Carbon Free & Healthy Schools Hosts a Tour of the Kathleen Grimm School for Leadership and Sustainability

Climate Jobs New York hosted a group of labor leaders, union members, and elected officials on a tour of P.S. 62 Kathleen Grimm School for Leadership and Sustainability at Sandy Ground, the first net-zero energy school in New York City and one of the first in the nation. The tour was hosted by Climate Jobs NY, a coalition of labor unions committed to building clean energy union jobs to advance equity and sustainability.

The Kathleen Grimm School was union built and has nearly 2,000 solar panels that generate enough electricity to power the school year round. The school’s architecture was designed to generate as much energy as it uses, including a green roof, underground geothermal well, rainwater retention tanks, green house garden, and other clean energy features.

New York City labor leaders said:

“More green infrastructure like the Kathleen Grimm School will create a healthier learning environment and deliver reliable, affordable energy. Retrofitting our public schools will provide our skilled union members and apprentices an opportunity to work in their communities and build carbon-free and healthy schools for teachers and students,” said Christopher Erikson, Business Manager of Local Union No. 3, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers.

“Building net-zero carbon schools makes healthy learning and working environments for our students and teachers. This school stands as a model for the kind of innovation and jobs that can be created by clean energy. NYC can be a model for the nation when it comes to building decarbonization by investing carbon-free and healthy schools,” said Rich Mantell, Vice President for Middle Schools, UFT.

“We have a unique opportunity to create thousands of good paying jobs and tackle the climate crisis facing our nation. That’s why the Climate Jobs NY coalition is ramping up its Carbon-Free and Healthy Schools Campaign, an ambitious and pro-worker climate action plan that would make all NYC public schools carbon-free by 2030,” said Vincent Alvarez, Director of Climate Jobs NY and President of the New York City Central Labor Council, AFL-CIO.

“Committing to rooftop solar and deep energy efficiency retrofits for all New York City public schools by 2030 is a critical next step in not only making New York City a nationwide leader in public building decarbonization, but also creating countless family-sustaining, union careers,” said Gary LaBarbera, Directory of Climate Jobs NY and President of the Building and Construction Trades Council of Greater New York. “This transition to clean energy and others like it are crucial to the future of the city, as they will heavily support frontline communities, reduce carbon emissions, and provide hardworking New Yorkers accessible paths to the middle class.”

“New York has an opportunity to create thousands of good union jobs in the communities that need them the most by transforming all NYC public schools to be carbon-free and healthy by 2030. By following the green model of the Kathleen Grimm school, New York gets closer to meeting its climate goals,” said Lara Skinner, Ph.D. Executive Director of the Climate Jobs Institute at Cornell University’s ILR School.

The Climate Jobs NY coalition’s Carbon-Free and Healthy Schools campaign has been advocating for solar installation on NYC public schools to 150 schools per year with strong labor standards, taking advantage of historic federal funding available under the Inflation Reduction Act’s direct-pay provisions. The coalition estimates that making all NYC public schools carbon-free and healthy through solar installation and deep building retrofits by 2030 would:

  • create almost 45,000 jobs for New York City residents; including high-quality career pathways for women, justice-involved individuals, and members of frontline communities;

  • save the city’s schools $8.25 billion in energy expenditures over 30 years;

  • and cut energy consumption by 50%, paving the way for the city to effectively decarbonize other public buildings and reach its goal of an 80% reduction in carbon emissions by 2050.

Jennifer Johnson