We are thrilled to announce the Living Schoolyards Act of 2022 and are writing to ask you to join us in endorsing this pioneering legislation.
Senator Martin Heinrich of New Mexico introduced the Living Schoolyards Act of 2022 in the United States Senate yesterday. (See it here ) Green Schoolyards America worked closely with the Senator's office on this bill and we are very proud of all that is included in this groundbreaking legislation.
As an organization that has worked for decades to change the norm for school ground design, use, and management so that students of all ages will have access to the natural world on a daily basis, we applaud and support Senator Heinrich's leadership in working to create a greener, healthier future for children, their communities, and the planet by authoring this legislation.
This pioneering bill will, for the first time in history, introduce the concept of living schoolyards into the federal record, and when passed will direct important federal resources and funding towards transforming school grounds into living schoolyards-richly layered outdoor environments that strengthen local ecological systems while providing place-based, hands-on learning resources for youth of all ages. The bill includes funds for master planning and implementing schoolyard transformations, funds for schools to partner with non-profits, and funds for professional development for teachers.
Nearly 50 million students attend America's public schools on campuses that occupy an estimated two million acres-some of our most heavily used and chronically underfunded public lands. School grounds across the United States play a central role in children's lives and shape their perspective of the world around them.
A draft of the bill and an information sheet is attached. A press release about the legislation will be available tomorrow and we will forward it to you. Senator Heinrich will hold a press event on Thursday, October 6, 2022 at the Enos Garcia Elementary School in Taos, New Mexico.
If you are interested in joining Green Schoolyards America as an endorser, please fill out the form at this link. As an endorser, we will share your organization's name and logo with the Senator's office and it will go out to the press and to the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions to encourage them to act on the bill this year.
As the bill moves through the legislative process there will be opportunities to demonstrate further support, for example by writing a letter on your letterhead to Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions and by reaching out to your lists and through your social media to elicit widespread support. We will share more resources in the coming weeks.
Green Schoolyards America wholeheartedly endorses the Living Schoolyards Act of 2022 and we must all now work together to do everything in our power to help this bill become law. Transforming school grounds into living schoolyards can mitigate many of the effects of climate change. For example, removing asphalt and adding shade trees is a cost effective way to directly protect students from the effects of extreme heat, an escalating crisis as our climate warms. Research tells us that school grounds have the potential to enrich children's academic experiences and improve their physical and mental health. This bill will help to ensure that students across the country have equitable access to nature on their schoolyard and the many benefits that frequent opportunities to learn and play in nature affords.
The Living Schoolyards Act of 2022's positive impact on children, families, communities, and the planet will be far reaching. Please join us in thanking Senator Heinrich and demonstrating your support for this pioneering legislation by signing on as an endorser.
With gratitude,