Youth Advocacy Paves the Way for 100% Clean School Buses in Washington
Yay!
Youth across the state are celebrating the passage of HB1368, the 100% Clean School Buses bill!
This marks a monumental step toward a cleaner, healthier future for Washington students. This bill will soon require all new school busses to be electric, and it mandates the replacement of all polluting buses by 2035. The legislation allocates at least $40M yearly in funding to support this transition, to help make it an achievable goal for all school districts. The efforts of young advocates were instrumental in making this bill a reality.
Why Youth Supported HB 1368
Our state’s current school transportation system relies heavily on fossil fuels, with 99% of buses contributing to climate change and exacerbating wildfires. The pollution levels inside these diesel buses are alarmingly high—up to 4-12 times higher than outside the bus. This exposure level is particularly harmful to children, who are at increased risk of developing serious health issues like bronchitis, asthma, and even cancer due to the toxic emissions.
Young people rallied behind HB 1368 because they believe they deserve to travel to school safely, without the risk of breathing in harmful pollutants.
Youth-Led Efforts and Accomplishments
At Climate Action Families, youth stepped up to spread the word and encourage their friends, families, and schoolmates to participate. We don’t have a thorough tracking system, and much of the engagement went through non-CAF websites, but here is a roundup of the actions that we know for sure were a result of CAF member work, which is likely a small fraction of actual participation
- ~40 youth met with Representatives Saldana and Senn as part of Youth Climate Lobby Day, a collaboration of Our Climate, WCA, Sierra Club, and CAF.
- At least 40-60 people signed in support of the bill during hearings, mobilized by CAF.
- Almost weekly social media posts on CAF’s Instagram and Facebook kept the community engaged and informed.
- Elizah, a 17-year-old advocate, gave live testimony at the hearings, sharing the urgent need for clean buses.
- Many video social posts from students amplified their voices and reached a broader audience.
- CAF Seattle Team hosted a monthly meeting focused on how bills are passed, using the school bus bill as an example.
- Young people created cardboard models of dirty and clean buses, which were used during Lobby Day to visually represent the impact of the bill, and on social media.
- Youth made 4 presentations at the YMCA Environmental Leadership Summit on using the social theory of change to support the Clean Bus Bill.
- 4 student presenters trained 6 high school students on canvassing specifically for the Bus Bill.
- 21 letters were sent across 10 districts from February 27th to March 1st in the final push to gain Senate support.
- Large thank-you posters were created for Representative Senn, and were delivered on March 27th, in appreciation of her sponsorship of the bill.
In our recent meeting with Representative Senn led by Mona H (10), Rep Senn shared that her own kids were the reason she decided to sponsor the bill. They told her she needed to make sure she was doing something for climate, and she listened.
The success of HB 1368 is a clear demonstration of the power of youth-led advocacy from the ground up. These young leaders not only understood the stakes but also took action to ensure that their concerns were addressed. Their work sets a powerful example for future campaigns and reinforces the importance of involving youth in the legislative process.
We look forward to continuing our work with these incredible young advocates to build a cleaner, healthier world for all!
