MBUSD's "Green Committee" is launching a speaker series aimed at providing actionable tips to improve families' environmental awareness and stewardship.

The series will debut ahead of Earth Month this Tuesday with guest speaker Denise Braun, founder of All About Waste, from 7:00 to 8:00 p.m. at Grand View Elementary’s new auditorium.

Braun will share how simple daily choices can benefit the environment, your health, and your wallet and will discuss her professional experiences working in the circular economy and zero waste - and will provide actionable tips on living more sustainably. The presentation will include a brief Q&A session. Children are welcome.

"We are always looking for opportunities to inspire our community to take better care of the planet, and the speaker series came to mind as a great way to raise local awareness about environmental stewardship while also providing thought-provoking and actionable information," Michelle Porter, vice chair of the Green Committee, told MB News. "The timing is perfect since the district will be celebrating Earth Week next month."

The hope for Tuesday's event, she said, is that attendees will leave "feeling inspired to examine their daily actions through an environmental lens and empowered to make changes that protect and improve earth for themselves, their children and future generations."

Organizers plan to hold the new district-wide speaker series on a monthly basis. The committee also regularly hosts speakers at individual schools. For example, representatives from Waste Management have spoken to students at Pacific and other MBUSD schools about waste sorting and truck operations.

MBUSD's Green Committee includes the MBUSD Board of Trustees; representatives from each school; and staff members from the district’s maintenance and operations department, the city of Manhattan Beach, and Waste Management. The purpose of the committee is to coordinate district-wide efforts to reduce MBUSD’s carbon footprint and promote green education in the MBUSD community.

MBUSD has long been considered a leader in improving resource efficiency and sustainability education into the fabric of its eight schools. 

In 2012, Grand View Elementary School was named one of the nation's first-ever "Green Ribbon Schools."  They were recognized for waste reduction, green practices, classroom instruction, recycling, and more. 

In the ensuing years, MBUSD earned a gold medal in the California Green Ribbon District competition and was honored by the US Department of Education as a National "Green Ribbon" district.
This year, that commitment has grown more extensive, as MBUSD parents, leaders, and students have made new inroads in conservation and the elimination of waste.