Gavin Newsom Surprises Parents With Amazing News

Gavin Newsom recently announced a plan to protect California students from extreme heat...

Photo byGage Skidmore via Wikimedia Commons

California Governor Gavin Newsom recently impressed parents by announcing a plan to protect students from extreme heat. According to a press release by the Governor, "the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) is providing $47 million in grants to help schools convert asphalt to green spaces and plant trees and other vegetation – adding cooler spaces essential to protecting kids from dangerous extreme heat."

“California is heading into a hotter, drier future and extreme heat will only become more dangerous," said Governor Newsom. "We’re taking action to protect our kids – especially in underserved communities – from hotter temperatures with our best defense: nature. We’re helping schools tear out asphalt that can reach 140 degrees on hot days – planting trees for shade and adding other plants to provide kids with safer, cooler spaces at school.”

“School greening is a win-win for California students, communities, and the environment," said First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom. "By cooling and shading outdoor areas, we’re mitigating the dangerous impacts of extreme heat and pollution all while expanding students’ access to the benefits of play and hands-on learning opportunities like garden education. Investments in green spaces where children can safely learn, move, and explore, nurture their physical and mental well-being and bolster long-term community health and resiliency.”

“These innovative investments set the state on a path to creating green schoolyards where they are needed most—in our urban centers and in disadvantaged and underserved communities," said CAL FIRE Director and Fire Chief Joe Tyler. "Creating schoolyards where children can safely be outside, protected from extreme heat and surrounded by vegetation instead of concrete is something CAL FIRE is proud to support, and is something every child should be able to experience at school where they learn and grow."

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