School of Sustainability Graduate Culminating Experiences
Student capstone and applied projects from ASU's School of Sustainability.
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- All Subjects: Elementary School
BACKGROUND: The City of Phoenix initiated the HeatReady program in 2018 to prepare for extreme heat, as there was no official tool, framework, or mechanism at the city level to manage extreme heat. The current landscape of heat safety culture in schools, which are critical community hubs, has received less illumination. HeatReady Schools—a critical component of a HeatReady City—are those that are increasingly able to identify, prepare for, mitigate, track, and respond to the negative impacts of schoolgrounds heat. However, minimal attention has been given to formalize heat preparedness in schools to mitigate high temperatures and health concerns in schoolchildren, a heat-vulnerable population. This study set out to understand heat perceptions, (re)actions, and recommendations of key stakeholders and to identify critical themes around heat readiness. METHODS: An exploratory sequential mixed-methods case study approach was used. These methods focused on acquiring new insight on heat perceptions at elementary schools through semi-structured interviews using thematic analysis and the Delphi panel. Participants included public health professionals and school community members at two elementary schools—one public charter, one public—in South Phoenix, Arizona, a region that has been burdened historically with inequitable distribution of heat resources due to environmental racism and injustices. RESULTS: Findings demonstrated that 1) current heat safety resources are available but not fully utilized within the school sites, 2) expert opinions support that extreme heat readiness plans must account for site-specific needs, particularly education as a first step, and 3) students are negatively impacted by the effects of extreme heat, whether direct or indirect, both inside and outside the classroom. CONCLUSIONS: From key informant interviews and a Delphi panel, a list of 30 final recommendations were developed as important actions to be taken to become “HeatReady.” Future work will apply these recommendations in a HeatReady School Growth Tool that schools can tailor be to their individual needs to improve heat safety and protection measures at schools.
not reduced drastically over the next few decades.
When evaluating the required Next Generation Science Standards for elementary school, these standards do not include environmental literacy or sustainability themes in either second, third, or fourth grades, with little mention via one standard in first, fifth, and sixth grades. Overall, the Next Generation Science Standards do not adequately prepare students for the sustainability problems of
the future nor do the standards help connect students to the natural environment by not connecting the standards to real world climate issues. Not educating students about sustainability topics in elementary school passes the responsibility off to higher grades with optional science classes, where this sustainability education could be missed altogether.
The Sustainability for Young Learners Courses were created to equip elementary school teachers with sustainability knowledge and resources to effectivity teach sustainability to their students. The Sustainability for Young Learners Courses infuse sustainability and environmental literacy Graduate Culminating Experience
Sharing Permissions Agreement into second through fifth grade science classes via the creation of detailed unit plans. Each course incorporates important sustainability themes into the required Next Generation Science Standards, to encourage teachers to adopt these unit plans without taking away limited class time to teach about sustainability. Rather than ending in doom and gloom, students finish each unit becoming the heroes of the story by creating their own solutions to combat climate change that they can implement into their own lives, communities, homes, and classroom.
Sustainability and climate related issues are already sweeping our Earth and the problem is likely going to accelerate as today's current elementary school students start their professional careers. Equipping young students with environmental literacy and sustainability knowledge can allow students to be ready to face real-world climate related issues in the future as well as today as these students serve as leaders within their communities and schools. By realizing the gap in the United States education system, the Sustainability for Young Learners courses is helping to create a more equitable, prosperous, and sustainable society through education and knowledge.
By avoiding vehicle idling for three minutes every day of the year can reduce 1.4 million metric tons annually, which is equivalent to taking 320,000 cars off the road for the entire year (Canada.ca, 2016). The Automobile Idle Reduction Program (AIRP) is an outreach initiative to prevent carbon emissions from being released into the air by automobiles idling in Maricopa County. The initiative establishes a campaign to promote behavioral changes that target high idling industries: freight and delivery, schools and drive- thru facilities.
Background
Globally, carbon emissions negatively alter the air we breathe and is a leading cause in climate change. These problems adversely affect the global environment and human health. Additionally, they have cancer causing agents in the particulate matter. Unfortunately, over the years, Maricopa County has failed to meet air quality standards for particulate matter pollution which effects the health of residents. By not meeting the air quality standards, Maricopa County can receive sanctions and the Environmental Protection Agency can reject Arizona’s State Implementation Plan. This looming threat can financially impinge the economy of Maricopa County, potentially costing taxpayers a substantial increase in taxes.
Strategy and Solution
To battle the creation of carbon emissions and particulate matter, AIRP has developed a strategy for each industry. In partnership with the Maricopa County Air Quality Department, AIRP will introduce the freight and delivery companies to the Diesel Emission Reduction Act (DERA) Grant promotion to facilitate and fiscally assist with changing older diesel engines into higher efficiency engines that burn cleaner. Provide educators a fifth to eighth grade state approved education program to teach students the importance of vehicle idling reduction at no cost. And work with community organizations to offer a discount at their stores for those patrons who choose to turn their engine off and order inside, rather than idling in the drive-thru facilities. The campaign will market the interest of AIRP to the general public through purposefully placed billboards, light rail wraps, social media pushes, handouts and vinyl stickers.