Sustainability
Carpenter Community Charter’s Sustainability Resolution
Vision
- Carpenter Community Charter (CCC) is committed to becoming one of the most sustainable schools in the Los Angeles Unified School District by advancing its' children’s health, prosperity, and environmental stewardship.
- The goal is to make Carpenter Community Charter as one of the Greenest school’s in the Country.
Mission
- EDUCATE – The Green Team will educate and encourage leadership in environmental stewardship by engaging children, parents, teachers, staff and the community as a whole in an effort to reduce our environmental impact.
- TRANSFORM – The Green Team will help students, parents, teachers, and staff to transform our school into a model of environmental sustainability by establishing and maintaining effective and permanent waste reduction, energy conservation and ecological preservation programs.
- INSPIRE – The Green Team will assure that Carpenter Community Charter is inclusive and together with the Studio City community will forge a model for integrated sustainability that will be recognized for its combined efforts and achievements.
Carpenter Community Charter’s vision, mission and programs are inspired by and will build on the Los Angeles Unified School District Sustainability Guidelines & Initiatives.
1. Educate – Active Lifestyle – We promote walking to school and exercise through our full P.E. program. Healthy Food & Nutrition – We promote the benefits of organic and locally grown food through our school gardens. All grade levels grow vegetables and have opportunities to harvest and eat the fruits of their labor. Social Responsibility – We encourage community engagement and leadership. All students are given opportunities to participate in school beautification events and community service projects.
2. Garden & Habitat Preservation – We promote, plan and maintain greening projects at school. Landscape – We compost yard trimmings, xeriscape (drought tolerant) & naturescape (native/adaptive) plantings, and embark upon challenge projects that include creating more permeable surfaces for storm water conservation.
3. Procurement – We intentionally purchase environmentally safe supplies & materials (Environmentally Preferable Purchasing or EPP). Reduce Toxicity – We aim for increased use of green cleaning supplies, eliminate the use of chemical fertilizers, and pesticides.
4. Reduce Energy Use – Since 2009, we have planted approximately 15 trees on our campus, and we reduced the amount of water dependent grass (replacing it with native California plants). In addition, we covered our playground in 2020 with a heat resistant paint that reduces the temperature 5-7 degrees providing comfort to students during breaks. Black asphalt acts as a heat magnet and contributes significantly to the thermal radiation in cities, known as the urban heat island effect.
5. Reduce Water Use – We have reduced our water use by 10% since 2012 thanks to the installation of smart weather based irrigation controllers, and the use of drought resistant/tolerant plants.
6. Sustainable Design Standards -Air Quality – We have improved indoor air quality and HVAC efficiency, provided operable windows, and mandated the use of non-volatile organic compounds in paints and cleaning supplies.
7. Zero Waste Campus by 2025 -We have a goal to increase recycling by 25%, reduce waste by diverting recyclables for both redemption value (bottles and cans) and for regular recycling. Green Events – We promote recycling awareness and teach waste diversion by collecting recyclables, compost, and trash. Our Green Team meets weekly after school to collect all recyclables and place our recycling bins in strategic locations around campus.