West High School’s Green Club has started a petition to demand MMSD follow through with its clean energy goals. In 2019, the district set the goals of using 50 percent renewable energy by 2030, 75 percent by 2035, and 100 percent by 2040. The Green Club petition claims that MMSD has not done enough to realistically achieve those goals in time.
“As the climate crisis continues to worsen and the costs of fossil fuels continue to rise, the need for renewable energy could not be more clear,” said Aharon Shelef, West High Green Club president. “As a relatively forward-thinking city in one of the wealthiest countries in the world, Madison should be leading the way on climate action, but MMSD is behind on its established goals. In fact, the district is even implementing new fossil fuel infrastructure in the high schools right now. MMSD frequently emphasizes how important they consider student voice, so, through collecting signatures on this letter, students can show that the student voice demands climate action now.”
We reached out to the district on Nov. 14 for comment on the claims that MMSD has not done enough and to enquire into what has been done so far. The Communications Department responded by email on Nov. 16 with this statement:
“MMSD is fully committed to sustainability, and remains focused on achieving its goals pertaining thereto. We continue to make progress on several important fronts. Notably, we are in the process of designing solar work and installing significant energy-efficient lighting and equipment across our facilities portfolio, as well as making capital investments—including potential geothermal updates—in our buildings that will prolong their useful lives. We appreciate your interest in our sustainability initiatives, as well as allowing us the opportunity to share some of what we’re doing to reduce our environmental impact and best position our buildings for the next generations of MMSD students.”
To the voices of students in the district demanding more change, click this link to sign the online petition.
