Climate Action Plan unveiled for La Crosse schools

The School District of La Crosse releases details of a 25-year plan that maps out reducing the district’s impact on the environment and climate.

The 114-page Climate Action Plan is a collaborative effort between district staff and students plus the Solar on La Crosse Schools, Coulee Region Sierra Club, UW-L, the City of La Crosse, and other organizations.

It is broken down into four areas: Buildings and Energy, Transportation, Resource Management, and Quality of Life.

Each area has multiple objectives listed. They include items such as installing solar panels on district buildings; reducing vehicle emissions and encouraging low carbon methods of commuting; employing waste diversion efforts such as recycling, composting or donating; and having outdoor learning spaces at all schools and providing climate change educational opportunities.

From the plan:

“As a public institution, the District has a responsibility to provide a safe, nurturing
environment where students can learn and grow and where communities can come
together. By implementing strategies in this plan, the District will not only lower our
operating emissions, we will also increase the health of our students and staff, and use our
limited resources more efficiently, thus reducing cost, School districts can lead by example,
integrating climate-friendly practices into their operations so the next generation inherits a
planet that is as healthy as the learning spaces we create for them.”

The long-term goal for the district to have net-zero carbon emissions and a 50-percent reduction in landfill waste by 2050.

To that end, the district said they’ll monitor progress each year, then make any changes or adjustments every five years based on changes in technology, funding, and input from the community.

Read the full plan here.