PUHSD Sustainability Initiative Rationale *

PUHSD recognizes that there is a tremendous opportunity to better achieve its mission and strategic goals by embracing a Sustainability Initiative.  This program will strive to teach the entire PUHSD community about environmental, economic, and social sustainability.  The curriculum components of this program will align with Arizona educational standards; integrate environmental education into curricula; and support students to become leaders in making their own school and community a healthier and more ecologically friendly place.   Specifically, schools have the potential to make positive, tangible change in the world while teaching students to be stewards of their communities and the earth.

In addition to curriculum integration, schools are important consumers of natural resources, including energy, water, food, and paper, and generators of waste materials, including garbage, runoff, and air emissions, which contribute to the world's larger environmental problems like climate change, water and air pollution, and habitat destruction.   Thus PUHSD recognizes a considerable opportunity through its purchasing power to improve both the environment and its financial bottom line.

This sustainability initiative will build upon all the excellent work already underway in the district in the areas of curriculum, maintenance, district support and new school construction, undertaken by teachers, students, administrators, custodians, parents, nurses, coaches and others.  Furthermore, this plan will provide an overarching framework that will create a long-term, inspiring vision that integrates and strengthens many efforts in our district.

Additionally, it is clearly recognized that fully implementing this initiative will take time, and must be achieved in stages.  Specifically, in order to promote healthier, more sustainable schools, and to better meet the district mission and strategic goals, PUHSD will develop a sustainability action plan.  This plan will facilitate a proactive sustainability policy that includes the following to be prioritized and implemented step by step:

• A district-wide plan to improve the energy efficiency of schools, encourage conservation efforts, and research clean renewable energy technologies such as solar.
• A district-wide plan to improve the water efficiency of schools, encourage conservation efforts, and research water conservation technologies such as low flow fixtures and "smart" watering technologies.
• The creation of district-wide recycling program, along with efforts to increase the procurement of recycled office and classroom supplies when economically feasible.
• A continuation of district-wide efforts to support employee health, job satisfaction, and retention.
• A program to encourage that new schools are built and existing schools refurbished following Healthy, High Performance school building criteria that prioritize the use of environmentally sound building material, efficient use of energy, water and other resources, and the creation of a healthy learning environment for children.
• Adopt frameworks that meet Arizona state standards and integrate environmental and sustainability education and student participation into school-wide environmental initiatives, using partnerships with environmental education providers (non-profit and public agencies).

*Derived from THINKING BIG ABOUT ECOLOGICAL SUSTAINABILITY, CHILDREN'S ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH AND K-12 EDUCATION IN THE USA The Green Schools Initiative www.greenschools.net