1.12 Climate Mitigation and Planning: District/School has assessed their greenhouse gas emissions, planned for their reduction, and is taking action toward that goal.

About

Carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases cause global warming by trapping heat in what is called the “greenhouse effect”. The warming atmosphere is harmful for many reasons, including, but not limited to, more severe and unpredictable weather patterns, more natural disasters, rising ocean levels, more heat-related illnesses and deaths, worsening air pollution, wildlife extinction, and more. Cutting back on greenhouse gases is undeniably important if we hope to stop global warming before the effects become completely irreversible. How do we do that? By switching to clean energy sources, using more energy-efficient systems, using clean materials and equipment, locally sourcing products, educating the next generation, etc.  

Both cutting back on emissions and protecting and restoring natural carbon sinks/areas that absorb carbon. Nationally, K-12 schools account for 7.7% of primary energy use in commercial buildings, producing about 18 coal-plant-worth of CO2 emissions a year. According to the Sierra Club’s Clean Schools Toolkit, that amount is equivalent to 15.4 million cars’ worth of emissions, or roughly 17 million metric tons of CO₂ annually (Sierra Club, 2021). If these emissions can be reduced by even 5%, that would reduce CO2 emissions by 850,000 metric tons a year.

Vision and Benefits

These decarbonization best practices aim to create a future in which Minnesota schools are minimal contributors to greenhouse gas emissions. Not only can schools that adopt these best practices benefit the environment, but they can also benefit themselves through reduced energy costs and stronger community connections. Currently, K-12 schools spend about $8 billion annually nationwide on energy, $2 billion of which can be saved by improving energy efficiency and decreasing emissions.

Who's Doing It?

Implement Best Practice Actions in a Project

Select Best Practice Actions (BPAs) to work on and complete

Review the list of actions that can be taken to shift your district or school toward improved Climate Mitigation and Planning. Start by documenting practices already in place at the school. Choose the practices that best suit the school's opportunities and other considerations. (You may wish to use the datasheet for this best practice to support your planning once available.)

A. Assess Emissions

1. • Collect Documents: Collect as many of the following documents as possible for future reference:

     1. District goals

     2. Technical specifications for district facilities

     3. Procurement requirements

     4. Owners' project requirements (OPR)

     5. Energy or carbon report to the school board

     6. School district organizational chart

     7. Facilities, characteristics, and equipment lists

     8. Facility master plans and assessments

     9. Benchmarking information

     10. Capital project plans, including bond planning documents

     11. Operations and maintenance (O&M) requirements

     12. Fleet vehicle fuel use information

     13. City or state-level energy codes

     14. Refer to the Decarbonization Roadmap Planner table 1

1. • Track Emissions: Use ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager to track energy usage and emissions throughout your buildings.
     https://www.energystar.gov/buildings/benchmark

   • Calculate Your School Carbon Footprint:
     Calculate your carbon footprint using one of the following: Jersey Schools, GHG, EPA.

B. Overall Performance and Impact

B.1 Establish a Performance Monitoring Practice with Baseline

• Looking at performance metrics for this best practice that are used at the school and other potential metrics, establish a baseline reference year and a regular practice (at least yearly) to monitor the performance of this best practice.

• Establish a Baseline: Establish a baseline to compare energy usage and emissions to.

  • Ex. A baseline of 2023 means you will be comparing current and future emissions to your 2023 emissions to track improvement 

Performance Metrics to Consider:

• Performance Metric: Quantify Greenhouse Gas Emissions Intensity measured in metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent per student), targeting an annual decline matching state milestones. 

Many areas impact greenhouse gas emissions. For example, The following performance metrics would be recorded under their respective best practice sections, but they will  impact the emissions for the school.

• Performance Metric: Track and reduce total Weather-Normalized Energy Use Intensity (EUI) in kBtu/ft² annually.

• Performance Metric: Measure the waste diversion rate percentage, with a set target of diverting a percentage of organic material away from landfills via composting programs to curb fugitive methane. 

B.2 Track and Improve Performance

• Using the established baseline and performance monitoring practices, track performance improvements over time relative to baseline use. Where possible, identify the relationship between actions and overall impact improvements. 

B.3 Complete Performance Planning 

• Conduct an analysis of current performance and the impacts and set a strategic plan for how to transition the school over time to bold goals for ideal performance and identify the direct and indirect impacts considering environmental impacts, cost impacts, health, and educational benefits. 

• Adopt Climate Goals:
  “Climate Goals: Newly adopt or strengthen existing climate or energy goal(s) (i.e. renewable energy, GHG emissions, carbon neutral, etc.) with a deadline of 2030 or sooner.” [Gold Leaf CP6]

  • Ex. Getting to zero over time goals (pg 19 NBI Decarbonization Roadmap), specific EUI goals, the portfolio goals referenced in table 9

• Set a Date for Zero-Carbon Electricity:
  Commit to transitioning completely off of fossil fuels and to 100% zero-carbon electricity by a set date.
  
  

B.4  Implement Vision Backcasting

Gather the green team and representatives from staff, students, the community, and resource organizations to imagine how improved [BP NAME] could help us reach our fully sustainable vision for the district and its schools. Make this scenario engaging with sketches or models. Engage youth. 

