We are all aware that the Earth is slowly dying, yet we passively wait, comfortably believing that someone will fix this problem.
This is merely the Bystander Effect coming into play, which raises the question of whether the responsibility of solving large problems lies on the citizen body or authorities.
The answer is not so simple. Everyone has a contribution to carbon emissions, which adds up to huge environmental consequences, requiring action.
Not only should we be open to change, but we need to support initiatives that act. Fortunately, our school is part of the King County Greens Program; since 2022, Operations Director Jason Morse and other Issaquah School District board members have been working on projects such as implementing the district’s first ever electric school buses. It is an important step toward sustainability as school buses currently produce 3.75 pounds of carbon dioxide for every mile driven. The families in the community have responded positively to them, voting for the cleaner buses in tax levy conferences–until financial costs become a problem. Prior to that, our school attempted the November 2024 bond, a debt financing proposal to bring sustainable operations. However, big changes like this require large sums of money.
“I mean [the solution depends] on everything. It takes money to be able to change things, and there’s not a source of funding for it. It’s just hard,” Biology Teacher Dr. Erin Stephens said.
Hence, the November Bond failed to pass. The bond consisted of sustainable initiatives, but with million dollar budgets, which stirred up concerns within households. This led to the bond not reaching the 60% vote threshold it needed to go into effect. Similarly, with each electric school bus costing $450,000–double the cost of a regular school bus–the possibility of higher taxes quickly poses the act as an unideal option for many families.
Thankfully, the Clean School Bus Act subsidized 1 million dollars for the cost of six electric school buses. This investment is worth it because bringing in electric school buses has positives that outweigh the staggering upfront finance costs. The most obvious would be replacing normal school buses, which would reduce 4,125 tons of carbon emissions per year. This would make the road cleaner for pedestrians and bikers. Fewer carbon emissions go a long way in saving the planet.
This type of project also has a ripple effect in bringing awareness to students and staff about global action. It will be a beneficial part of the science curricula, which goes back to the students.
Because most students can’t vote, bond decisions ultimately depend on their parents. But the more students are informed about global action, the more students will care and advocate for these bond decisions.
An influential student advocate in this is Matthew Fischer, a senior at Issaquah High School, who is currently working on OE17, an Operational Expectation policy for sustainability within the district.
“Hopefully parents can see how passionate their students are about it,” Fischer said.
“It’s on our generation to really be the turning point for worldwide climate change, and that starts at small levels.
“It might be an inconvenience, but it is incredibly important for all future generations that we are able to be sustainable in nature, and we’re not sacrificing their ability to live and survive on Earth.”
