Climate Justice, Energy, and Sustainability at PPS
Climate Justice at 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.
"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."PPS Climate Crisis Response, Climate Justice, and Sustainable Practices Policy
Student, teacher, and community engagement work is critical to establishing a culture of climate justice - and we want you to be involved! On this page, you can find an overview of exciting projects, programs and opportunities for students, staff, teachers, and community members. A future of climate solutions takes all of us working together, so if you have any ideas, questions, or just want to get plugged into this work, please email climatejustice@pps.net.
PPS Climate Policy
Learn more about the PPS Climate Crisis Response, Climate Justice and Sustainable Practices Board Policy.
Climate Crisis Response Committee
Meeting Materials for Board Committee that oversees the climate policy.
Student Projects
Student Climate Projects funded by the Portland Clean Energy Fund Climate Friendly Public Schools initiative.
Buildings, Transportation and Energy Use
Progress towards the Climate Policy Greenhouse Gas reduction goals through our built environment.
Meet the Climate Justice and Sustainability Teams
Curtis Leonard, Senior Manager of Energy & Sustainability, culeonard@pps.net
Curtis Leonard works to ensure that Portland Public Schools is building and maintaining its facilities with sustainability in mind. He works to responsibly manage the district’s energy consumption and make tangible steps towards the District’s decarbonization goals. His approach is focused on the implementation of the Climate Crisis Response policy with a lens of operational school system sustainability. Prior to this role, Curtis worked as an energy and sustainability specialist at a school district in Colorado and he also taught high schoolers how to farm sustainably in the Boston Metropolitan area.
Carrie Jones Bohara, Climate Justice Program Manager, studentclimateprojects@pps.net
Carrie Jones Bohara leads the Climate Friendly Public Schools Program, a districtwide initiative that empowers students in grades 6–12 to design and implement student-led climate action projects through our partnership with the Portland Clean Energy Fund. She collaborates with educators, students, school leaders, community partners, and district departments to strengthen program implementation and resources, develop systems that reduce barriers and support long-term success, and expand opportunities for student leadership in climate justice. Prior to this role, Carrie spent nine years as an educator with Portland Public Schools, and previously led environmental and community engagement efforts in Portland’s nonprofit sector.
Cait Harrington-Smith, Sustainability Program Manager, sustainability@pps.net
Cait is the Sustainability Program Manager at Portland Public Schools where she develops, implements, and evaluates aspects of district-wide resource conservation and sustainability programs designed to make our schools and facilities more sustainable. Cait’s work focuses on resource management, waste prevention, and circularity district-wide. She has ten years’ experience developing and supporting circular economy initiatives focused on reuse, repair, recycling, and composting. Cait grew up in Portland and loves spending time outdoors, exploring the Oregon coast, doing litter picks, and playing with her dog and cat in her free time.
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!
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Partners
We could not in any way do this without our amazing partners, both within PPS and across the Portland community. At PPS, we work constantly with our colleagues at schools and in central office departments, including: Transportation, Nutrition Services, Strategic Partnerships and Grants, Communications, Innovation Studio, Safe Routes to Schools, School Modernization, Facilities, Maintenance, Real Estate, and more.
Outside of PPS, we collaborate with an amazing and always growing list of partners who are dedicated to climate change and education work.
Ecology in Classrooms & Outdoors (ECO)
Green Schoolyard partners
Lower Columbia Estuary Partnership
Urban Forestry's Learning Landscapes
Resource and Network partners