C. Plan for Reduction

Create a Resolution Prioritizing Climate:
“Climate Priority Resolution: Newly adopt or strengthen a resolution declaring a climate emergency and prioritizing climate action” [Gold Leaf CP8]

1. • 1. Reference the NBI Carbon Neutral Schools Resolution template

   • Adopt Climate Action Plan:
     “Climate Action Plan: Adopt a new or updated Climate Action Plan or be part of a regional Climate Action Plan effort (document participation).” [Gold Leaf CP7]

1. • Create a Sustainable Building/Renovation Policy:
     “Sustainable Building/ Renovation Policy: Customize a model sustainable building/renovation policy that includes the SB 2030 energy standard and adopt the language to govern private new/renovation projects that: a) receive local/tribal/regional financial support, b) require regulatory approval (planned unit development, conditional use permit, rezoning, variance), or c) are public (i.e. school) projects; OR Require that all buildings be certified/rated under an identified 3rd-party green building framework.” [Gold Leaf CP11]

     1. Rewrite Documents: Rewrite the documents collected in A1 to be mindful of the goals from B2

        1. OPR for new buildings should include EUI criteria.

        2. Technical Specifications should be updated with sustainability standards.

        3. Procurement plans should mandate efficiency.

        4. Operational policies should include temperature, ventilation, plug loads, and lighting requirements.

        5. When reviewing the facility master plan, consider indoor air quality, energy, and carbon, and perform building assessments that examine the school facilities, their physical characteristics, installed equipment, noting which consumes gas and which are electric, opportunities for renewables, operational hours, occupancy patterns, and other operational practices.

   • Adopt a Land Use Policy:
     “Land Use Policy: Newly adopt or strengthen a policy limiting annexations or infrastructure extensions to encourage infill and redevelopment.” [Gold Leaf CP12]

D. Take Action 

1. • Prepare for Sustainable Construction and Renovation: 

     1. Reference Table 11 in NBI Decarbonization Roadmap Planner

     2. Reference ASHRAE Advanced Energy Design Guide for construction

   • Sustainably Update Systems and Equipment:

     1. Reference Table 12

     2. Reference ASHRAE Advanced Energy Design Guide for construction

   • Operate Buildings Efficiently:
     “Efficient Public Building Operations:  For one government- owned/school building, complete 12 months of facilities operations utilizing the B3/SB 2030 Energy Efficient Operations Manual (B3 EEOM).” [Gold Leaf CM1]

   • Certify a Building:
     “Certified Green Building Operations: Document the certification of a public or private building at gold- equivalent or better under a green building operations framework (such as the LEED O+M rating system).” [Gold Leaf CM2]

   • Construct/Remodel a Building to Meet Green Standards:
     “Public Sustainable Buildings: Document that a public building has been newly constructed or undergone major remodeling and meets/qualifies under the SB 2030 energy standard or a green building or energy framework.” [Gold Leaf CM5]

   • Install a Back-Up Energy System:
     “Back-Up Energy System: Newly installed islanding capability and storage for a clean energy system in a publicly accessible building to provide back-up power that can sustain function during extreme weather events.” [Gold Leaf CA3]

   • Increase Indoor Air Quality:
     5 total air changes per hour (ACH) for high indoor air quality (Air quality BP)

   • Utilize Low Global Warming Refrigerants

   • Hire a Position Dedicated to Climate Action:
     “Climate Staff: Have a new or rehire a paid staff position with climate action as a main responsibility.” [Gold Leaf CP10]

   • Reduce Life Cycle Impacts:
     Choose lower embodied carbon materials in construction, and choose components intended to be reusable or recyclable at the end of their application in the building

   • Reference BP 1.1 and 1.2 for energy actions

   • Reference other “Reduced Environmental Impact and Costs” best practices for more specific actions

E. Youth Club Actions

As part of school green teams, youth can be part of any best practice. Here are ideas for actions that may be particularly suitable for youth club leadership.

• Student Energy Auditing: Train youth clubs to conduct "vampire power" audits using plug-load light meters to identify and label electronics drawing power when classrooms are unoccupied.

• Idle-Free Campaigns: Empower students to design and execute an "Idle-Free Zone" campaign in parent pick-up lanes and bus loading circles, incorporating student-made signage and active air quality sampling.

• Climate Action Week: Organize an annual student-led school showcase tracking the campus carbon footprint, leading peer workshops on how dietary choices and commuting modes alter personal emissions.

Submit Annual Review

The annual review for this best practice includes

• Confirming that Best Practice Actions are still active. (Eg. is equipment still installed and working? Are event or time based actions repeated each year?) 

• Amending the documentation with any changes

• Adding any lessons learned from the prior year to share with others.

To submit the annual review, send in the BP 1.5 Datasheet with updated calendar year in the update column to reflect which BPAs are still active.

GreenStep Advisor

• Contact mngreenstepschools@gmail.com for assistance

Online Resources:

• Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. (n.d.). Gold Leaf Challenge: Actions and goals. Minnesota GreenStep Schools. https://greenstep.pca.state.mn.us/page/gold-leaf-challenge-actions-goals

• New Buildings Institute. (2021). Decarbonization roadmap guide for school building decision makers. https://newbuildings.org/resource/decarbonization-roadmap-guide-for-school-building-decision-makers/

• ASHRAE. (n.d.). Zero Energy Advanced Energy Design Guide (AEDG). https://www.ashrae.org/technical-resources/aedgs/zero-energy-aedg-free-download

• Sustainable Jersey for Schools. (n.d.). Actions. Sustainable Jersey Schools. https://www.sustainablejerseyschools.com/actions/#close

• Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. (n.d.). Cultivate sustainability. Green & Healthy Schools Wisconsin. https://green-and-healthy-schools-wi-dnr.hub.arcgis.com/pages/cultivate-sustainability