Phoenix mayor Kate Gallego and members of city council recently approved two actions that would bolster sustainability education and foster the talent needed for the next generation of environmentally conscious leaders.
Phoenix’s one-of-a-kind Student Council Sustainability Officer Program allows Phoenix Union High School District students to implement eco-friendly events and enhance sustainability education on their campus and beyond. The city council voted to expand this unique and important program, as well as introduce an urban agriculture fellowship program.
“These programs are smart investments in today’s students who are interested in climate, science and green jobs of the future,” Gallego says.
The expansion of the Student Council Sustainability Officer Program would be supported through an EPA Environmental Education Local Grant and the Arizona Department of Education. Once awarded, the grant could help scale the program to other school districts and potentially become a national model.
The seeds for the Phoenix Urban Agriculture Fellowship were planted during the pandemic, after the emergence of COVID-19 response programs that provided food for vulnerable populations. In theory, the fellowship would train future growers and food distributors who would represent entrepreneurship and innovation in the Phoenix farming industry. Upon completing the program, fellows would be eligible for the Phoenix Worker Cooperative Sustainable Food System Incubator Training Program, which focuses on sustainable career pathways.
“Our young residents in the programs will have a head start on promising career paths, access to robust workforce resources and will help inspire their peers,” Gallego says.
