Climate Change Action Plan - Implementation End of Year Report, July 2024

• Secured PGCPS funding for summit hosting expenditures. $115,000 was allocated, and the following activities were planned and delivered:
  • April 17 – The inaugural Climate-Ready Leadership Summit was held at the Accokeek Foundation in Accokeek, Maryland. The summit was targeted to PGCPS executives with participation from student representatives. Peer school districts and other partners were also in attendance.
  • April 25 – Environmental Student Alliance at the Bladensburg Waterfront Park
  • April 29 – Environmental Student Alliance at Bowie State University
• Worked with the Prince George’s Department of the Environment, Prince George’s County Parks and Recreation, local universities, and partnering organizations to plan and conduct the summit.
• Provided opportunities to showcase student achievements and student voice during the summit.

• PGCPS has established and continues to build partnerships with a host of stakeholders including but not limited to the Chesapeake Bay Trust and Program, Accokeek Foundation, World Resources Institute, Association of Climate Change Officers, U.S. Green Building Council and many more.

• A Climate Change (CC) and Environmental Justice (EJ) curriculum audit was completed and reviewed for the number of hours and content areas that explicitly address CC & EJ. The next steps include increasing the number of hours that students engage with CC & EJ in K-12 and professional development for the Department of Curriculum & Instruction and school-based staff.

• EmPOWER Maryland Rebates were captured for all six new Public-Private Partnership (P-3) schools including PGCPS-James Madison MS, PGCPS-Cesar Chavez Chiller Upgrade, and PGCPSFAB Heavy-Up Project.
• EmPOWER Maryland rebates were captured for General Mechanical Services’ mini-split and Washington Gas steam trap projects.
• Continued work is in progress to add language to all contracts requiring participation in available rebate programs.

• FY22 Data from MEA’s AOI.1 Grant is expected to be available at the end of FY24.
• Once energy data becomes available, schools/facilities’ energy performance will be reviewed/prioritized.

• Budget requests were made to increase building maintenance and management staff in order to secure and maintain new technologies coming online for energy efficiency.

• A contract to procure the services of Jones Lang LaSalle Americas, Inc. (JLL) was executed on April 25, 2024. JLL is contracted to conduct feasibility studies regarding potential green building design for the new central office(s). The contract will expire on June 30, 2025.

• PGCPS-Eleanor Roosevelt HS senior Charlie Renze completed an Energy Audit of his school with the University of Maryland team. Link to his report found here.
• EssexCo will commence its energy audit of PGCPS-Central HS and PGCPS-Tayac ES.

• The move toward fossil fuel free/net-zero ready has been ongoing. The biggest challenge will be field space to accommodate geothermal wells (GTW) for schools utilizing geothermal heating/cooling. The downside of GTW is the life expectancy of heat pumps. Supporting Services teams are still investigating more reliable equipment to be used for these applications. Another important element is reducing energy transmission through walls, windows, floors and roofs by constructing a more efficient building envelope. Replacement of single pane windows alone has been proven to reduce HVAC loads by at least 20%; HVAC is typically 45% of electric consumption for a school.

• Wastewater energy is being evaluated on our two new upcoming high school projects at High Point HS and the new high school coming in Adelphi.

• Steam phaseout has been ongoing. New plants are capable of being phased out of fossil fuel with the addition of an electrical heavy up.

Begin Renewable Energy Purchasing Through Wholesale Markets

• PGCPS will continue riding the Baltimore Regional Cooperative Purchasing Committee (BRCPC) Agreement. The Energy Consulting Services extension was posted by BRCPC in early June 2024 and will be effective on July 1, 2024, and for 9 one-year renewal terms.

• Energy dashboards have been installed at PGCPS-NEW Fairmont Heights HS and PGCPS-Glenarden Woods ES. Development of dashboards for the six new P-3 Schools is underway with work to verify data for the first few months of operation.

• Rooftop solar will be installed on all six new P-3 schools in late fall 2024. Energy will be offset at 12 other PGCPS schools representing all Districts via ANEM (Aggregate Net Energy Metering).
• PGCPS will continue its work with ground solar array opportunities from Prince George’s County government.
• PGCPS is exploring other solar opportunities for facilities that require new roofs

• PGCPS did not have any opportunities for this action in the 2024 fiscal year.

• The transportation team is preparing a select number of routes for electric school buses in select areas for the 24-25 school year.

• Mullikin Bus lot is being developed as a pilot location for a Microgrid bus charging infrastructure. Infrastructure is being constructed for 90 electric buses.
• Currently, we have 21 Electric buses and additional buses are being purchased with grant funding assistance.

• PGCPS is working with the county’s Department of Parks and Recreation to increase walking/biking spaces and support transit oriented development to facilitate more mass transit use.

• The state of Maryland is mandating this for all new schools and additions that increase enrollment by 100 students or more.

• Awareness and educational Information is shared among staff at safety meetings throughout the school year to help reduce the amount of idling.

• PGCPS continues to install cameras, Global Positioning System (GPS) navigation, and other devices to increase safety.

• PGCPS has contracted consultant support to conduct feasibility and cost analysis in meeting this goal and continues to seek competivive grant funding to help meet the financial investment that will be required.

