Climate Solutions 101

You probably know that I love Project Drawdown. That’s because they’re the world’s leading resource for climate solutions.

They recently came out with a free mini-series of videos called Climate Solutions 101.

Here’s the trailer:

(There are 6 “unit” videos and 11 videos featuring subject-matter experts. If you’re short on time, I’d encourage you to watch all of the unit videos to get the high-level takeaways, and then any additional ones on topics you’re most interested in.)

Anyway, highly recommend you check it out! You can watch on YouTube or their site.

“Turning sun’s rays into paydays”

Here’s a heartwarming story for you (and a potential idea for action).

Check out this 4-minute video about a school district in Arkansas that went from a $250,000 budget deficit and underpaying their teachers to a $1.8 million surplus and raising salaries by thousands of dollars in just three years – largely thanks to installing solar panels!

The Batesville school district “expects a net savings of over $4 million over 20 years from solar energy generation, energy conservation and water efficiency upgrades.”

They’re now working to be the first net-zero school district in the state (without paying any upfront or maintenance costs). Check out the full story here!

Getting solar lowers energy costs and raises investments in students and teachers. It also eliminates air pollution and provides a learning opportunity for students.

More and more schools are starting to catch on. But only 5% of K-12 schools in the US have solar right now.

If you are a student, teacher, or parent and want to help your school district go solar (or get electric buses so kids breathe cleaner air), Generation 180 has some great resources to help you get started!