Research has shown that greening schoolyards benefits children’s safety, health, and ability to learn. However, most schools in Los Angeles, and especially those located in low-income communities, lack green space and shade.
During the video conference: “From concrete jungle to green paradise: urgent work for Los Angeles schools and neighborhoods”, organized by Ethnic Media Services, Several environmentalists spoke about the work that community organizations and leaders of the Los Angeles Unified School District are doing to address the problem of the lack of green spaces in their schools.
Marci Raney, senior program director for the Office of Welfare at the Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles, said experts recommend 30% tree shade to mitigate the increasing rise in global temperatures.
However, he noted that the study on the equity of shaded areas of trees in California schoolyards published by Green School Yards America shows that 2.6 million students statewide interact daily in schoolyards with less than 5% tree shade.
To make matters worse, 356 schools in Los Angeles County are located within 500 feet of a freeway.
“These environmental conditions have contributed to higher rates of asthma, chronic absenteeism, physical inactivity, heat exhaustion, and cognitive challenges.”
The most recent Los Angeles County Health Survey shows that 80% of our youth do not have easy access to a park, playground, or other safe place, and to crime-free play in their neighborhoods.
“Only 10.1% of students perform aerobic physical activity and muscle strengthening necessary for healthy development; and 8.2% of female students.”
Furthermore, the survey shows that almost 14% of young people experience a feeling of nervousness or anxiety on a daily basis.
The California Department of Education reported that the chronic absenteeism rate in the Los Angeles Unified School District is 31% and academic performance is below the state average.
“Unfortunately, safety, health, and academic achievement outcomes are worse for students from low-income families and for students of color.”
Therefore, he pointed out that it is important for school playgrounds to improve, which implies the removal of asphalt and the planting of trees to counteract climate change and the urban heat island effect.
He revealed that his research team showed that schoolyards with lots of trees and shade lead to an increase in participation in physical activity and healthy development.
He added that children who are more active during the day have greater volumes of gray and white matter in the brain.
“This contributes to greater cognitive function, helps with decision making, emotional regulation and learning.”
He stated that after the renovation of the schoolyard, the academic achievement gap between economically disadvantaged and non-economically disadvantaged students decreases significantly.
“Children who live in areas with more vegetation and who spend more time outdoors have lower rates of asthma, higher levels of vitamin D, and stronger immune systems that protect them against infectious diseases.”
Committed to difference
Rocío Rivas, member of the LAUSD School Board for District 2, and president of the Schools and Climate Resilience Committee of the board of directors of the same district, said that they are committed to transforming schools to make a difference in the lives of children.
“The committee has focused on a broad plan to improve energy efficiency in schools, replacing old windows, installing water-saving equipment and improving air conditioning and heating systems.”
He said they have changed the curriculum to educate and empower students towards a more sustainable future.
“And we are committed to creating green spaces on school grounds, which involves planting trees, gardens and reshaping areas to create external environments that encourage learning and physical activity.”
He made it clear that they are looking for financing to really ensure that they can transform the schools.
“Financing is crucial. “We are actively seeking grants and exploring partnerships with public and private entities to support these green initiatives as well as community collaboration with parents and environmental groups to ensure the specific needs of each school and community are addressed.”
A huge need
Krisztina Tokes, executive director of facilities for LAUSD, said the need to transform schoolyards is huge.
“Half of our schools, 485, have less than 30% green spaces; more than 200 schools have less than 10%. The good news is that we have invested almost $500 million in green projects that are in progress and include greening 30% of the playgrounds for early education”.
He said there is a lot to do and a lot more funding is needed, and we are looking at how to partner at the local and state levels with our nonprofit communities to leverage not only district dollars but to push other initiatives.”
Enthusiasm for greening
Tori Kjer, executive director of the Los Angeles Neighborhood Land Trust, said five years ago they formed the Living Schoolyard Coalition to create greening work in schools across Los Angeles.
“I have to say there has been a lot of work since the coalition began and the district is really showing itself to be an enthusiastic partner.”
He specified that when you look at the urban area of Los Angeles, there are significant inequalities in parks and access to green spaces.
‘It’s hard to find new vacant lots to build parks on, but there are school campuses within walking distance in the county that are closed after hours, and the question is can we get the schools to open them so kids can play basketball or walk? cycling”.
He mentioned that the city and the district are holding conversations about the issue, and they hope this will happen soon.
Regarding the greening plan, they are looking for it to be uniform so that the planting of trees in the schools is even, and with established percentages so that the patios have shade from trees, not just asphalt.
Student sets the example
Rosemary Ruiz, 11th grade student at the high school Brio College Prep in downtown Los Angeles and founder of the Club Go Green At his school, he said they have dedicated themselves to planting trees and have managed to establish water filling stations and a recycling and compost program.
“We have also maintained a community garden for three years.”
She said what motivated her to create the club was seeing the impact of climate change on the world and her generation.
“That’s when I said ‘I need to do something and take initiative’ because I see the impacts in every way in my community.”
He noted that creating the club has given him the opportunity to be a leader and the power to do something.
“LAUSD’s plan to green schools is a great goal, but we also need to take other initiatives to put pressure on our elected officials and on companies and corporations because the latter produce a huge percentage of the climate crisis, and that affects the consumers, students and communities.”