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LTUSD board supports student-led climate initiative

Sage Alexander and Sara Letton

Former Climate Crew co-president Anthony Pedigo introduced a resolution in support of school district climate literacy to the LTUSD board members on Sept. 22. It was the culmination of a year of passionate student organizing, writing and mobilizing. The resolution passed unanimously.

Many South Tahoe High School students were inspired by the international, youth-led movement Fridays for Future last fall. Fridays for the Future is a global climate strike movement that started in Aug. 2018, when 15-year-old Greta Thunberg began a school strike for climate action.

STHS students Logan Chapman, Anthony Pedigo and Evelyn George turned their passion into action and formed the STHS Climate Crew, a group of students dedicated to taking action on climate change. A major achievement of this group is the creation of this resolution, as well as the ongoing development of an electric bus commitment for the coming years.



“Our goal is to bring more attention to the students about how real and serious climate change is as a threat to this planet’s future,” Pedigo said. “I understand that making these additions to these classes’ curriculums may take a lot of time and effort during these weird times in our lives, but climate change will continue to get worse no matter what world-wide problem is going on. Climate change won’t stop for COVID.”

In the current LTUSD curriculum, climate change is mostly limited to the interpretation of its effects in science classes. The new resolution ensures that students will be informed of the all-encompassing challenge of climate change. This demands climate literacy in civics, history, social studies and math classes to provide a pragmatic context for the climate crisis. The resolution also seeks a greater civic understanding of social and personal responsibility, and will help prepare students for a future heavily altered by climate.



This October, students from the South Lake Tahoe Sunrise Hub will be special guests on the upcoming Tahoe Climate Change Action Network’s upcoming webinar series Getting to Net Zero in Tahoe: Taking Local Action.

Consisting of six webinars, Oct. 5-10, this event will culminate with another international climate action event, TED’s Countdown to a Better Future.

To find out more and register, go to TCCAN website, tahoeclimatechangeactionnetwork.org, or email Sara Letton for more information at sarajletton@gmail.com.

Sage Alexander is a STHS graduate and active member of the Sunrise Movement, South Lake Tahoe Hub.

Sara Letton is the event coordinator for Tahoe Climate Change Action Network.


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