SCAC Town Hall Recap

Our town hall event on March 3rd, 2025, brought together over 140 students from across Montgomery County through both virtual and in-person participation. It was exciting to see representation from elementary through high school levels as we created space for meaningful conversations between students, MCPS leadership, and local environmental organizations about current sustainability initiatives and ways to create greater student engagement.

Board of Education Member Laura Stewart speaks about MCPS's current green initiatives.

Board members Laura Stewart and Karla Silvestre kicked off our discussion by sharing updates on district sustainability efforts. They shared that MCPS operates 235 electric buses out of over 1,300 total buses, making it the largest electric bus fleet in the country, though supply chain issues have created some challenges. The district is also investing heavily in infrastructure improvements and has solar panels at 17 schools and geothermal systems at 32 schools. However, despite these efforts, MCPS has only reduced emissions by about 20% since 2005, which puts the district behind the ambitious goals of 80% reduction by 2027 and 100% by 2035.

After their presentation, a Q&A session ensued where students could ask questions about topics they wanted to explore further. The board members shared some eye-opening details, like how MCPS spends $50 million annually on utilities and the urgent need to upgrade old heating and cooling systems in our schools. Students asked questions about expanding composting programs, adding more water bottle filling stations, and creating opportunities for student-led sustainability projects at individual schools.

Students listen to ideas generated during the discussion session

The most engaging part of our event was the student-led breakout discussions covering energy conservation, water usage, recycling, waste reduction, green policies, composting, and electric buses. These conversations allowed students to share observations about inefficiencies they've noticed in our schools while collaborating on potential solutions. Students came up with ideas ranging from motion sensor lighting and water conservation measures to enhanced recycling education and expanded composting programs.

We identified several concrete opportunities for improvement, including better reporting systems for infrastructure problems, hands-on sustainability workshops, and increased communication about existing MCPS sustainability efforts.

These student insights will directly inform our ongoing climate action plan development and guide our future initiatives. For those interested in staying involved with SCAC, our ambassador program is still accepting applications, and we're always there to advise any green projects students may want to take on at their own schools. We're looking forward to building on the momentum from this event as we continue working toward a more sustainable future.