Rebekah Ashley, Sierra Club Utah Chapter
Salt Lake City, UT — Today, the U.S. Department of Education announced recipients for the Energy CLASS Prize, the most recent grant awarded through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL). One of the school districts to receive a 2023 award is the Granite School District in Salt Lake County. The grant will allow for the district to increase capacity, and establish and train staff who can identify and implement energy and health improvements in Granite facilities.
Salt Lake County received an F for ozone and particle pollution in the latest State of the Air report from the American Lung Association. Indoor air pollution can be two to five times worse than outdoor air pollution, and contributes to asthma, fatigue, and impaired concentration for students and staff. According to the report, 16,851 children in Salt Lake County have asthma, which is the leading cause of school absenteeism.
“We applaud Granite School District’s efforts to leverage critical funding through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law,” said Rebekah Ashley, Lead Climate Organizer at Sierra Club Utah Chapter. “By providing funding and training for staff to improve energy and air quality management, The Energy CLASS Prize will support Granite to reduce emissions, improve student health and learning outcomes, and free up money that can be reinvested to better serve students and teachers. Decarbonizing our schools also creates opportunities for over 65,000 students who attend Granite’s schools to engage with climate solutions first-hand, helping grow our communities’ capacity to address climate change now and in the future.”
The Energy CLASS Prize is designed to provide training and cash prizes to school district administration and staff to build capacity, and to identify and implement energy and health improvements in schools. The program allows districts to make meaningful infrastructure improvements to reduce utility costs, improve indoor air quality, and upgrade learning environments long-term.
“As a clean energy advocate and former student at Granite School District, I am inspired by the district’s leadership and commitment to pursue energy savings and renewable energy projects,” said Ava Curtis, Volunteer Organizer on the 100% Clean Energy Schools Campaign in Granite. “One of the biggest obstacles to advancing clean energy solutions is lack of staff capacity. We are thrilled to see Granite awarded the Energy Class Prize award, which will increase their bandwidth to implement solutions for healthier and more efficient schools.”
This is the third BIL grant program that the Granite district has pursued.
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with millions of members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.