Welcome to Gregori's Sustainability Hub!

We are dedicated to fostering environmental awareness and responsibility among our students. Through engaging activities and initiatives, we strive to empower young learners to become stewards of the planet, making positive contributions to their community and beyond!

Real-time outdoor air quality at Gregori!

ca-grs mcs gold level

Upcoming Events

Campus Projects!

Full Campus recycling bottles, cans - Located in all participating classrooms with our Global Club and our janitors help out too around school .

Offices and Lunch area full recycling

Composting organics in our lunchroom and outside the cafeteria area during lunch!

Close the Door! - energy conservation and efficiency campaign, close the front doors of buildings to save energy & $$$. - A Global Club Initiative!

JAGG - On all classroom doors we have a the Jagg Act Pledge that reminds occupants to unplug appliances, turn off lights, and encourage others to join in.

QR code for MCS sustainability main webpage

Did you Know?

Gregori boasts 😎🌎5 AP Environmental Science Sections, the most of any high school in all of Stanislaus County!

Global Club🌍🌎🌏

Have you ever wondered who collects all those plastic bottles and cans on campus? Well, it's Gregori's Global Club! Global Club has been partnering with our custodians, students, and staff to create a greener campus since Gregori's beginnings, thanks to Mrs. Merenda and Mr. Orlando's supervision. 🙂 We are starting a new campaign to close the front doors of buildings to save energy. Seriously, all you have to do is "Close the Door," and it saves energy and money! Join Global Club to create a greener Gregori and gain leadership and stewardship skills.

JAGG 🐆

Join a Green Gregori! This is a campus-wide spin-off from Global Club - lights above classroom doors over 100 have been turned off for over 10 years (Big energy savings)- they encourage all staff and students to turn off lights and monitors when not in use

Teacher Coordinators

In March 2023, the Board approved "Sustainability Teacher Champions" funding at all 34 school sites to establish and lead environmental initiatives. At Gregori, Environmental Science teacher Katherine Merenda and English teacher Joseph Orlando took on the challenge in addition to their other campus responsibilities. Sustainability Leads will form environmental clubs and guide students through projects focusing on energy conservation, waste reduction, and air monitoring.

💡Energy Conservation

A full-time Energy Education Specialist contracted through Cenergistic monitors Gregori's utility bills and conducts in-person audits to verify HVAC run times and proper lighting usage. The specialist also helps optimize systems to ensure they run efficiently.

Cenergistic provides ongoing training and support, including student engagement opportunities such as "Energy Audits" and "Utility Bill Review." Visit the District Energy Conservation page to learn more!

If you would like more information about this program, contact the Director of Sustainability, Gilbert Blue Feather Rosas, at Rosas.G@mcs4kids.com.

MCS ENERGY STAR® School 2023

Modesto City Schools participates in the EPA’s ENERGY STAR® Certification Program. School sites are evaluated and receive a score ranking. A minimum score of 75 means that school is in the top 25% of comparable buildings. In 2023, Gregori High received a score of 84.

Energy star logo

🗑Waste Program!

Gregori recycling sorting by global club

environmental castaway project-gregori hs

Air Quality and Health

UC Merced and CCAC Study📚Purple Air Monitor Program

An air quality monitoring project partnership is underway with UC Merced professor Dr. Asa Bradman and the Central California Asthma Collaborative (CCAC)! MCS received 35 Purple Air Monitors from UC Merced in the fall of 2023 and installed a monitor at all 34 school sites, plus the Transportation Yard.  To learn more about the UC Merced air quality research programs, visit: https://healthyair.ucmerced.edu.672elmp01.blackmesh.com/

Through its SJVAir project, CCAC has deployed over 400 air monitors across the San Joaquin Valley. All of our Purple Air Monitors were calibrated by CCAC, and through its network, you can sign up for text alerts or use its mobile app to receive alerts about the air quality around your school! 

What do the Monitors Measure???

The air monitors determine the air quality based on tiny particles called particulate matter (PM) 2.5, which means that it is particulate matter with a diameter of 2.5 micrometers or smaller! Although PM 2.5 is not visible, when there is a lot of it in the air, it becomes a problem because we can inhale them deep into our lungs, which can cause or exacerbate asthma and other health problems in children, the elderly, and those with other respiratory (breathing) and heart conditions. The Central Valley has some of the highest PM 2.5 levels in the United States!

We hope to initiate programs involving environmental clubs and classes in monitoring and tracking trends and patterns.

Through consistent tracking, the air monitors will develop a baseline for emissions and local air quality. Students can use software like Excel to find correlations in air quality due to site location and surroundings, weather, time of year, and even time of day.  Air monitors will gauge the annual difference in air quality levels from the baseline. Those results will be posted on the district’s Sustainability webpage as data is collected.

No Idling Campaign

Idling vehicles create unnecessary, harmful pollution that affect students’ health. The message is simple: While you wait for your child, please turn off your engine. Idling for more than 10 seconds uses more fuel than turning off the engine and restarting it.

Resource: Healthy Air Living Schools Program Additional Materials

San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District: Real-Time Air Advisory Network

RAAN uses actual, real-time air-quality data taken directly from the nearest air monitor to help you evaluate air quality and determine the right time for outdoor activities. It also provides Real-Time Outdoor Activity Risk (ROAR) guidelines based on five different air-quality levels.

Outdoor air monitoring at Gregori High School!

*This AQI reading has a longer lag time in reporting since it receives its updates from the Purple Air Readings.

🌞Solar on Campus

Sustainable Outdoor Learning Environment (SOLE) Energy Dashboard

Gregori High School has a solar outdoor classroom or SOLE that will generate approximately 60,000 kWh annually. To learn more about solar energy at MCS, check out the District Green Infrastructure tab!

🚘Carports

It's hard not to notice the giant solar panels that now provide shade covering and solar production in the parking lot! Gregori's panels will produce 1026.0 kWh and provide 53,154 sq. feet of shaded covering.

Did you know solar panels absorb significantly less energy (1.8 kWh per square meter per day) than asphalt (5.4 kWh per square meter per day)? This change in energy absorption alters the amount of infrared radiation reaching the ground, providing cooler space for students and transportation staff.

To learn more about solar energy at MCS, check out the District Green Infrastructure tab!

CTE Programs

Climate Action Pathways (CAPS)

Climate Action Pathways for Schools (CAPS) is a California-based non-profit organization providing paid internship programs designed to meet a school district’s climate action goals. Junior and Senior interns' work is focused on reducing greenhouse gas emissions at a school district level developed in 5 key areas, including clean transportation, building decarbonization, food systems, water conservation, and water management.

A cohort of students from MCS high schools, including Gregori, have the unique opportunity to be part of a process of creating change that can be measured and seen within their school and community.

Student Energy Audits!

After analyzing energy data and understanding site plans, our Climate Action Pathways high school interns conducted energy audits of some district campuses. They prepared questions and interviewed head custodians, our Cenergistic Energy Specialist, and other applicable staff.

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Climate action Pathways high school interns partake in an after school energy audit at Fairview Elementary

Future Renewable Energy Pathways

The district's investment in solar carports and an electric school bus fleet, as well as other sustainability initiatives, has sparked interest in developing technical education programs for high school students to pursue renewable energy curriculum in Career Technical Education (CTE) classes.

District-Wide Sustainability