On October 3, 2023, the Los Angeles County Office of Education (LACOE) hosted a Clean Air Day celebration, encouraging staff to support a cleaner, healthier environment. This event was a precursor to the official Clean Air Day on October 4, 2023, a day dedicated to taking actionable steps for improving air quality. 

Throughout the day, staff members enthusiastically pledged to engage in various eco-friendly activities from simple gestures like walking to local eateries for lunch to actively participating in LACOE’s Clean Air Day walking challenge. This event not only fostered a sense of environmental responsibility within LACOE but also showcased our collective dedication to a greener, healthier future. LACOE’s Green Team, Wellbeing and Support Services and Public Affairs and Communications departments, as well as the Greater LA Foundation supported the celebration.  

“There is nothing more important than making sure that we have fresh clean air to breathe,” said Los Angeles County Superintendent of Schools Dr. Debra Duardo. “It is up to us to take care of our planet so our students, children and grandchildren can wake up, breathe in fresh air and be healthy.” 

In addition, Dr. Duardo, as this year’s Chair of the Los Angeles County Clean Air Day Committee, participated in a press conference that highlighted the commendable work of El Monte Union High School District. The district produced an animated video featuring students and administrators discussing green mobility options, including the introduction of electric school buses. This initiative, funded by the California Air Resources Board, aims to promote green transportation methods, emphasizing the importance of reducing greenhouse gas emissions from gasoline engines. The video serves as a testament to the collective efforts of school districts and organizations like LACOE in championing a greener future. 

The district worked with Pulitzer Prize finalist Lalo Alcarez and his team at Pocho Villa Productions to create an animated short "Taking a Healthy Ride on the Green Side." The 90-second animation and companion 30-second PSAs in English and Spanish focus on green mobility options and benefits and will be available on the El Monte Union High School District’s Clean Mobility website, as well as their social media channels. The PSAs will be offered for broadcast statewide, amplifying the clean mobility message to communities across the state.  

“California Clean Air Day is a day of increased awareness around our actions that contribute to air quality. Taking a pledge to change an action on Clean Air Day is an easy way to start to build new habits that support clean air,” said Laura Verbryck, lead of LACOE’s Green Team and Facilities Compliance Manager in LACOE’s Facilities and Construction (DFC) division. “If you haven’t done so already, I invite you to visit the California Clean Air Day webpage and explore the pledges that will make an impact on clean air; it’s easy, quick and you might not realize just how easy it is to make an impact. To reduce my carbon footprint, I’ve joined LACOE’s Walking Challenge to motivate myself to walk more instead of driving.” 

Learn more about LACOE’s efforts to be green by visiting the Green Schools initiative webpage or the California Clean Air Day webpage.