The School District of Philadelphia is working to integrate Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) initiatives within the District’s successful sustainability program, GreenFutures. ESG is a set of criteria that are utilized to assess an organization’s business practices and performance based on sustainability initiatives. School districts tend to have a large carbon footprint and are big energy users and waste producers. School districts also have a large presence in their communities and are civic leaders as well as educators. By incorporating an ESG framework, districts can establish policies and increase their impact on building a healthier, safer future for the communities they serve. By developing metrics around ESG, the District will be able to identify areas of improvement, track progress in reaching sustainability goals, and prioritize resource allocation.

The District launched GreenFutures in 2016 and has already made significant progress, receiving local, state, and national recognition for its sustainability efforts. Research shows that sustainability has positive effects on student achievement, learning outcomes, school culture, community awareness, and civic engagement. As the second largest landowner in the City of Philadelphia, the District has the potential to advance citywide sustainability initiatives and share resources. We look forward to sharing the opportunities we identify in the months and years ahead to make even more improvements across our school community regarding ESG.