IEA joins Climate Jobs Illinois
Illinois Education Association throws weight behind Carbon Free Schools initiative
Students celebrate the installation of solar panels at their school. (Creative Commons/EarthTalk)
By Ted Cox
The state’s largest education union is joining a labor movement backing the shift to renewable energy.
The Illinois Education Association announced Monday that it was formally joining forces with Climate Jobs Illinois, a coalition of labor groups supporting the transition and the clean-energy jobs that go with it. The IEA specifically threw its weight behind the group’s Carbon Free Schools initiative urging schools to adopt solar energy.
“IEA is excited to be part of this coalition, which will focus on clean energy,” said IEA President Kathi Griffin in a statement. “This will result in healthier school environments for students and educators while saving money for school districts through energy-efficiency programs.”
Nikki Budzinkski, executive director of Climate Jobs Illinois, welcomed the IEA and its 135,000 members. “At a time when schools need all the resources they can access, our plan would save a school district over $6 million a year on average by switching to solar-power generation and through energy-efficiency improvements,” she said. “The climate and economic challenges we’re currently confronting present an opportunity for Illinois to boldly reimagine how we power our economy and support our schools bringing up the next generation. This plan does just that.”
“This will result in healthier school environments for students and educators while saving money for school districts through energy-efficiency programs.”
IEA President Kathi Griffin (One Illinois/Ted Cox)
Carbon Free Schools calls for the installation of 4 gigawatts of solar power at schools by 2030, along with “retrofitting facilities with updated heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning systems,” according to the coalition. Estimates are the shift to solar would cut carbon emissions by 9 million metric tons, or 12 percent, equivalent to powering 897,000 homes. Local school districts would also see fuel costs cut by between a quarter and a third, while the union coalition touted that “the investment would support over 67,000 total jobs across Illinois, including over 25,000 direct jobs for skilled construction workers.”
Over a quarter century, estimates are that solar power would save the average school district $3.2 million, or $127,000 a year, while energy-efficiency improvements could save an additional $2.9 million, or $115,000 a year. The union projected that the initiative would save schools across the state almost $5.2 billion over 25 years.
The coalition includes the state’s largest labor unions and has received bipartisan support including Gov. Pritzker, U.S. Rep. Jesus “Chuy” Garcia of Chicago, and state Sen. Sue Rezin of Morris.