Supporting Green and Healthy K-12 Schools in Massachusetts

Section 83  of Chapter 179 in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Acts of 2022 focuses on creating sustainable and healthy learning environments in public elementary and secondary schools, requiring the Massachusetts Department of Public Health to develop a report on “methods, best practices, and standards for achieving green and healthy schools.” Massachusetts has more than 1,800 public schools and 28 of the 100 oldest high schools in the United States. These schools face a number of challenges, including that approximately half of schools needing capital investments are more than 50 years old.

DPH brought on ERG to engage a broad technical working group comprised of staff from 10 DPH Bureau programs, conduct focused engagement sessions across four partner agencies, participate in virtual public forums, and conduct desktop research. ERG compiled findings from these activities into a 325-page report, “Methods, Best Practices, and Standards for Achieving Green and Healthy Schools in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts,” that DPH submitted to the Massachusetts Legislature. The report builds off DPH’s programs promoting healthy schools and the Massachusetts School Building Authority’s two-decade history of funding capital improvement projects in schools across the Commonwealth. ERG identified strategies to decarbonize school buildings, optimize water efficiency, electrify school bus fleets, provide electric vehicle charging, and enhance resilience, all while achieving healthy schools for all students. The report walks schools, school districts, municipalities, and other interested parties through the process of analyzing school portfolios, developing emissions reduction plans, implementing emission reduction strategies across a variety of project types and delivery methods, and procuring decarbonized electricity. ERG ensured that the report reinforces existing programs and helps schools address the challenges they are likely to face.