Developing Student-Led Citywide Environmental Justice in Morgan Hill
Nestled in South Silicon Valley, ten miles outside of San Jose — one of the wealthiest urban areas in the U.S. — Morgan Hill is surrounded by award-winning wineries and bountiful recreational activities. However, the city of Morgan Hill experiences climate-related health disparities and a disadvantaged community that scores seventy-two on the CalEnviroScreen — a zero-to-one-hundred scoring system that analyzes an area’s pollution burden alongside population characteristics, one hundred being the most burdened.
Morgan Hill Unified School District (MHUSD) plays an active leadership role in addressing environmental disparities within its community. MHUSD’s innovative school nutrition program is fueled by onsite hydroponic farming, and the district recently launched development of a 20-acre agricultural education site that will serve as a dynamic outdoor classroom for students across the district. During the 2023-24 school year, with a commitment to provide green career training and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, MHUSD integrated CAPS internships and sustainability programs into its curriculum.
Now, building on that groundwork, we're pleased to announce a three-year partnership that will build on our prior program and drive deep impact across the community. Through the partnership, the CAPS team will recruit, hire, and train MHUSD high school students to lead sustainability projects in the district and beyond, encompassing environmental justice and city planning work.
Turning Student Research Into District-Wide Action
Last year, CAPS interns in Morgan Hill collected baseline data and made policy recommendations to shrink the carbon footprint of the district’s student nutrition services and building operations. This summer, 15 interns were hired and completed a 3-day orientation. In September, an additional five high school students will be hired to create a 20 student cohort of paid interns to scale the work, turning more student-led research into on-the-ground action.
CAPS interns will:
Conduct energy audits across MHUSD facilities to identify opportunities for emissions reductions, cost savings, and operational improvements.
Assess building infrastructure to inform and guide decarbonization efforts, including evaluating HVAC efficiency, insulation, and lighting systems.
Plan sustainability projects aligned with the district’s goals, focusing on clean mobility, green schoolyards, water conservation, and climate-smart food systems.
Collaborate with district staff and industry mentors to deliver presentations and shape long-term sustainability strategy.
By pairing technical training with real-world application, we help students develop the skills and confidence to influence climate action at a systems level. At the same time, their insights are helping the district move toward a 33% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions over the next three years, with measurable improvements to learning environments and energy efficiency.
“When students learn about how their schools work, like what is needed to run facilities, they start to make real-world connections about the importance of sustainable systems,” says CAPS Program Director Renée Solari. “They also gain experience that can contribute to career opportunities that are both fulfilling and support their values in having a more sustainable future.”
The Morgan Hill project builds upon our work to develop environmental leadership with school districts across the state. It empowers students to lead sustainability programs in their communities that contribute to reduced energy costs and greenhouse gas emissions. The project also gives students paid work opportunities that give them real-world experience relevant to lucrative careers in the green economy.
Over the next three years, interns will continue building capacity to develop and lead climate action projects within MHUSD facilities while working with the City of Morgan Hill’s principal planner to co-design and implement a community engagement strategy. Ongoing collaboration between the CAPS team, MHUSD, and funders will turn student research into district-wide action.
Engaging Communities in Planning Healthy Neighborhoods for All
Community engagement will focus on fostering authentic and meaningful participation by the city’s communities of concern to support and protection related to environmental safety, neighborhood resources, and planning that reflect community needs and help establish the city’s Healthy Neighborhoods for All plan. In collaboration with the city’s principal planner, student interns will conduct outreach with communities of concern to identify what is affecting their community health and quality of life, which will help Morgan Hill to develop policies and resources that help solve these issues and ensure everyone is treated fairly, and promote meaningful involvement of all residents.
“With the opportunity to have direct conversations about issues such as air quality, flood risk, and heat exposure, interns get to hear the opinions and concerns of their fellow community members on issues that impact their health, livelihood, and safety,” Solari says. “We hope the interns will recognize the importance of this kind of meaningful engagement and how it can lead to improved policy and programs that serve all communities.”
Preparing Students for the Green Economy
With funding support from the Bay Area Air District and Silicon Valley Clean Energy, the partnership will accomplish multiple goals in addition to the important work toward environmental justice and driving climate solutions within Morgan Hill.
Thanks to ambitious state initiatives, California will need more than four million new green jobs in the next thirty years to meet its climate goals and transition to a sustainable economy. Some of these green job opportunities are highlighted in the report, The Future of Work is Green, which we developed in 2023 in partnership with Accenture and Rivian.
The CAPS program prepares students for these careers by offering workforce development opportunities that build technical and analytical skills and provide exposure to green career pathways. The program also helps meet the anticipated green career workforce shortages in the coming decades.
The work in Morgan Hill is part of a larger vision at CAPS to put students at the center of climate action, community engagement, and environmental justice. By equipping young people to lead change in their schools and neighborhoods, we are building a model that can be replicated across California. This partnership shows what is possible when education systems invest in student leadership and local impact.
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