Students for Electric School Buses
These Electric School Bus Champions have taken action to secure clean rides to school for themselves, their classmates and future generations. Hear about this important work in their own words.
“If everybody assumes it’s not my problem, someone else will take care of it, nobody is ever going to take care of it, so it needs to start somewhere.”
- Emily Lee, Montgomery Blair High School
Students in the news
Students around the country are leading the charge for electric school buses. See where student voices are already making a difference:
The dangers of diesel-burning school buses impact students more than anyone. That means their voices need to be front and center. Students and recent graduates across the country are already hard at work advocating for clean rides in their communities. Learn how they are working to make the equitable transition to zero-tailpipe-emission electric school buses a reality.
Resources for student advocates and their supporters
Are you interested in helping your community secure the air quality, health and climate benefits of electric school buses? Maybe you’re ready for your district to pass a climate resolution? Here are some resources to get you started:
- Citizens’ Climate Lobby: Their Great School Electrification Challenge launched in 2023. They support students in advocating to #ElectrifyEverything and earning points by taking actions that lead to resolutions. Round 1 resulted in 13 student teams taking 167 actions including three resolution presentations and 11 school-wide events on electrification.
- Action for the Climate Emergency: This youth-oriented action network educates, inspires and supports young people to lead the fight for their future. They contributed to a policy victory in Michigan, which now has a $125 million clean school bus program.
- Green New Deal for Schools: The Sunrise Movement’s Green New Deal initiative works to help the school system tackle the climate crisis and ensure all students have access to quality, safe education. Their guide prepares you to take the initiative to your school.
- Alliance for Electric School Buses: This coalition works with communities nationwide to bring about an equitable transition to electric school buses. Their in-depth resources include materials specifically designed for community advocates, to help you make the case for electric school buses in your community.
- Fast facts for students: This brief memo gives you an overview of some electric bus terminology, background on electric school buses, and reasons why they would benefit your district.
- Sample electric school bus pitch deck: This sample presentation developed by VEIC has information and research to help you and your district’s transportation manager make the case for electric school buses. You can customize and personalize this presentation to your district to make the strongest possible case.
- Electric School Bus Data Dashboard: This dashboard lets you explore national, state and district level data to see where school districts have committed to electric school buses and where there’s funding to support the transition. This information can help you see how much progress your district has made, connect with nearby communities to discuss their electrification journey, and find available funding.
- Partnership for Southern Equity's YES! for Equity: Based in Atlanta, YES! for Equity is a national training and movement-building force built on the belief that racial equity and inter-generational power-sharing are essential to creating community change. They have trained more than 20,000 youth and adults, and recently partnered with the Electric School Bus Initiative to apply this model to ESB advocacy.
- How Students Can Take Action for Electric School Buses: This web page gives students suggestions on how to get involved in the electric school bus movement.
- Reach out to the Electric School Bus Initiative: Our team can help point you to the right resources. Email us at email@example.com for more information.