In 2022, Fairview High School students Emma and Molly Weber started the Green New Deal Club, a movement of passionate students working toward climate justice.
After a year of meetings with legislators and administrators, lobbying and petitions, the Green New Deal for Schools was passed in the Boulder Valley School District and became the first resolution of its kind in the nation. The Green New Deal is part of an initiative created by the Sunrise Movement, a group of community hubs across the country committed to the climate revolution. The Green New Deal for Schools demands safe and clean buildings, free and healthy lunches, pathways to green jobs, and climate disaster plans and curriculums. Soon after, school districts in Massachusetts (North Hampton), California (Berkeley), Washington D.C., and Illinois (Evanston) followed BVSD in passing the Green New Deal for Schools.
I am particularly passionate about the mental health impacts of climate change and how detrimental these situations can be to students. Three years ago, I watched the Marshall Fire destroy over 1,084 houses and devastate the homes and lives of friends. This experience was traumatizing, and it felt as if no one addressed it well when students arrived back from winter break.
My peers and I were of course saddened, but mostly we were afraid. We had never seen a fire of this magnitude so close in proximity to us, and when teachers and administrators barely gave reasoning or support, it left everyone confused. This fire proved to me how uneducated students and many teachers were on climate change and what to do in the case of a disaster.
The community put most of its focus on physical rebuilding, and while that was a necessary priority, the effect it had on people and students was largely neglected. Some people did try to address it, but in my opinion, they were just as confused as I was.
Because of this experience, myself and a group of my peers became dedicated to increasing awareness and knowledge of climate disaster plans and crises.
The passing of the Green New Deal for BVSD showed our club that we could make a change. One incredibly important and often overlooked topic is climate disaster plans. SB-027, Trauma-informed School Safety Practices, would require school administrations to have specific plans to help students recover and use buildings as designated relief zones for the whole community. Dedicated student members of the Green New Deal Club spent months organizing meetings with legislators, introducing our objective for the legislation and gathering support in hopes of getting this bill passed.
People tend to ignore this aspect because schools technically already have these in place, but the current system is inadequate. Our hub wants the disaster plans to be consistently and effectively communicated to students and for schools to provide support to those concerned about climate issues.
Schools tend to quickly mention what to do in the case of a fire, tornado or earthquake, but we are not told why these events may be occurring. The impact of that topic being skimmed over in school was that when a crisis actually happened, all we could do was sit in our confusion and disbelief. It is vital that young people are educated and empowered to fight the climate crisis and, at a local level, be equipped to handle situations such as the Marshall Fire when they arise.
SB-027 was sponsored by Senator Janice Marchman, SD15, and Rep. Junie Joseph, HD10. It is currently under consideration in the Senate Committee on Education Refer Amended to Appropriations.
The passing of climate disaster legislation would make the mental health and education of students around the climate crisis a prime concern. Young people are the future of change in our country and world. We deserve support and to be taught how to handle climate crises, we deserve to live in a better world, and we know this change is possible.
Muriel Soutiere is a 10th grader at Fairview High School. She is a member of the Green New Deal Club at her school and is passionate about education and mental health support surrounding the climate crisis.