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Proud members of Ordean East Climate Club with Duluth Public Schools Superintendent John Magas.

The pursuit for solar in the ISD709 school district began in 2018. The idea emerged from a group of middle school students who wanted to push for sustainability in the school district. 

At Ordean East, the club would hold meetings after school in Tanya Jackson’s science classroom, which soon filled up with passionate and dedicated individuals. 

The club quickly evolved into a hardcore, action-seeking team. Students conducted their own energy audits of the gymnasium, researched solar prices and contractors, reached out to Minnesota Power and the University of Minnesota Duluth, and started developing a thorough research presentation of how solar could fit into our school district. 

The original goal of the Duluth Climate Club was to offset enough energy to power the gymnasium’s lighting. 

The club’s involvement with school administration began at the beginning of 2019. They invited every school board member to listen to their pitch for solar, and almost all of the members showed up. 

They listened to the carefully thought- out plan of how much solar would cost, where it could go and how it would be installed. Each club member took turns explaining part of the research. 

Unfortunately, there was a big problem – this array wouldn’t be feasible with the small estimated financial long-term impact.

Abby Frohle, a middle schooler at the time of this meeting shared “As a young person who cared deeply about climate change, I mainly heard two things from others. The first was from adults, who always said ‘let the grown-ups handle it; you’re too young to worry about such big problems.’ The second was from my friends and classmates, who always asked ‘why do you care so much?’ Joining Climate Club was a way to meet people who understood and shared my passion and desire to make a difference in the world. Finding that community made me feel so much less alone, in addition to helping me make an actual tangible difference in the world.” 

Abby saw how working among peers on a collective issue helped to combat some of the anxiety she felt around climate change.

Fortunately, there was a solution to this issue. The Solar for Schools Bill was introduced to the Minnesota Legislature in 2021. This bill would allow K-12 schools in Minnesota to get up to 50% off the requested solar project. 

This was huge for the club. Because of the success this bill could bring to the proposed solar project, the club took a great interest in making sure the Solar for Schools Bill would pass. The group met with Sen. Senjem, one of the bill’s sponsors. 

Tanya Jackson, one of the club’s advisers, explained that “Senator Senjum was the chair of the Energy Finance Committee. In order to get the bill up for a vote, we needed his support. Meeting with him online during the pandemic convinced him to support the bill, which was a pivotal step in getting Solar for Schools passed.”

He asked the group to convince him why this bill was worth passing. Sharing their story of how the only way solar could be possible in the ISD709 school district required substantial funding helped convince him that this piece of legislation could be very impactful in helping schools break the financial barrier of climate action. 

The Solar for Schools Bill did pass both the Senate and House in 2021 and put $28 million dollars of funding toward school solar. Since 2021, nearly 100 schools have taken advantage of this piece of legislation. This is a huge win in helping K-12 schools across the state adopt sustainable practices. 

The students of Duluth Climate Club once again pushed the ISD709 district administration in 2022. Their proposal now included information about the Solar for Schools Grant and tools and resources of how to use it. The club members had worked countless hours lobbying the state government to pass this bill, but unfortunately it was still not enough to get the school district on board. 

Because of this, the group felt very defeated and lost motivation to keep pushing. Working on the solar project felt futile for the students. Many students left the group, and numbers dwindled to just a few members. 

This is how it was for a few years until the group decided to use the benefits of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA).

This piece of landmark legislation contained tax credits that would help offset about 30-40% of the cost of the solar project. This was huge because with the Solar for Schools grant the district could have 80% of the cost covered by outside funding.

The group presented their final proposal, with the IRA now included, to the school board in June of 2024. Administration invited the group back in July and agreed to apply for the grant. Then in late October it was confirmed that the state confirmed the ISD709 school district for the grant. 

For all of the students involved in making this happen, it was truly a victory day. The fruition of their efforts helped to make the many years of work worth it. 

Past club leader and St. Olaf college freshman Amelia Gilbert explains that “Climate Club has changed how I view activism. Through working with the school district, I’ve needed to learn to take into consideration the motivations and desires of the school district above my own. And I’ve learned how best to meld what I believe is best for the future, with the financial reality and motivations of a school district. This meant working in the awkward space of trying to convince the district of the long-term benefits of solar panels while they were in the process of budget cuts.”     

In August this year Climate Club celebrated the solar array mounted on top of the ISD709 district office building. The 108kW array will help offset a huge chunk of that building’s energy usage and has put the ISD709 school district on the road toward a more climate focused future. 

In addition to the positive financial savings for the school district, the students involved and attending in ISD709 have learned so much in the process. Resilience, patience and teamwork have been huge factors in getting this project across the finish line. Opportunities to incorporate the project into the classroom will benefit every student. 

There is hope that this solar array will spark a bigger conversation about sustainability in the school district and get more students involved in taking care of the planet for themselves and future generations.

Current club leader Signe Ridenour shares that “I have a lot of hope for what Climate Club will do in the future. We have already seen our work come to life with the installation of the solar panels, and it has given us motivation to focus on other projects that tackle sustainability issues. Climate Club has encouraged us to think big about what we can do moving forward, and to know that our ideas are possible.”

Kate Yapel is a first year student at the University of Minnesota, studying Environmental Science, Policy, and Management as well as Applied Economics. She was a member of the Duluth Climate Club for seven years until she graduated last spring.