After students spent months advocating for the sustainability position to be reinstated, the Palo Alto Board of Education will consider hiring a sustainability program manager at October school board meeting.
According to a Palo Alto Online article, the board has created a job description calling for applicants with a bachelor’s degree in environmental or administration-related subjects and a minimum of two years of experience in a sustainability field.
The board had previously decided to cut the position, leading to a negative community response.
Students continued to advocate for a reversal of the change, resulting in this major success for student climate activists.
Anika Deshpande, co-president of Paly’s environment and medicine club and one of the many activists who advocated for the change, told Anthro that this step is an important landmark.
According to Nicole Loomis, an environmental science teacher at Paly, she hopes that the role will bring about critical change in the district.
“I would like to see more rigorous adherence to trash collection policies, and a shift to more sustainable materials used in the cafeteria, such as compostable utensils and containers, pumps for condiments with compostable cups, and fruits and veggies that are not packed in plastic,” Loomis said.
Ultimately, Deshpande hopes that this first success will encourage students to consider speaking up for the environment.
“I hope that through this position, students can get their voices heard about their environmental concerns,” Deshpande said. “Due to this accomplishment, I hope more people will get involved in speaking out about what they believe in.”