New environmental policy is on the horizon in San Mateo. On March 11, during the San Mateo Union High School District board meeting’s session for public comment, San Mateo High School junior Atiya Shah urged the board to agendize a discussion of a climate resolution for the scheduled April 1 meeting. This resolution, similar to those passed at local and state levels, declared a state of climate emergency within the district and highlighted actions that they would take to prioritize sustainability and environmental concerns. It passed unanimously on April 1.
Shah represented the San Mateo County Youth Commission as the Environmental Justice Committee’s co-chair. The SMCYC consists of five subcommittees, including environmental justice, and focuses on including youth perspectives on county issues. In their presentation to the board, the group aimed to emphasize the urgency and importance of passing a declaration.
The declaration of a climate emergency outlines the sensitivity of the issue and holds the board accountable for not only passing the document but committing to the creation of the climate action plan. This action plan must address points such as green buildings and grounds, the addition of climate literacy and advocacy to curriculum and attention to campus biodiversity.
For the student leaders, the climate resolution is anything but the end of their efforts towards reaching sustainability on a district level. During the 2020-2021 school year, the San Mateo County Office of Education and the SMUHSD partnered to create a sustainability committee comprised of students, faculty and community members. The committee worked on creating the climate resolution with long term action items, goals and the district’s budget in mind. A declaration would commit the group to following through with suggested projects. It was this committee that led Shah, Mills senior Lilian Chang and junior Maram Ahmed towards their public comment on March 11.
“[The declaration] outlines the importance of declaring [a] climate emergency and what aspects of the climate emergency the school district will be committed to providing further initiatives [for] or to working on creating action items,” Chang said.
Students are urging the district to utilize existing policy on sustainability, as well as focus on key points such as green energy, climate literacy and the sustainable management of waste.
The SMCYC originally developed the climate resolution as a resource that any school district could implement and adapt based on its needs. After the creation of the sustainability committee demonstrated momentum and traction at the district level, the action plan was personalized to the SMUHSD and brought to the board.
“We talk a lot about all the different … small fixes we’ll do here and there to create a more sustainable district,” Shah said. “This declaration will really formalize and [publicize our goals] so that people know what’s going on … [and] that we’re actually attempting … to make a difference.”
Additionally, the climate resolution ensures greater transparency regarding the measures taken on a district level. The resolution intends to make policy more accessible and understandable to all district stakeholders, including students and families.
“It’s super important that we have a formal call to action because the district should be really transparent with students, faculty and parents about what they’re doing on campus to be more sustainable,” Shah said.
These action items will center the results of baseline audits on each district site to evaluate the current sustainability practices and waste. These audits were conducted by the sustainability committee and ended in March 2021. Aragon was evaluated as the first school to include environmental responsibility within its student conduct guidelines, and one of the first sites to include tri-bin waste sorting on campus. On campus, the Eco-Action Club has examined the three bin waste system and its current efficiency and found that it is underutilized and in need of improvement.
“I would hope for this to go beyond just the district,” said senior Eco-Action Club Secretary Joshua Wing. “Obviously it’s great for schools to be more aware of their carbon footprints and how they’re affecting that, but we’re not just students. We’re also citizens.”
Going forward, as site sustainability coordinator positions are filled and the climate action plan is drafted, an emphasis is being placed on the impact this resolution will have on a larger scale.
“We are waiting for [students] to bring their ideas to … sustainability facilitators,” Ahmed said. “[Students should] talk to peers [and]adults and [not get] discouraged when [their] ideas are met with resistance because usually this resistance is for the benefit of [their] project.”
Nearby district students may use the momentum of this resolution to jumpstart their own. The Sequoia Union High School District unanimously passed their version of the declaration on April 28, following student-led advocacy. As the climate crisis worsens, activists hope that more institutions will recognize its severity and implement policy to combat their own carbon emissions. Students believe that by visibly advocating for the environment within local communities, young people can be inspired to jumpstart change.
