Climate Collective

The FUHSD Climate Collective is a dynamic, student-directed team composed of students, teachers, and district leaders, dedicated to addressing the urgent challenges posed by climate change. This collaboration between district stakeholders aims to create meaningful dialogue and action around two pivotal questions:

How can FUHSD enhance climate literacy among students?; and
How can the district minimize its environmental impact?

The collective advocates for sustainable policies and practices throughout district operations while ensuring that students are equipped with the knowledge and skills to confront environmental issues. The group’s initiatives include tracking and reducing the district’s carbon footprint, promoting paper recycling, and providing education on home composting. The collective is also committed to fostering the next generation of environmental stewards through engaging field trips, environmental education lessons and awareness of green tech careers.

In the Summer of 2024, students began to dig deeper into the data and review the district’s energy consumption from the past five years. They created a dashboard that shares information on FUHSD’s carbon footprint that includes widgets demonstrating the difference in energy saved by adjusting classroom thermostats by one degree and the amount of energy consumption offset by our EV chargers.

Core Values

Student-Driven

By design, the FUHSD Climate Collective is student driven. We aim to invite and place youth voices at the forefront of decision making.

Measurable Impact

With a long term vision since its inception, the FUHSD Climate Collective strategically sets short term goals annually with measurable impact. This allows us to address the changing needs of our district.

History

The FUHSD Climate Collective was formed in the Summer of 2023 to establish collaboration between different stakeholders, many of whom were already involved in efforts to improve sustainability. Students across the district had joined forces in 2022 to form a Sustainability Commission and organized Earth Day Festivals in 2023, one at each of the five high schools, to invite the community to engage in dynamic solutions to climate change. In order to fully realize its potential to be a leader in sustainability and empower the next generations of environmental stewards, the FUHSD Superintendent instituted the Climate Collective.

FUHSD Environmental Literacy Learning Objectives

FUHSD Environmental Literacy Learning Objectives

Guided by CA Environmental Principles and Concepts

As a result of my/our lesson/activity, students will (one or more of the following):

● Become more aware of an environmental phenomenon or issue (e.g., climate change, biodiversity loss, deforestation).

● Become more aware of how my subject area contributes to the understanding of environmental topics and issues (e.g., art, languages, science, economics, social studies, language arts).

● Deepen their understanding of knowledge/skills in my content area through an environmental topic or lens (e.g., using data analysis to study environmental trends, reading literature about ecological themes).

● Make a real-world connection between the environment and my subject area (e.g., exploring the environmental implications of historical events or analyzing environmental policy).

● Develop empathy for the environment and for those who are most impacted (e.g., understanding the disproportionate impacts on marginalized communities).

● Develop critical thinking skills to analyze and evaluate environmental issues (e.g., assessing the pros and cons of different energy sources or urban development).

● Learn to collaborate with peers in solving environmental challenges (e.g., group projects or community action initiatives related to sustainability).

● Understand the role of individuals, communities, and governments in environmental stewardship (e.g., how policies, behaviors, and practices affect environmental outcomes).

● Recognize the interconnections between human systems (social, economic, political) and natural systems (e.g., understanding how urbanization affects local ecosystems).

● Take informed actions to reduce personal and collective environmental impact (e.g., reducing waste, conserving energy, or participating in local environmental initiatives).

● Understand the concept of sustainability and how it applies to various aspects of life (e.g., sustainable agriculture, renewable energy, waste reduction).

● Evaluate the ethical implications of environmental decisions (e.g., balancing economic development with environmental protection).

● Be motivated to engage in advocacy or activism around environmental issues (e.g., participating in climate marches, writing to legislators, starting environmental clubs).

● Develop a lifelong interest in environmental stewardship and sustainability (e.g., fostering curiosity to continue learning about environmental topics beyond the classroom).

FUHSD Environmental Literacy Objectives by Content Strand

Science

● Identify and describe major environmental phenomena (e.g., climate change, biodiversity loss, deforestation) and explain their scientific causes and impacts.

● Apply scientific methods and data analysis to investigate environmental trends or problems.

● Analyze the interdependence of human and natural systems using ecological and systems thinking.

● Evaluate the sustainability and environmental impact of various energy sources, technologies, and consumption patterns.

● Take informed action to reduce environmental impact through science-based strategies.

Social Studies / History / Civics

● Make real-world connections between historical events, policies, or systems and their environmental consequences.

● Describe and evaluate the roles of individuals, communities, and governments in environmental stewardship.

● Analyze the connections between economic, political, and social systems and their influence on ecological outcomes.

● Evaluate the ethical and societal implications of environmental decisions, including issues of equity and justice.

● Engage in civic action or advocacy related to environmental or climate issues (e.g., writing to legislators, policy analysis).

English Language Arts / Literature

● Deepen understanding of language, communication, and storytelling through texts focused on environmental themes.

● Develop empathy and ethical awareness through reading and discussing narratives that highlight environmental injustice or climate impacts.

● Communicate ideas clearly and persuasively about environmental issues in both written and oral formats.

● Evaluate environmental messages and claims in media, literature, or persuasive writing for bias and credibility.

Mathematics

● Apply mathematical reasoning to analyze and interpret environmental data (e.g., carbon footprints, resource consumption trends).

● Use graphs, statistics, and models to support or challenge claims about environmental issues.

● Develop real-world problem-solving strategies using mathematical concepts to explore sustainability scenarios or projections.

Visual & Performing Arts

● Create works of art that explore or raise awareness about environmental issues.

● Reflect on the emotional and cultural dimensions of environmental topics through artistic expression.

● Use the arts to engage others in dialogue about sustainability and environmental justice.

World Languages / ELD

● Explore environmental topics from global and multicultural perspectives using target language vocabulary and texts.

● Compare how different cultures respond to environmental challenges.

● Develop language skills through environmental advocacy, storytelling, and communication.

CTE/Engineering

● Design and prototype sustainable solutions to real-world environmental challenges.

● Analyze the environmental implications of product design, manufacturing, or agriculture.

● Collaborate on interdisciplinary projects to build systems thinking and engineering problem-solving skills for environmental impact.

Physical Education

● Understand how environmental conditions impact human health and wellness.

● Explore the role of environmental quality in community health and equity.

● Take action to support personal and collective health through environmentally responsible choices.

2024 Earth Day Celebration

The FUHSD Climate Collective held its first districtwide Earth Day Celebration on April 11, 2024 at the Computer History Museum to identify and showcase multidisciplinary climate-oriented projects by FUHSD students and teachers. Learn more at the 2024 Climate Collective website.

In recognition of the district’s efforts around sustainability, FUHSD was awarded a Green Ribbon Schools Award by the California Department of Education in 2023.