Back to school: Moms push for climate change education
Kids are headed back to school in record heat after the hottest summer ever recorded.
The climate change happening outside will have a bigger presence in North Carolina classrooms this year, thanks to organizations of mom advocates and new language in the North Carolina State Board of Education standards.
"It's really important that our children have a full understanding of, of the changes that we're seeing in our climate right now," said Erica Smithwick, climate scientist and member of Science Moms. "Increasingly, we're starting to see climate change fit into the curriculum in new and interesting ways."
New North Carolina science standards go into effect this year, with full implementation during the 2024-25 school year, that include more climate mentions and emphasize hands-on learning.
"Rather than just having a conceptual understanding, teachers have language in here that give them the opportunity to have students think about what they can do about it and, and what a scientist could be doing about our changing climate," said Jason Carter with the North Carolina Science Teachers Association.
The new language could push instruction to be more inclusive of adaptation and solutions, as more young people report feeling stressed about climate change.
Chelsea Lyons is an advocate for Moms Clean Air Force. Lyons said climate anxiety has been a hot topic with parents and students. Moms Clean Air Force is pushing more involvement with climate action within school systems, which includes advocating for electric buses.
A new EPA program is subsidizing the upfront cost of greener buses, with successful pilot programs that have shown significant savings.
"They were showing a savings on that vehicle just in diesel fuel to electricity alone of $700 a month," said Mark Nestlen, Vice President of Business Development and Strategy at GreenPower Motor Company.
The Department of Environmental Quality's [DEQ] Division of Air Quality is using funding from the national Volkswagen settlement, awarded more than $16.5 million to fund 43 electric school buses and associated charging infrastructure last year. The awardees are required to purchase and have the buses in service by June 2025. Thus far, supply chain delays have prevented many schools from getting their electric school buses early.
In the Triangle area, DEQ says it is aware of one electric school bus awarded through Phase 2 of the NC Volkswagen Settlement Program that is currently in service. That bus is operated by Reaching All Minds Academy in Durham and should be in use this school year.
