On a recent afternoon, Matthias Mathieu, 17, walked to his ROTC class, waved hello, and fist bumped his friends along the way. A junior at Northern High School in Durham, Mathieu's extracurricular activities include singing in the choir, serving as student body president, and speaking at school board meetings.
"I’m a student with a deep worry for the state of our future," said Mathieu at a work session meeting last March. "We have gotten a ton of symbolic support from you all. While we appreciate good intentions, what we need is action. A climate action plan."
The Durham Board of Education passed a resolution promising a climate action plan in November 2021. The resolution says Durham schools will be powered with 80% clean, renewable electricity by 2035, and 100% by 2050. Almost five years later, that plan still doesn’t exist.
In response, students across the district have formed a group called the Durham Sustainable Schools Coalition.
The Coalition aims to hold the Board of Education accountable, according to Miriam Masamba, 18.
"We believe that through policy, we can see the changes we want to enact when it comes to the climate crisis," said Masamba, a senior at the City of Medicine Academy.
The Coalition isn’t the only group that wants to see local policy changes. Students with the Sunrise Movement at the Durham School of the Arts have also urged climate action at school board meetings, specifically pushing for a Green New Deal. All together, these students have given public comments at more than a dozen meetings since fall of 2024.
Climate Action Plan set to be developed this year
Mathieu argues every person and organization has a role to play in fighting climate change.
"It can seem kind of weird to target our local school board to act on climate," said Mathieu. "But every action we take buys us just that little bit of time, prevents that little bit of extreme heat or extreme flooding."
At the most recent school board meeting on Jan. 29, officials presented on the district’s sustainability efforts. For example, Durham Public Schools (DPS) is in the process of rolling out 32 electric school buses. The district has also reduced its energy usage by 17% over the last four years, saving over $1 million.
Reducing energy usage plays a huge role in reducing carbon emissions. Much like hospitals, DPS Director of School Planning Devan Mitchell explained school buildings are massive polluters.”
"If you're not aware ... 40% of (our CO2 emissions) come from buildings," said Mitchell.
Mitchell also presented information on developing the Climate Action Plan. The district will create a task force to identify key elements and map out how to achieve those targets. The task force will include a diverse group of stakeholders, including students and teachers.
Some of the objectives in the plan may include implementing new curriculum around climate change, improving indoor air quality, and reducing food waste.
Officials with DPS did not respond to WUNC News’ request for additional comments on the plan.
At the January meeting, Mitchell said the goal is to submit a final plan to the board of education by February 2027.
"We've already begun some of our district interviews ... (with) folks that are affected, (including) maintenance, transportation (and) nutrition services," said Mitchell. "Before we sit down with a task force, it's best to understand ... what our teams are capable of doing and what's actionable for them."
The district is also committing to meeting with students from the Sunrise Movement to discuss potential policies under the Green New Deal.
The students say they’re excited to finally see action from the district, but they wish it had happened sooner.
"I think it's a good step forward," said Masamba. "But I do wish that there was more action that was actually taken instead of just words."
"We're gonna be the ones in charge in the future"
For Rachel Owens, this is a moment of inspiration. She's a science teacher at Northern High School and a facilitator for the Sustainable Schools Coalition.
"I want them to have the future that they want," said Owens. "I don't want us old folks ... to decide what their future looks like."
Masamba echoes that sentiment.
"I learned about the power of your voice. I know that sounds really cliche, but young people and youth actually play an important part in environmental sustainability," said Masamba. "We're gonna be the ones in charge in the future. You can really play a part in what the future you are gonna be living in looks like."
Masamba adds this experience has taught her how to connect with her local community. Junior Matthias Mathieu agrees, saying he's grateful for the friends he's made.
"I don't think I could have done this by myself," said Mathieu. "It would just be really hard to stay motivated and stay hopeful without having people to work with and celebrate with."
Masamba graduates this May and hopes to attend NC State University, where she plans to major in psychology and cognitive science
Mathieu intends to keep working with DPS to develop and implement the Climate Action Plan by the time he graduates next May.
