Sustainably Speaking: More electric school buses coming to Wisconsin
(WFRV) – Electric school buses are beginning to gain popularity across the United States, and this national organization is making it a goal to get more school districts to join in. The group is called 'Moms Clean Air Force' and they are spread out across thirteen states with seven total coordinators.
Jayne Black is the Wisconsin State Coordinator and is on the board of the city of De Pere's sustainability commission. She explains what the moms do and their overall goal.
"Moms Clean Air Force, what we do is we educate school districts and the community about the benefits of electric school buses".
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The moms are advocates for the United States Environmental Protection Agencies (EPA) 'Clean School Bus Program', encouraging school districts to switch from diesel-powered to electric school buses.
This program has allocated five billion dollars to be spent on the distribution of electric school buses. In the first few years, as of July 2024, nearly three billion dollars have been used . This has amounted to 1300 school districts across the United States receiving a total of nearly 8,000 school buses.
A recent award will bring 75 more electric school buses to Wisconsin, with the Milwaukee school district receiving the most in this next round. This will bring Wisconsin's total up to 135 across 28 school districts.
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Black says that 99% of school districts are using diesel powered and only one percent are using electric. She explains the benefits of electric school buses compared to diesel-powered ones.
"Diesel is a known carcinogen, it has numerous health impacts: asthma, respiratory impacts its also been linked to cognitive abilities so it affects children's ability to learn," says Black. "Electric school buses have zero tailpipe emissions, so it's better for our lungs and is definitely better for our planet."
Mom's Clean Ai r Force plans to host 'Defend our Climate Women's Self-Defense class' in Green Bay on Saturday, July 20 at 10 a.m.
