Sustainability – Lake Washington PTSA Council 2.8

An illustration of two people carrying our planet Earth together 2026-2027 Chair: Chayanika Das — Sustainability {at} LWPTSA.net

The LWPTSA Council Sustainability Committee connects and supports sustainability chairs across our district and works to make our schools healthier, lower-waste places to learn.

We do that two ways. We set chairs up for success — through the King County Green Schools Program, working roundtables, shared resources, and a district-wide network of people solving the same problems. And we advocate — with Washington State PTA on funding climate-ready schools, with LWSD on sustainability policy and student voice, and inside our own Council by reviewing every committee plan through a sustainability lens.

The practical work covers waste reduction and food recovery, composting and share tables, energy and water conservation, green cleaning, no-idle zones, safe routes to school, school gardens, and giving students a real say in the decisions that shape their buildings and their climate.

2026-27 Program of Work

Two Sustainability Roundtables. Replacing monthly meetings with two deeper working sessions for sustainability chairs, with potential partner speakers from King County Green Schools, the Cities of Redmond, Kirkland and Sammamish, Recology, the WA Department of Ecology, and Sustainability Ambassadors.
Tuesday, November 3, 2026 from TBD (zoom)
Tuesday, February 2, 2027 from TBD (LWSD Resource Center – Sammamish)
K-12 Sustainability Fair (date TBD). We’re asking LWSD to name real operational challenges facing cafeteria waste and food recovery, idling at pickup & dropoff, energy and water use, single-use supply purchasing — and putting them to students as open problems. Students research a challenge, develop a proposed solution, and present it at the Fair, where district staff and community organizations respond to the ideas directly.
State advocacy: Fund Climate-Ready Schools — Clean Air, Heat Safe. Working with Washington State PTA to advance K-12 HVAC modernization — ventilation, filtration, cooling, and energy-efficient systems — funded through Climate Commitment Act revenue, so students are protected during wildfire smoke and extreme heat. This is a proposed WSPTA legislative priority going before members at Legislative Assembly, October 16-17, 2026.
The Celebration Share Closet. A shared collection of reusable party supplies — decor, banners, serving ware, themed supplies — that any of the 44 PTSAs can borrow for staff appreciation week, international night, and similar events, instead of buying single-use every time. We’re designing it this fall and piloting it in spring 2027.
Sustainability review of Council committee plans. Every new Council committee plan gets a review with practical, lower-waste alternatives, so Council events are planned through a sustainability lens from the start.

New sustainability chair? Start here

Enroll your school in the King County Green Schools Program. Free, and the backbone of everything we do — benchmarking, program recognition, and a program expert who will brainstorm with your school to conserve resources, protect the environment, and reduce cost related to waste disposal, energy and water use. Start with KCGSP and use school application form.
Read the one-stop guide. LWPTSA Waste Reduction Best Practices Guide
Join your school’s Green Team (optional). LWSD Green Team Guide and project form
Get on the list. Email Sustainability {at} LWPTSA.net so we can add you to the chair distribution list and the WhatsApp group, and send you the roundtable invites.