Sustainability at PPS

This month we're thrilled to highlight the amazing accomplishments of our district students, as well as some great upcoming opportunities! The stories highlighted in this month's newsletter demonstrate the integrity and passion of our district students, especially in the ways in which they use their voices to advocate for the betterment of their communities. This is a busy time of the year for many students, especially for those writing articles for their school newspapers, participating in important climate action and equity work, and piloting programs and initiatives at their schools. Please enjoy this months special issue as a celebration of our district students and all of their achievements!

Do you know how rising sea levels caused by climate change could lead to contamination of tap water? How did contamination of New Orleans’ municipal water supply occur in the summer of 2023 and why was it declared a federal state of emergency? Ida B. Wells staff writer, Jasper DeFrain, answers these critical questions in their article, New Orleans Faces More Environmental Turmoil, How This Says A Lot About the State of Our World

"It is important to see that change isn’t hopeless. The effects of climate change are not set in stone." - Jasper Defrain

DeFrain wrote this excellent article back in October of 2023 and we're pleased to share it during this months newsletter.

Image of Louisiana marshlands by U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service via Climate Adaptation and Knowledge Exchange

Get excited for the PPS HS Student Climate Summit coming up on May 22, 2024! Hosted in Portland, high school students from across the district are invited to attend the all day event filled with speakers, workshops, and food. Keep your eye out for updates and reminders.

PPS is embarking on a project to create student leadership pathways for meaningful climate action, and we are eager to include passionate student leaders like you. This might look like more career support pathways, voice at district leadership, district support for clubs, school projects, and more!

Advisory students will gain experience with organizing a large-scale event, the Spring Climate Summit at the end of May. Students will provide input on potential speakers and an overall theme for the Summit that resonates with them as well as their classmates.

If you are interested in joining, please fill out this form and we will get back to you!

We are seeking student, teacher, and community input on how PPS should lower its carbon emissions.PPS is working to make our buildings more climate friendly by lowering emissions and increasing health and comfort. To figure out how to prioritize this work, WE NEED YOUR HELP!

We're asking families, students, and teachers to join us for public listening/input sessions on the district's decarbonization planning. Everyone from the community is invited to join for these 60 minute meetings.

March 18, 5:30-6:30 PM -- Franklin High School, Room M-223.

March 19, 5:30-6:30 PM -- Lincoln High School, Library Classroom (room 148).

RSVP here

At PPS, 90% of our greenhouse gas emissions come from our buildings! This is an amazing opportunity for the district to be part of a green future and to make our buildings more sustainable and comfortable for our community.

We appreciate you participating and hope you can help by attending these input sessions and inviting the parent networks at your school.

Students in Grant High School’s Green Club made PPS history on Monday March 4th, 2024 as they launched the first front-of-house food scrap collection program at a PPS high school. PPS kitchens have had back-of-house food scraps for years, but creating a way for students to collect food scraps in the cafeteria has been challenging. These Green Club students were undaunted and tenacious, identifying this goal early in the school year. They worked with their administrators, arranged for students to get volunteer hours for monitoring the bins, ordered bins and procured informational signage, before finally presenting the project at a staff meeting for approval.

On February 19th, several high school students traveled to our state capitol for a day of legislative advocacy and learning. The field trip was open to all students, and had participation from Benson, Franklin, Grant, and McDaniel including several students involved in the District Student Council, student government, and other leadership skill-building activities such as mock trial. Once in Salem, students witnessed a floor session at the House of Representatives, then received a lesson about the legislative process and advocacy, before having the opportunity to meet with their representatives and advocate for bills supporting public education and youth empowerment. The bills included:

• HB 4082, which provides funding for summer learning programs.

• SB 1552, which establishes a youth advisory council at the Oregon Department of Education.

• HB 4070, which provides funding to expand school-based health care services.

In the afternoon, students got to sit in on the House Committee on Climate, Energy, and Environment and see environmental advocates like Rep. Mark Gamba and Rep. Khanh Pham in action. Reflecting upon the day, Lisa Merrick, Senior Manager of PPS Government Relations (and organizer of the event) remarked, “The students masterfully navigated the capitol and advocated for important bills that will improve the experiences of students in PPS. It is so critical for legislators to hear directly from students who are the most impacted by the education bills that do or do not get passed. I look forward to facilitating more opportunities like this in the future." Once back at the Prophett Education Center (PPS district office), the students had the opportunity to meet the new superintendent who thanked them for their leadership and gave encouragement.

