Jayne Black, Wisconsin Organizer for Moms Clean Air Force and founder of Green Schools Rock, is on a mission to make schools healthier, safer, and more sustainable. She brings passion and expertise to the fight for clean air—especially indoors, where pollutant levels can be two to five times higher than outside. Through her work, she empowers children to become climate leaders and pushes for systemic change in school environments. On March 31, the state of Wisconsin adopted a proclamation Jayne drafted, establishing an official Green Schools Day on April 14, 2025. We checked in with her to learn more about her hard work to make this happen—and her next steps.
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As told to Emily Pickett by Jayne Black:
I was a pre-K teacher, and during COVID, it hit me: I was concerned for my health. I was inhaling all the toxic fumes from the cleaning products we were using in the classroom. It made me think: I had kids in my classroom with allergies and asthma, my own son had asthma, and I had to keep him home many times because it had flared up.
I had never related these issues to having anything to do with the indoor air quality in his school until then. I came to realize that we do not, in our country, regulate school air. We have no rules about indoor air quality standards. There’s nothing that schools have to be accountable for.
This brought about my “wow” moment, and I asked myself, “What can I do to help now?”
So I started Green Schools Rock, a free, inclusive program that supports schools in taking sustainable actions. It also trains youth in those schools to be green leaders. I’ve taught over 2,000 youth in the last four years! I teach them about climate issues and how they can truly play a role in helping to solve them. I’ve helped implement schoolwide composting and recycling initiatives.
We should all prioritize making our schools green and healthy for our kids because they affect their learning and their health. And schools are one of the top contributors to climate change because of how much energy they use. Green schools play a role in helping to reduce climate-warming effects.
I know that the value of green schools is not always at the forefront of people’s minds, so it was important for me to create a day to say, “This is important!” I wrote a Green Schools Day Proclamation that was signed by the mayor in my city of De Pere. Two years ago, he signed it, but it was always my goal to have it statewide.
So earlier this year, I took the initiative to bring the Green Schools Day Proclamation to the state of Wisconsin. As I’ve gotten more involved, I realized that Governor Tony Evers is such an advocate for our children, and he wants them to be healthy. I had a good feeling about it. Six or seven months ago, I submitted the proclamation to his office, and then I got an email from their office in March with the signed proclamation!
Of course, it’s not just a day. It’s a years-long topic. In my wildest dreams, Green Schools Day will lead to other people having that aha moment like I had about the importance of green schools. Just look at the situation in Milwaukee. Lead is being found in schools because they’re testing for it. That should make us question the safety of our schools and want more for them.
School is a place where our children are legally required to be. We should know that where we’re putting them, especially vulnerable children, is safe. I really hope that the new Wisconsin state proclamation brings awareness. Best case scenario, more people get involved, more people ask questions, and more people put pressure on schools and lawmakers.