At the Green California Schools Summit this week in Pasadena, Carl Pope, Chairman of the Sierra Club, called for a green revolution in our school systems that would both ensure the well-being of children and spur economic growth. “Every kid deserves a place to muck around. Education doesn’t have to take place in a building. Kids learn better when they are outdoors,” said Pope. And he urged an addition of training in the trades to current educational priorities that would help renew the American blue collar economy, “Bring making things back into our schools. Part of education is not just thinking about things, but making things.”
During the opening session State Superintendent of Public Instruction, Tom Torlakson, also spoke of the potential economic benefits of green investing in our schools. “For every billion dollars invested into the infrastructure of our schools, we create 10,000 jobs.” Torlakson mentioned the recently released “Schools of the Future” report, the identified need for a California Environmental Literacy Plan, and the state’s overall obligation to deliver quality education to all children. “The California dream includes the desire for a better life for our children and a key part of this California promise is education.”
The Green California Schools Summit, organized by Green Technology, was held in conjunction with the Green Community Colleges Summit at the Pasadena Convention Center on October 17-18. Hundreds of educational professionals attended the two-day event, which included sessions on topics ranging from energy efficiency to edible school gardens, along with an exhibit hall of green products and services. A special leadership awards ceremony honored Senator Fran Pavley, author of legislation that led to the creation of the California Education and Environmental Initiative.
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