• Climate Justice, Energy, and Sustainability at PPS

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    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." 

    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.

Upcoming Opportunities

  • Climate Crisis Response Committee Applications are Open!

    If you are a passionate student or community member that wants to make a difference at PPS, apply to join the Climate Crisis Response Committee! This is a committee that reports to the PPS Board of Education. On the committee you will: 

    • Learn about how PPS is making progress towards the goals in the Climate Crisis Response, Climate Justice and Sustainable Practices Policy
    • Provide input and recommendations to the PPS Board on how to better support PPS staff as we advance these policy goals
    • Connect with other passionate members of our PPS community from diverse backgrounds, knowledge areas, and lived experiences. 

    No previous professional experience in climate change or sustainability required! Volunteer experience, lived experience, and a passion for this work are all just as important. 

    PPS students: Click here to apply to be a 2025–2025 CCRC Student Representative 

    PPS community members (adult):Click here to apply to serve on the Climate Crisis Response Committee for the 2025–2027 term. 

    Deadline to Apply: June 6

    Learn more about the Climate Crisis Response Committee here!

What's new with PPS Climate Justice

  •  Climate Crisis Response Policy Dashboard

    Since the passage of the Climate Crisis Response Policy, the PPS Climate Justice department has envisioned a public facing progress-tracking dashboard that shows how far we’ve come and where we’re going. The CCRP dashboard showcases how the district is strategically advancing scopes to fully integrate and operationalize the policy objectives and goals. This dashboard was created with feedback from the Board Climate Crisis Response Committee as well as staff throughout the district. 

    If you have any questions or comments about the dashboard, reach out to climatejustice@pps.net. 

     

  • Community-Centered Climate Action Design Team Report

     

    In the spring of 2024, the PPS Climate Justice partnered with the Innovation Studio to curate a team of students, teachers, community partners, and PPS staff to better understand how to create more equitable and accessible engagement opportunities for PPS students, especially those most impacted by climate change.  The Design Team explored this question with our PPS community and created a series of recommendations and prototypes, which are published in the Community-Centered Climate Action Design Team Report.The Climate Justice team is now working to integrate these recommendations and prototypes into practices to advance more equitable engagement, empowerment, and education of PPS students and community partners.

     
If you are having trouble viewing the document, you may download the document.

  • 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@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 Community Engagement Coordinator
     
    Rosie Goity
    AmeriCorps Community Engagement Coordinator
     
    Phi Nguyen 
    AmeriCorps Data Coordinator
    phinguyen@pps.net 
                                                       
    Harper Kieger- Eaton 
    AmeriCorps Sustainability Project Coordinator
    heaton@pps.net

    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

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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!