Do Good Conversations August 18, 2026 - Ali Ward

Ali Ward is the Sustainability Supervisor for the Boise School District — and little do most of us know what that actually means. Here's a fact that might surprise you: school districts account for one of the largest building footprints of any sector in the country. Nationally, K-12 schools make up nearly half the square footage of the entire commercial building sector. Right here in Boise, the school district manages 52 buildings. And that's exactly what makes Ali Ward's job so important. First an educator, Ali found herself pulled into school green teams — and for the last four years, she's served as the district's sustainability manager. It hasn't been easy. But if you've got a kiddo in Boise schools, or you keep an eye on the news, you know the work BSD is doing in sustainability is making a visible impact: solar panels on the roof at Whittier Elementary, electric school buses on the road, and a push to teach students personal responsibility by putting them in charge of sustainability efforts at their own schools. Ali Ward is a force to be reckoned with — leaning into community partnerships and our biggest resource of all: our kids. So stick around — because in this episode, Ali's going to take us behind the scenes of what it really takes to make an entire school district more sustainable: the wins, the setbacks, and the surprisingly big role students play in making it happen. If you've ever wondered what's going on behind those solar panels and electric buses, this is the conversation for you.