Pali started fresh on Jan. 27–students returned to the Temescal campus for the first time since the Palisades Fire. In an attempt to expedite the process of reopening the campus, Pali’s administration prioritized school operations over renewability.
Now, as Pali enters part two of its recovery plan, administrators must move forward with an agenda aimed towards sustainability. Pali’s fresh start doesn’t have to be limited to one day; through a focus on green and climate-friendly school operations, Pali can have a fresh start for years to come.
While paving over Pali’s baseball field may have been necessary in order to provide access to temporary bungalow classrooms as soon as possible, the newly laid asphalt reduced crucial natural processes performed by the grassy baseball field. In turn, carbon dioxide sequestration is limited in the absence of plants to absorb carbon dioxide, decreasing surface-reflectivity (also known as albedo). This can contribute to higher campus temperatures and reduced water infiltration, as rainwater cannot enter soil and flow into the Temescal Canyon Park groundwater stream.
Some viable strategies for a sustainable future may include implementing sustainable construction techniques and using native plants for landscaping.
Pali in collaboration with the Dana Larson Roubal Group (DLR), the firm that will lead the process of redesigning the campus, can take inspiration from the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) in terms of deciding how to do this.
The NRDC is an international collection of environmental lawyers who make sure governments around the world aren’t breaking environmental law. Santa Monica holds the nearest NRDC office, and Senior Workplace Strategy Manager & Sustainability Strategist Aline Goganian has worked extensively to make the office climate friendly and sustainable.
Goganian said that construction is one of the biggest challenges when it comes to creating green buildings, but she explained an approach Pali can take for rebuilding that has a smaller environmental footprint than other methods.
“There’s this underground network of people trying to resource share,” Goganian said. “Sometimes people have construction materials they don’t need anymore. They over-purchase… so how can we create this circular reuse of materials?”
Since fires are inevitable in the chaparral ecosystem that Pali inhabits, strengthening Pali’s landscaping against fires will help mitigate future damage and make the campus more fire-resistant and resource friendly.
“Palm trees, pine trees and palm fronds are super flammable,” said Pali Environmental Science teacher Steve Engelmann. “I’d say don’t put the palm and pine trees back; instead put live oak, which is also native, and their whole canopy will block embers from being broadcasted.”
Contrary to popular belief, the palm trees all throughout Los Angeles and Southern California are not native to the region. This means they demand more resources from the local ecosystem and make it harder for native plants to survive. If future landscaping could focus on planting live oaks instead of palm and pine trees local resource demand would decrease with native plants, in addition to helping Pali become more fire-resistant.
Construction and landscaping aren’t the only ways Pali can boost its sustainability, however. Strategic planning on recycling and waste disposal, energy production, rainwater capture and even new climate/sustainability curriculum can help make Pali more sustainable and cultivate a climate-aware approach to school operations for students’ futures.
With this in mind, Pali already has one pressing issue that has remained constant despite location changes: excessive amounts of waste. While there may be lots of trash cans around campus, there’s not nearly enough recycling bins to accommodate Pali’s student population (2,200). When waste products that can potentially be recycled are thrown into trash cans (if they even make it there in the first place), Pali is directly contributing to the growing waste issues in Los Angeles instead of helping create a more circular system of production and disposal. Pali also lacks a composting process which could ensure that student lunches–whether cafeteria food or the food that students bring to school–do not just end up in another landfill and instead in eco-friendly places like a campus garden.
Goganian said that to aid in the composting process, cafeteria meals could even be served on biodegradable plates, giving the school a change that would impact negative environmental habits immediately and move positively forward.
On the list of areas that need targeting, Pali can delegate resources towards renewable energy production. Pali receives electricity from the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP), which has a large amount of its energy generated from natural gas. Pali could help produce its own electricity in addition to the LADWP’s supplied power. This could boost Pali in an energy efficiency competition like the Renew our Schools program with other high schools around the nation.
This issue was kept in mind in the past by Pali students. In 2020, Pali’s Energy Efficiency Task Force, a student-run organization pushing for more sustainable school operations, proposed an initiative to have PermaCity, a solar panel supplier company, to institute solar panels on top of campus buildings to switch Pali’s energy production to renewable solar energy yet was unsuccessful. Now that buildings have to be rebuilt, why not institute solar panels on as many roofs as possible?
“The state of California requires a certain percentage of a building to have solar on it. Since we’re building [new buildings] anyway, it’s a lot cheaper to [implement solar] at the beginning than to do it and then add something later on,” Engelmann noted. “Maybe it’s not going to cost much more [than having natural gas] but whatever costs will definitely come back in savings.”
Phasing school transportation to full hybrid can also help with how energy is utilized, as current school buses travel far distances and make many stops, contributing heavily to global carbon emissions. Full hybrid buses do not have to be plugged in to charge and offer enhanced mileage compared to other vehicles because of their regenerative braking. This is especially important in the stop-and-go traffic that is prevalent in Los Angeles during rush hour, and doesn’t require buses to be plugged in and use large amounts of electricity.
Additionally, rain is an important weather event that can be utilized at Pali’s campus. Rain flows down Temescal to a water treatment facility at the bottom of Temescal Canyon Road that treats stormwater runoff and urban runoff in order to prevent it from flowing out into the ocean, leading to water pollution.
The amount of water during storms that is released down to the ocean can be reduced if rainwater capture systems are set up on the Temescal campus, just like the rainwater capture systems at NRDC.
“The water recycling system directly minimizes our building storm water turnoff… we’re able to collect pretty much all of the water that hits our property,” Goganian said.“The few areas that are exposed on our property, we ensure to have porous pavers… so that the water can naturally store itself and then infiltrate back into the groundwater which is also a really effective way to help minimize stormwater pollution.”
Finally, a focus on discussion about climate can help students realize how climate change affects almost all aspects of life, and what they can personally do to mitigate their impact on the environment. There is already a statewide mandate to add climate change education to curricula of all grade levels, and there are student environmental organizations like the Environmental and Spatial Technology class. However, Engelmann noted that not all curriculum changes have to require widespread changes. Something as simple as “having a display board somewhere on campus where it’s showing how much electricity is being generated and how much is being used… and then comparing them over fall, winter, spring and summer… that’s a fabulous lesson for the classes.”
No matter where Pali’s redesign goes, Engelmann highlighted the importance of “looking for energy efficiency everywhere… to make [our facilities] know that we’re watching and paying attention and we’re going to call them out so it’s on their brain the whole time.”
When Pali rebuilds, the baseball field will come back. However, DLR Group and Pali’s administration should work not only to restore the baseball field, but also more of the surrounding natural ecosystem. The field that replaced the J-building illustrates a model for what elements the redesign should utilize: more green space that improves how much carbon dioxide is absorbed, how cool the campus is, the ability of water to filter through soil and the overall aesthetics and appearance of campus. What is encouraged, taught, and showcased in schools impacts the development of future leaders, and a fresh start in green operations will cultivate a comprehensive foundation necessary for the leaders of the future to succeed.
A prolonged fresh start requires that administrators not only look towards the basic requirements the school needs to exist at its home campus, but also that they address long-term issues and ensure that the Pali campus is contributing positively to the ecosystem it inhabits.
