Healthy learning environments and high-quality school buildings are the keys to environmental equity and academic achievement. By leveraging sustainability strategies, these outcomes are possible. By improving indoor air and water quality, reducing solid waste, minimizing non-renewable energy usage, and providing nutritious food, urban schools can ensure environmental equity and close the opportunity gap for students. Today we will talk with the author of a new book, "Environmental Equity: Closing the Opportunity Gap in Urban Schools," which demonstrates how school districts in even the most financially strapped regions can improve learning environments, lives, and achievement of every member of a school community.

Wayles Wilson is currently an Education Consultant for Sustainable Schooling, supporting organizations like the Go Green Initiative, Mastery Schools, and Bloom Planning, where she provides project management and program implementation support. Her recent consulting projects have ranged from program feasibility and implementation for an online Learning Management System, student enrollment competitive analysis and implementation, grant writing, and strategic planning and operations to support schools with sustainability efforts.

Wayles holds degrees in education non-profit administration from the Fels Institute of Government at the University of Pennsylvania and is a certified School Business Administrator in New Jersey. She also holds Bachelor's degrees from Washington College in business administration and international relations.