• Incorporated Student, Parent, Staff and Community Stakeholder Input into PGCPS Menus

• The composting program expanded this school year, bringing the total number of off-site composting schools to 29, with support from the city of Laurel and the Prince George’s County Department of the Environment.
• Composting webpage created here.
• Building Services and the William Schmidt Center, with support from the Sustainability Office, were awarded a School Waste Reduction and Composting Grant from the Maryland State Department of Education to support our composting and waste reduction programs.Compost was delivered to participating composting schools to show students and staff what they are helping to produce and be able to include in lessons with students, and utilize on the school grounds.
• Composting coordinators (teachers) professional development on 10/17/23, and Building Supervisors on 10/19/23
• Composting Data

• Gathering data to update the Purchasing Policy and solicitation templates.

• Several food service meal packaging items have been switched to recyclable or compostable versions including the spork packet, salad/fruit cup and lid, soup bowl, hinged container for salads, and paper boats.

• Priority 6 webpage created, with data included here.
• Composting webpage created here.
• Waste Wise field trip in May 2024 to the composting and recycling facilities with staff from Building Services, William S. Schmidt Outdoor Education Center, and CCAP workgroup with educational tours and hands-on experience to better understand the what, why and how to reduce waste in PGCPS.
• September 20, 2023, school Recycling Coordinator, Recycling Professional development
• Waste Diversion: The Right Version! Professional development for teachers on February 13, 2024
• Winners of the 2023 Waste Diversion and Recycling Awards!
• Category: Composting Schools
  • Bond Mill Elementary School, Bradbury Heights Elementary School Chesapeake Math and IT Academy North High School, Eleanor Roosevelt High School, Francis Scott Key Elementary School, Heather Hills Elementary School, Largo High School, Laurel Elementary , Laurel High School, Mattaponi Elementary School, Montpelier Elementary School, Potomac High School, Robert Goddard Montessori, S. Schmidt Outdoor Education Center Scotchtown Hills Elementary School
• America Recycles Day events included:
  • Several schools participated in America Recycles Day by holding events at their respective schools.
  • Over 200 students took the PGCPS Recycling Pledge (many also took the Metropolitan Council of Governments Pledge).
  • Multiple students from Suitland HS (including the overall winner) placed in the “Rethink Recycling” sculpture contest sponsored by the Maryland Department of the Environment.
• Recycling, composting and waste reduction incorporated into planning and execution of events such as the Student Environmental Alliance Summit, Climate-Ready Leadership event.
• In the K-5 Science curriculum, a 1-2 day lesson will be embedded, which supports waste diversion and conservation practices.
• Recycling Data

• Increased the number of schools with three waste collection streams (landfill, compost, recycling) with the additional composting schools this school year.

• Recycling and composting data for each facility posted on the website on the composting, recycling, Priority 5, and Priority 6 webpages.
• Composting data for each facility

• Inventory has been completed.
• We are working on an agreement with the Contractor Corvias to assist with green infrastructure development.

• This database has been created and is publicly accessible
• Recycling photo to be adjusted to show names of bins here.

• There was a student summit on green infrastructure.
• In addition, students from various schools have participated in programming.
• We will also be incorporating building dashboards into all new building construction.

• Utilizing the contractor Corvias may allow us to speed up the approval of some green infrastructure projects.

• There are several school-based tree-planting projects that are being conducted each year.
• The Department of Capital Programs (DCP) and Office of Alternative Infrastructure Planning and Development (OAIPD) projects are adding trees to each new school project due to changes in M-NCPPC forest management requirements.
• We also preserve as much of the tree canopy as possible on all construction sites.

• OAIPD has required designers to incorporate native plants and rain gardens into 7 of its 8 new schools.

• These projects are tied to new construction and renovation projects as the tempo increases on those projects so will the pace of the projects.

• We are evaluating new varieties of grass; however, the community in areas with heavy use fields have expressed a desire for turf fields.

• This design is being incorporated into new school designs.

• We are focusing on adding Solar to roofs and are entering into PPAs for all of our new schools.

• We also preserve as much of the tree canopy as possible on all construction sites.

• This goal is incorporated into the Educational Facilities Master Plan.

Create a Sustainability & Resiliency Officer Position in the PGCPS Administration

• As of the fall of 2023, The Director of Sustainability and Resiliency was appointed and the new Department is currently recruiting Program Managers and has acquired additional staff from reorganization within the Division of Operations.

• Through a collaborative effort of internal and external stakeholders, PGCPS developed its first Sustainability Principles, which outline equity as core value in our service delivery.

• Throughout the year, students have been presented opportunities to engage in climate change activities and conversations. A campaign - “Do ONE Thing” - has been initiated to engage students, families and school administration staff.

• There are plans underway to work with Human Resources to ensure implementation.

• Climate change and sustainability legislation were monitored during the 2024 State of Maryland Legislative session. One notable legislation is requiring all agencies to develop a climate action plan and provide an officer to oversee each agency’s
  implementation plan. PGCPS will continue engagement with state and federal legislation that align with PGCPS strategic goals.

• A Sustainability Strategic Planning Committee composed of departmental heads and key decision-makers has been established, which will convene at regular frequency to facilitate greater coordination in program planning and budget allocation to support CCAP goals.

• Annual reviews and deliberation of current prioritized actions within the Climate Change Action Plan will be conducted starting July 2024 to reflect feasibility and applicability to evolving science and changing scenarios.