Driven by Community: Alex Rodriguez’s Charge for Electric School Buses in Connecticut
In communities across Connecticut, the push for clean air and climate justice has found a passionate advocate in Alex Rodriguez. For nearly a decade, Alex has organized around environmental justice, with a focus on health equity and community empowerment. connects with his time in the League of Conservation Voters’ Chispa program, where he helped launch the Clean Buses for Healthy Niños campaign in Connecticut—an initiative that brought electric school buses to the forefront of environmental justice conversations and particularly in Latino communities.
“I remember those old buses from elementary school—thick smog, foul smells. As an asthmatic kid, I knew firsthand how harmful that air was,” said Alex. “So, when I found myself organizing around electric school buses, it felt like I was exactly where I needed to be.
Through Chispa, Alex worked to engage Latino communities across Connecticut, knocking on doors and building trust. He found that many residents were not only receptive but hopeful—eager for solutions that addressed both climate change and public health, particularly for youth. While skeptics raised concerns about battery range and infrastructure, Alex focused on momentum-building, recruiting volunteers, and partnering with environmental nonprofits to amplify the value of electric school buses.
The campaign gained traction in 2018, following the creation of the Connecticut Mitigation Trust Fund and State Mitigation Plan by way of the Volkswagen-Audi Diesel Emissions Settlement Program. Alex, along with Chispa and other advocates, pushed for those funds to support zero-emission school buses. Through petitions, public comments, and legislative engagement, they made their voices heard.
“We were active participants in meetings, delivering petitions to elected officials, and submitting written comments to the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. We weren’t just asking for electric school buses to support the health of our youth—we were organizing for it,” Alex recalled.
One of the campaign’s most significant victories came in Middletown, where grassroots energy and municipal support were the strongest. Alex and his team engaged local leaders and even met with leadership at DATTCO, a major school bus operator, to present data on the cost-effectiveness of electric buses. That meeting helped catalyze the purchase of Connecticut’s first electric school bus—a 20-passenger Type A bus—funded through the Mitigation Trust Fund.
Navigating the complexities of the energy landscape, and the relationships between school districts and their school bus operators was not easy. Yet, Alex remained undeterred, representing the voices of electric school bus advocates and youth at regional transportation forums.
Alex was appointed Chair of the Air and Transportation Subcommittee on the Connecticut Equity and Environmental Justice Advisory Council, established under Governor Lamont’s Executive Order 21-3. His advocacy helped lay the groundwork for major policy shifts which set ambitious targets for electrifying school buses by 2040.
Programs like Fleet Electrification Accelerator—launched by the Connecticut Green Bank—are now carrying the torch lit through the efforts of advocates and organizers like Alex by supporting school districts in Connecticut’s distressed municipalities, whether they have a school bus operator or own their fleet, to plan for electric school buses with no-cost technical assistance.
“The development of state-supported programs like the Green Bank’s Fleet Electrification Accelerator shows that organizing can make a difference when communities have a seat at the table and the tools to lead."
– Alex Rodriguez, Environmental Justice Specialist Save the Sound
Alex’s Accolades
Community Organizer, Environmental Justice Advocate, Connecticut Equity and Environmental Justice Advisory Council (CEEJAC) Air and Transportation Subcommittee Co-Chair. (Get involved with CEEJAC by emailing [email protected])
