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.
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.
Green Schoolyards and Outdoor Education
School gardens and green space to learn, play and thrive.
Waste Reduction
Reduce, reuse, compost, and recycle at PPS.
Meet the Climate Justice and Sustainability Teams
Kat Davis, Climate Justice Advisor, kadavis@pps.net
Kat 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. Reach out to collaborate and learn more!
Carrie Jones Bohara, Climate Justice Student Projects Coordinator, cjonesbohara@pps.net
Carrie manages the Climate Friendly Public Schools Program, which engages students in grades 6-12 in climate action projects across the district through our partnership with the Portland Clean Energy Fund. Carrie supports school-based teams of students, teachers, advisors, and administrators to navigate the processes, systems, and connection to community partnerships for successful implementation of Student Climate Projects. Prior to this role, Carrie worked for nine years as an educator with PPS, and led environmental and community engagement efforts across Portland in the nonprofit sector.
Aaron Presberg, Senior Program Manager, Senior Manager for Energy & Sustainability, apresberg@pps.net
Aaron 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.
Monica Fleisher, Sustainability Program Manager, mfleisher@pps.net
Monica, the PPS Sustainability Program Manager, oversees all projects related to waste management and reduction. She also runs schoolyard related projects including tree plantings, depaves, and schoolyard redesigns, in addition to managing partnerships with PPS' school garden educators.
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