This study examines whether school greening targets effectively reduce heat exposure, using Los Angeles Unified School District’s goal of 30% greening across campuses as a case study. Comparing four elementary schools, researchers found that even when greening is defined specifically as tree canopy, its cooling benefits depend heavily on local climate conditions, suggesting that site-specific design strategies are needed to create safer, more equitable school environments.
Customer choice in energy is spreading quickly. Multiple states allow cities and counties to purchase electricity on behalf of their communities — a procurement model called community choice aggregation. This paper uses California as a case study to examine how community choice aggregators are affecting levels of renewable energy at the local and state levels. We find that CCAs have had both direct and indirect effects that have led to increases in the clean energy sold in excess of the state’s renewable portfolio standard (RPS) goals.
