed, and how to prepare the assessment report and recommendations. The speaker will base his presentation on six K-12 lunch-time leftover food & beverage assessments he completed in Southern CA in 2016.
Speaker:
Andre Villasenor, Environmental Protection Specialist, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Potpourri
Beyond the Green Ribbon; Turning Environmental Best Practices into an
Eco-Literacy Standard
You've installed green upgrades, built your garden, and adopted sustainable policies. Now it's time turn those actions into a green learning culture. Hear how a National Green Ribbon School District is ensuring their green efforts touch every student with eco-literacy programs that create awareness and empower students to take action. Setting up successful environmental curriculum takes top-down support, creative planning and sometimes a leap of faith, but the results are worth it as we create a generation ready to tackle climate change and a host of other environmental issues. Key EUSD administrators will explain how they maximize multi-disciplinary learning experiences with students while at the same time empower students to lower the district’s carbon footprint, grow food for the school lunch program, and advocate for energy efficiency and storm water protection.
Speakers:
Camille Sowinksi, Environmental Consultant, Encinitas Union School District
Mim Michlove, Director, Farm Lab, Encinitas Union School District
Jodi Greenberger, Principal, Park Dale Lane Elementary School
ZEV School Buses - They're Here & Possibly Free
The Clinton Global Initiative EV School Bus Team will provide an overview of EV School buses in California and their economic/cost effective inclusion in school bus fleets. The session will focus on how EV School Bus not only benefit student health/air quality, but can also support the California utility grid and pave the way for electrification of other types of heavy-duty vehicles. Other areas that will be covered include grant programs to pay for ZEV school buses, the case for repowering existing buses vs. prospects for new-build EV buses, and the infrastructure needs.
Speakers:
Kevin Matthews, Managing Director/Co-project Director, National Strategies/Clinton Global Initiative EV V2G School Bus Commitment
Stephen Crolius, Vice President/Co-project Director, Alliance Consulting/Clinton Global Initiative EV V2G School Bus Commitment
Joshua Goldman, Vice President, Business Development
Niki de Leon, Niki de Leon, eVgo
Readily Available Financing Options for Million-Dollar
Transformational Energy Upgrades
With fiscal challenges of statewide education plaguing most California districts, some cash-strapped schools have realized an opportunity to power success through the Clean Energy Jobs Act (Prop 39). Forward-thinking districts have implemented energy-related modernization programs that create impact beyond the four walls of school buildings, without tapping taxpayer dollars. Learn firsthand how La Mesa-Spring Valley School District is augmenting Prop 39 funding with utility rebates and incentives like on-bill financing to maximize the outcomes and savings of a transformational project focused on improving the learning environment. Find out how cutting-edge facilities upgrades prolong the lifetime of assets and translate into meaningful learning opportunities in the classroom. Understand how an innovative program can be made a reality at your District, helping your Administration find opportunity despite budgetary limitations to generate millions in General Fund savings that can be reinvested back into classrooms.
Speaker:
Crista Curtis, Business Development Manager, OpTerra Energy Services
