On Tuesday, June 11^th, 2025, Chief Eco-Sustainability Officer Christos Chrysiliou joined the National School Board Association (NSBA) and the Go Green Initiative to discuss how LAUSD is tackling indoor air quality across the District. He shared key strategies, ongoing initiatives, and partnerships aimed at creating healthier learning environments for all students and staff. 

Read through LAUSD’s Eco-Sustainability Report to see how students, educators, and staff across the District are taking bold steps toward becoming the most sustainable large urban school district in the nation.

Click here to download the report.

At the 10th Annual Sustainability Awards hosted by the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP), the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) received the second place award in the Demand Response category.  Held on April 10, 2025, at LADWP’s John Ferraro Building, the event recognized LADWP’s largest customers for their achievements in energy efficiency, water conservation, transportation electrification, and demand response.

LAUSD was honored to participate in LADWP's Demand Response Program, saving 3,581kW through strategic energy-saving practices such as raising chilled water set points and reducing lighting and equipment usage during peak demand times. These efforts contribute to the District’s overall reduction in electricity use, support the District’s broader sustainability goals, and assist LADWP in maintaining their grid operations during extreme heat.

Our Chief Eco-Sustainability Officer, Christos Chrysiliou, was grateful to accept the award on behalf of LAUSD. The Eco-Sustainability Office is committed to building on this momentum and advancing initiatives that drive further reductions in electricity use across the District.

Learn more about the LADWP SAP Awards here: 

LAUSD's Chief Eco-Sustainability Officer, Christos Chrysiliou, recently attended the Architecture At Zero 2024 Competition winner announcement; managed by the American Institute of Architects (AIA). This year, the ideas competition challenged participants to redesign LAUSD's Griffith Middle School campus in East LA so that it embodies decarbonization, equity, and resiliency concepts while addressing the District's needs.

Christos spoke on ESO's excitement to partner with AIA and highlighted the LAUSD Board's 3 main sustainability resolutions that orient the Office's work. "Our goal is to decarbonize our school campuses while creating healthy and resilient spaces for all students, teachers, and staff. Success comes through collaboration and partnerships and we look forward to continuing our efforts with the LAUSD community to build a more sustainable world for years to come."

Congratulations to Design Draw Build Inc for their Agualta STEAM Engine design for receiving the Honor Award and all submittal teams for their brilliant work. Check out all design submittals that received their own special recognitions!

El Sereno Middle School is actively working toward becoming a plastic-free campus through unique student-led recycling efforts. Each day, 800 sporks are distributed to students, who have become more aware of the environmental impact of plastic waste. The school has initiated the recycling of sporks, straws, wrappers, plastic water bottles, and aluminum cans as part of their broader sustainability goals. They are partnering with 1PlasticLife, an organization that supports the school's recycling initiatives and helps the local community and the homeless. While the program is progressing, the school is exploring ways to scale these efforts and create a greener community for all. 

LAUSD Board Room, June 5th - The Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) held a special ceremony to recognize the winners of the 2023-2024 HEROES for Zero Contest. The event was held during the Greening Schools and Climate Resilience Committee meeting, led by Board Members Dr. Rocio Rivas and Board President Jackie Goldberg. Superintendent Carvalho and representatives from the Department of Water and Power (LADWP), Brittanie Lewis, Jason Stinnett and, Judy Perez Soto, attended to celebrate the achievements of students taking action to conserve energy and protect the environment.

Top Honors for an Elementary, Middle, and Senior High School

Three schools received the top prize of $25,000 to be used for a sustainability project at their school: Sunland Gifted Magnet Elementary School, Foshay Learning Center’s Engineering Academy, and Cesar E. Chavez Learning Academies (CCLA) Technology Preparatory Academy.

 The Sunland Gifted Magnet Elementary School's "Planet Protectors" team, led by teacher Kathleen Barneck, comprised of third and fourth graders, impressed the judges with their comprehensive approach to energy conservation, dedication to educating their peers, and Energy Extravaganza event.

Ava, a 4th-grade student and Project Manager for the Planet Protectors, highlighted the fun and impact of the project: "We made a huge impact on our school; everyone is practicing to eliminate vampire energy. Our school now has a recycling program. We all learned the negative effects of fossil fuels."

The Foshay Learning Center's Engineering Academy, under the guidance of teacher Darryl Newhouse ("Master Energy Bunny"), secured second place with their "Energy Bunnies" project. The team impressed with their data-driven approach, 30-day energy-saving challenge, and engaging school-wide energy fair.

Third place was awarded to the CCLA Technology Prep Academy's "Climate Eagles" team, led by teacher Derrick Walker. The Climate Eagles stood out for their meticulous energy audits, impressive 40% energy reduction, and collaboration with the Empowered Schools Program.

Students from the Planet Protectors, Energy Bunnies, and Climate Eagles all spoke about the importance of teamwork, energy conservation practices, and the positive impact they made on their schools.

Additional Winning Teams Recognized

The HEROES for Zero Contest also recognized five semi-finalist teams, each of whom will receive $5,000 for sustainability projects at their schools. These schools include Haynes Charter for Enriched Studies Elementary, Maywood Elementary, Menlo Avenue School Span STEAM Magnet Elementary, Valley Oaks Center for Enriched Studies (VOCES) MS & HS, and Ernest Lawrence Middle School.

The HEROES for Zero program exemplifies LAUSD's commitment to fostering a culture of sustainability within its schools. By empowering students to take ownership of energy conservation efforts, the district is not only reducing its environmental footprint but also nurturing a generation of environmentally conscious leaders.

To see the recorded ceremony, go here. To watch the finalists and semi-finalists videos, go here.

Chief Eco-Sustainability Officer, Christos Chrysiliou, and Principal Leonel A. Angulo accepted the Recycled Water Customer of the Year award for Sonia Sotomayor Arts and Sciences Magnet on 11/14/2023.

On November 14^th, 2023, the Los Angeles Department of Water & Power (LADWP) honored the Los Angeles School District (LAUSD) with the Recycled Water Customer of the Year Award for 2023. On hand to accept the award were Chief Eco Sustainability Officer, Christos Chrysiliou and Sonia Sotomayor Learning Academies Principal, Leonel Angulo. LADWP highlighted the recycled water project at Sotomayor Learning Academies which used over 11,077 hundred cubic feet (HCF) of recycled water during the 2022/2023 academic year. That is enough water to fill almost 17 Olympic-sized swimming pools. Recycled water not only preserves fresh drinking water for the region but also provides significant cost savings for the District. During the 22/23 academic year, the District was able to save approximately $67,791 in water use costs at Sotomayor Learning Academies alone.

“We are extremely proud of Sonia Sotomayor Arts and Sciences Magnet for receiving the 2022 LADWP Recycled Water Customer of the Year Award,” Superintendent Alberto M. Carvalho said.

“This school demonstrates how we can effectively promote sustainability in our schools through an integrated science-based curriculum.

We are grateful for the relationship with the Department of Water and Power and look forward to additional recycled water projects across the District”.

LAUSD is creating outdoor learning environments, sustainable learning gardens, nature-based early education outdoor classrooms, and removing 30% of asphalt paving to provide green/nature schoolyards.