• Climate Justice, Energy, and Sustainability at PPS

  • Climate Justice in Portland Public Schools

    In March 2022, the Portland Public School Board, after years of direct student and community action and leadership on climate justice, unanimously approved the Climate Crisis Response, Climate Justice and Sustainable Practices Policy ("CCRP"). The policy sets far reaching and ambitious targets around energy use, waste reduction, curriculum development, green schoolyards, student health, and climate justice and resiliency. 

    The PPS CCRP explicitly begins with our commitment to climate justice: 

    "Climate change disproportionately impacts the vulnerable members of our community. Implementation of this policy will prioritize serving people with disabilities, communities of color, and other vulnerable populations...The District shall prioritize investments that achieve the greatest emissions reduction, while integrating climate action into our curriculum and developing a culture of environmental stewardship and climate justice throughout our organization." 

    In bringing climate and environmental justice into the forefront of PPS' vision, the CCRP also aligns our climate work with the goals described in the PPS Graduate Portrait, which calls on our students to become "global change agents (who) are responsible stewards of the environment and knowledgeable about climate justice issues."

    The core function of the PPS Climate Justice Advisor's office is to:

    • Within the Office of Teaching and Learning, support the development of K-12 science and social studies curriculum that engages students in learning about climate change and climate justice
    • Collaborate with the Office of Strategic Partnerships and Engagement to support the development of youth leadership and engagement opportunities
    • Collaborate with the Office of Sustainability to support the development of curriculum that empowers youth to analyze data and create solutions to sustainability and climate justice issues in their community

    Energy & Sustainability in Portland Public Schools

    On energy reduction, the CCRP sets out ambitious targets:  

    "Emissions Reduction: PPS will reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 50 percent by 2030, using the 2018-2019 school year baseline, and reach net zero emissions by 2040. " In addition, "PPS will design and construct new low-carbon schools and renovations that are energy-efficient, resilient, and adaptable (and)...Phase out fossil fuel infrastructure (gas-fired equipment) in all existing buildings by 2050."

    The CCRP also lays out values around an assortment of sustainability related initiatives, including tree plantings and depaves, increased outdoor learning, waste reduction, stormwater management, schoolbus electrification, increased walk/bike options, locally sourced foods, electric landscaping tools, and more! 

    The Energy & Sustainability team works closely with the PPS Climate Justice team and a range of other departments and external stakeholders to move the district toward meeting these policy goals.

    Student, teacher, and community engagement work is critical to establishing a culture of climate justice. The PPS Climate Justice team is actively working on creative, community centered designs that will build a culture of climate justice and environmental stewardship, as well as teacher and student support systems, throughout PPS. This work gets done by collaborating and empowering the PPS community to be agents of change with a voice and pathways to action. We aim to have robust centers of dialogue so that everyone at PPS can actively be engaged in this work, together.   

Phone:

Email:

Degrees and Certifications:

Climate Justice Inside PPS Schools

The CCRP calls for PPS to, "with guidance from frontline students and communities...develop curricular learning opportunities, so PPS graduates know the causes and consequences of climate change, understand climate justice, and have opportunities to practice climate solutions."

Numerous pathways for students to learn about climate justice have already been created and more are on the way, including: 

  • Multiple PPS high schools have a climate justice elective course.
  • Many schools have a climate justice or environmental justice club.
  • PPS supports student activism through excused absences for community climate actions. 

    • 2024-2025 Join the PPS Climate Justice Youth Advisory (CJYA)!

      Interested in student leadership around climate action? 

      CJYA members are thought partners in defining the Climate Justice department’s goals for climate action, student leadership, and community engagement.
    •  
    • Keep an eye out for more information coming this summer about how to join the advisory next school year ('24-'25)!
    •  
    • If you have any questions, please email climatejustice@pps.net.
     

  • Mission Statements

    A core part of the climate work we do at PPS is centered around racial equity and social justice. Understanding climate justice -- the idea that climate change has differing social, economic, public health, and other adverse impacts on underprivileged populations -- helps guide our actions in a way that distributes environmental benefits equitably, focusing first on the populations that have been harmed most by climate change.  

    PPS Climate Justice mission:  

    Support the teaching and learning of climate change and climate justice in all classrooms in Portland Public Schools. Collaborate to develop transdisciplinary curriculum and professional learning that empowers educators and youth to become transformative racial equity leaders and global stewards and ambassadors. Collaborate with district and community partners to empower youth to lead the district and the world in becoming more sustainable.

    PPS Energy & Sustainability mission:

    The PPS Energy & Sustainability Office works to combat climate change in our community by reducing greenhouse gas emissions in our schools and promoting resilient, inclusive, sustainable buildings and schoolyards. We work to empower and support our PPS community -- students, teachers, families, and neighbors -- to be climate ambassadors for a more sustainable and just future.

  • About us

    Kat Davis, Climate Justice Advisor, kadavis@pps.net  

    Kat Davis is the Advisor for Climate Justice at Portland Public Schools where she oversees the district-wide implementation of the Climate Crisis Response, Climate Justice and Sustainable Practices Policy. Before coming to PPS, Kat was the Director of Sustainability at Boise State University for five years, and has experience in the public sector with a background in designing systems of solutions in nonprofits and local governance. Kat centers student voice in her work and is eager to engage with the Portland community in moving PPS forward in our commitment to climate justice together.  

    Aaron Presberg, Senior Program Manager, Energy & Sustainability, apresberg@pps.net 

    Aaron Presberg is the Senior Program Manager for the Energy & Sustainability team. He oversees all projects related to energy efficiency and energy use reduction, and represents PPS sustainability priorities in maintenance and school modernization projects. 

    Sustainability Program Manager, sustainability@pps.net 

    The PPS Sustainability Program Manager oversees all projects related to waste management and reduction. They also run schoolyard related projects including tree plantings, depaves, and schoolyard redesigns, in addition to managing partnerships with PPS' school garden educators.

    Ari Ettinger, Climate Resiliency Program Manager, aettinger@pps.net

    Ari Ettinger is the Climate Resiliency Program Manager, where he leads student, teacher, and community engagement efforts, while supporting energy reduction programs and schoolyard planning initiatives.
     
    Hannah Skutt
    AmeriCorps Climate Justice Project Coordinator
     
    Rosie Goity
    AmeriCorps Climate Justice Project Coordinator
     
    Jesse Nienow-Macke
    AmeriCorps Climate Justice Project Coordinator
                                                       
    Anita Spaeth
    AmeriCorps Sustainability Project Coordinator
     

    The PPS Departments of Sustainability and Climate Justice are proud to partner with Confluence Environmental Center's AmeriCorps Program. This annual partnership catalyzes environmental justice in the Portland Public School district to address critical environmental needs facing students and the greater community. To learn more about this partnership, and current AmeriCorps members serving with PPS, please visit: https://www.confluencecenter.org/about-confluence-americorps

Phone:

Email:

Degrees and Certifications:

Climate Justice Resources for Teachers

Portland Public Schools, in collaboration with CLEAR Environmental, created this growing and dynamic resource space for educators, administrators, and community to share and learn about climate justice teaching in our schools. These pages contain teaching resources, community resources for students and families, and much more.

Check out the page here to find the resources that fit your needs!