Wins from 2022 and Hopes for 2023

Watch a the recording of the 2022 Celebration here.

Last weekend Silicon Valley Youth Climate Action (SVYCA) hosted a New Year’s Party. This celebration highlighted the wealth of successes in 2022, and offered a determined look forward. The event was attended by dozens of youth members and elected officials from all levels of government. Keynote speakers were California State Senator Josh Becker and California Assemblymember Ash Kalra. 

SVYCA promotes climate advocacy at all levels, from school board and city council up to the state level. We even had an SVYCA representative at COP 26. We have action teams across Silicon Valley representing individual cities, counties, or school districts.  We also have issue specific action teams, such as one focused on the complex issue of transportation. All of these teams share two things in common. They are dedicated to amplifying the youth voice and pushing for proactive climate solutions. 

2022 Was A Good Year
2022 was a good year for climate action, and for SVYCA. Momentum, while not as fast as could be wished, is heading in the right direction and many of our action teams celebrated important successes. 

Cupertino Action Team

Morgan Hill Action Team

  • Supported the creation and implementation of the Morgan Hill Climate Action Plan

  • Conducted monthly local park clean-ups

  • Established composting pilot program at Ann Sobrato High School

  • Created an climate-focused advisory for Morgan Hill students

  • Helped host a school-wide assembly at Live Oak High School educating on climate change, green careers, and advocacy

Sunnyvale Action Team

  • Organized Sunnyvale City Council Candidate Forum

  • Received Environmental Achievement and Student of the Year Awards from they City of Sunnyvale

  • Advocated for permanent bike lanes on Homestead Road to protect youth and encourage cycling

Santa Clara Action Team

  • Pushed for AP Environmental Science integration into the Santa Clara High School curriculum

  • Conducted Ongoing advocacy to protect bike lanes near schools

  • Advocated for the adoption of, and changes to, the Santa Clara Action Plan

  • Established ongoing volunteer engagement with Ulistac Natural Area

  • Advocated for strong REACH codes

San Jose Action Team

State Advocacy Team

  • Worked with State Senator Dave Cortese to secure $2Million for the Santa Clara County Youth Climate Initiative

  • Advocated for climate-friendly bills sponsored by Senator Cortese, Senator Becker, and others

San Mateo County Action Team

  • Co-hosted two public-comment workshops with Acterra

  • Successfully advocated for strong REACH codes for the City of San Mateo

  • Delivered outreach presentations to schools in SMUHSD

  • Advocated for the successful confirmation of San Mateo Mayor Amourance Lee

Fremont Union High School District (FUHSD) Action Team

  • Collaborated with FUHSD Superintendent to initiate first district-wide Climate Action Team

    • Held two student sustainability commissions

    • Organized one district-wide waste management project

  • Successfully advocated for the school district to apply to the US Department of Education’s Green Ribbon Schools Program

The SVYCA also had several successful cross-team initiatives focusing on wider climate solutions, such as climate literacy, green jobs training, and youth leadership training. The SVYCA focuses heavily on action, so initiatives were organized to be participatory and experiential.

Climate Literacy Initiatives

  • Hosted the first-ever Santa Clara County Environmental Literacy Summit with the Santa Clara County Office of Education.

  • Co-hosted the ‘California Youth Climate Forum’ with CalEPA

Green Careers Bus Tour

  • Organized and led a tour of sustainable organizations/projects across the Bay Area. Visits included Google, Delta Electronics, Nuro, and Levi Stadium. For more information, check out this blog post.

Youth Leadership Summit

  • Organized and hosted a day-long event highlighting the power of youth action, providing resources and training in activism, and demonstrating SVYCA’s organizational model.

The SCYCA is supported by elected officials at many levels. We were joined by representatives from the state (State Senator Josh Becker, State Representative Ash Kalra, State Representative Gail Pellerin), as well as local elected officials such as Sunnyvale Mayor Larry Klein, Cupertino Mayor Hung Wei, Santa Clara County Supervisor Otto Lee and many additional city council members and representatives of school districts and advocacy groups. The discussion was frank and forthright, and ideas for new legislation and improvements in current policies were thriving. 

SVYCA is looking forward to an even more productive 2023!

You can view a recording of the presentation on our YouTube Channel.

Erin Zimmerman