At the most recent MBUSD board meeting, Deputy Superintendent Dawnalyn Murakawa-Leopard provided a comprehensive update on the district’s green initiatives. The district's newest efforts include the elimination of single-use plastic water bottles and plastic utensils; the establishment of a district-wide Share Table program to collect and donate excess, unwanted, unopened, uneaten food items to programs that fight hunger; the use of 100% clean and renewable energy  across all schools and facilities through the Clean Power Alliance; the installation of thirty-eight hydration stations district-wide; the capturing of stormwater in various ways, including the installation of permeable pavers in the Stadium Way project; and finally, the extensive use of native plants in landscaped areas. 

“Environmental stewardship has long been a priority for many people within the district and the community,” MBUSD Deputy Superintendent Dawnalyn Murakawa-Leopard told MB News.

Furthering the green cause, Lena Agee, MBUSD's director of food and nutrition, has collaborated with MBUSD and neighboring districts to implement sustainable practices, such as bulk purchasing of wooden utensils and developing the Garden to Table program.

According to Murakawa-Leopard, Agee “has a deep understanding of all of the intricate, complex, and stringent regulations and legal requirements around serving food in schools, and she has a talent for hearing a new idea and finding a way to implement it in a way that is legally compliant while also serving our green goals.”

In all five elementary schools in MBUSD, students are taken through the process of growing their own produce and utilizing it for their school lunches, which helps students learn about where food comes from, and how to reduce waste. These initiatives not only curb waste and plastic use but also empower students to carry environmental awareness beyond the school gates. Students also participate in trash sorting programs to separate organics and recyclables to reduce landfill waste.

MBUSD elementary schools have additional environmental awareness programs that encourage widespread participation, including gardens, a costume exchange, walk-or-wheel-to-school days, no-idle zones in pickup lines, green campus maintenance, and meatless Mondays.

“Our green initiatives spark curiosity in our youth from elementary school, and throughout their educational journey, we see them become more passionate about being eco-friendly in different ways. By the time they reach high school, many students are working independently to reduce their carbon footprint through their own projects.” said Murakawa-Leopard.

Clay also serves as leader of the district's Green Committee, which works to encourage students and parents to implement habits into their lives that will improve the environment. Regarding the district's effort to teach students how to properly dispose of their waste, she said, “If you catch them young, the theory is that as they grow up, they just know what goes where. It becomes automatic - like wearing a seatbelt. They know how and they know why and they just do it."

Michelle Porter, another parent on the Green Committee, is encouraging families to use crafts and supplies already at home to make cards this Valentine's Day instead of driving to stores to help reduce carbon emissions. Moving forward, she said, what's important is “getting the community involved - teachers, parents, the PTA - getting everyone on board to understand where we can have an impact and where we can make the biggest change.”

Ultimately MBUSD wants to build lifetime habits and make environmental considerations just part of the norm within the district. According to Murakawa-Leopard, MBUSD strives not just to educate but to serve as a beacon, inspiring a lifetime commitment to sustainable practices.