Adding solar panels and energy-efficient heating and cooling to schools and converting to electric buses are among the changes high school students say Naperville District 203 and Indian Prairie District 204 should consider adopting.
A survey done by youth members of the Naperville Environment and Sustainability Task Force found 83% of the respondents support the installation of solar panels and the efficient heating and cooling of buildings to reduce utility costs and the carbon footprint of schools in both districts.
In addition, 78% of respondents said the districts should transition to electric buses, something District 203 is considerig with purchase of four.
Cathy Clarkin, co-chair of the task force known as NEST and executive director of Accelerate Climate Solutions, said the NEST Youth and School District Engagement teams met with administrators in both districts to learn about their sustainability efforts.
While education is the mission of the districts, Clarkin said administrators told NEST they would need strong community support before pursuing large capital projects.
Left wondering what they could do to speed progress of initiatives to reduce schools’ impact on the environment and the climate, NEST Youth developed a school sustainability survey to gauge community support, she said.
“The NEST Youth team did an amazing job of coming up with questions that get to the heart of what schools can be doing to move toward low carbon emissions and to support ecosystems,” Clarkin said.
The results were tabulated from a community survey conducted January through March that garnered 1,090 responses from District 203 and 204 students, teachers and staff as well as parents and other residents of the districts.
Those surveyed included 901 students, 49 teachers, 107 parents, 18 staff or administrators and 28 community members. Some of the respondents were counted in multiple categories, such as parents who are teachers.
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District 204 high school students presented their findings earlier this month at an Indian Prairie School Board meeting, and Naperville Central and Naperville North students are expected to do the same at the District 203 School Board meeting Monday.
Riley Leu, a senior at D204’s Metea Valley High School and co-chair of the NEST Youth team, said students are worried about the climate crisis and want to ensure leaders are working toward reducing carbon emissions.
The hope, she said, is both school districts will take action on the survey results.
Leu told the District 204 board that though the measures like solar panels would have an initial cost, the payoff would be in the reduction in greenhouse admissions and reduced electric charges.
“We encourage you to act on the findings of the survey because of not only the economic benefit and current support, but because of how it will affect future generations,” Leu said.
Additional survey results show support for other sustainability initiatives, such as:
70% support planting native wildflower gardens;
63% support adding edible gardens;
63% support composting;
60% support replacing cafeteria plastic and polystyrene foam with reusable items.