Ithaca students & teachers develop Climate Action Plan for District

ITHACA, N.Y. (WBNG) — It’s a year-long school project that’s both wrapping up and just getting started.

Teachers and students spent the school year developing a climate action plan to create a more sustainable Ithaca City School District over the next 15 years.

Senior Caedmon Sethupathy was one of the 10 to 15 students representing the sentiment around the district.

“I haven’t met a student who disliked the idea of a climate action plan,” Sethupathy said. “It’s really just about being that mouthpiece for the wider group.”

Teacher and Librarian Armin Heurich said the 21-page document highlights several eco-friendly initiatives with goals such as more energy independence, reduced carbon emissions and incentives for students to utilize cleaner transportation and green spaces.

“Their experience as students and their experience learning will be forever changed and improved,” Heurich said. “If you have cooler spaces, gardens, nice outdoor spaces and safe ways of bicycling to school or walking to school.”

According to Heurich, one aspect of the plan is a nearly $5 million capital project that replaces fossil fuels with emitting renewable energy in HVAC systems.

“We have this large field that is only being used for soccer practices, that we would only need a small part of. When we finish with the geothermal project, it could be recovered with grass for the most part, and soccer could continue,” Sethupathy said. “We would just have this infrastructure under the soil providing energy to our school and potentially to the middle school as well.”

The plan was presented to the board of education on June 10.

Although it was not voted on, the Climate Justice Alliance left with their heads held high.

“It’s just a matter of figuring out how we can shape this document and explain this document to the board of education,” Heurich said. “So that they could feel comfortable in supporting this document as a living document that will guide our practices for the next 15 years or so.”

Heurich said the group received a roughly $250,000 grant from NYERDA to establish a roadmap for energy efficiency in eight of the district’s 12 buildings.

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