PPS AmeriCorps and FoodCorps members, Anita Spaeth, Cal Verstrate, and Alexis Harris, recently traveled to Corvallis for the annual Oregon Farm to School & School Garden Conference. The purpose of the Conference is to support members of Oregon’s farm to school and school garden community in their work to provide farm and garden-based education and incorporate healthy, local food into school meals for students grades PreK-12.

At this year’s conference, Cal gave an invaluable lightning talk about how schools can support and integrate student-designed menu items. Anita gained powerful insight on how to support and advocate for sustainable and culturally-informed education throughout our school district, and Alexis came away from the conference with impactful garden education strategies, including ways to integrate native plants into classroom learning. For more information about the conference visit the following link: https://oregonfarmtoschool.org/conference/

When students from Cleveland High School’s Advanced Commercial Foods and Baking class visited Hosford Middle School last month to try out a new recipe they called Baked Pears Goat Cheese Sunflower Seed Delight, the results of an informal sticker poll were very much on the positive side: 26 kids liked it and 30 loved it. Twenty-two were on the fence.

Sixth grader Isaac Huynh was in the latter category. “I’ve had goat cheese before, but this goat cheese tastes different,” he said. “I think the whole thing might have been better with whipped cream.”

Such honest feedback is a valuable part of a new program that brings together high school culinary students with their younger peers for regular taste tests of original recipes that feature fresh, healthy, and often locally sourced ingredients…

To read the rest of this amazing story about students designing a new menu item that was served district-wide, visit the PPS website by clicking here!

Are you a high-schooler interested in a career in environmental education or sustainability? Outdoor school is an excellent entry point for familiarizing yourself with these rewarding career pathways. Outdoor school opportunities are located all through Oregon, and now is the time to start looking! Check out the following sites for more information:

• Opportunities in Multnomah County: https://www.mesdoutdoorschool.org/
• Leadership with Rogue Valley Outdoor School: https://www.rogue-ee.com/high-school-leader-resources.html
• Camp Counselors at OMSI Outdoor School in partnership with OSU Extension Service: https://outdoorschool.oregonstate.edu/

Wayfinder Society mini-grants are now open for students seeking financial support for their personal education, school and community projects, internships, networking events, etc. connected to addressing the plastic crisis. This exciting grant opportunity was created to help move us toward a world where plastic pollution is unthinkable. The grant application deadline is April 15th, and funds range from $300-$2000.

Check out the link for more information: https://algalita.org/wayfinder-society/student-hub/student-mini-grant/

This month in our Did You Know section, we are highlighting student knowledge of environmental issues. Check out this article written by Ida B. Wells student, Palmer Anderson, about the environmental impacts from Antarctic krill fishing.

" Getting rid of krill would have a massive chain effect on the whole world from climate change to ocean wildlife." - Palmer Anderson

We are always accepting student-written articles, so be sure to reach out to us if you’d like your writing to be featured in an upcoming newsletter.

SAGE is still looking for volunteers for their Vision 2030 Climate Solutions Fairs hosted at regional middle schools. Support is still needed on day-of fair activities, including tabling and guiding students as they learn about our region’s 2030 climate goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Volunteers are needed at Roseway Heights Middle School on April 12th, and at Harriet Tubman Middle School on April 30th.

Volunteer opportunities are fast approaching, so be sure to check out the SAGE website for more information. https://wearesage.org/join-a-team/climate-education-team/

Become a Project Zero® intern!

Project Zero® is recruiting 2024 interns! This opportunity is open to young adults ages 19 to 24, not currently enrolled in school and/or disconnected from a meaningful career pathway, who are seeking ways to create cleaner, greener communities.

Interns in the Portland Metro area spend six months working with stewardship and environmental justice organizations such as Friends of Trees, Camp ELSO, and many others!

Want to learn more! Email Taaj Armstrong at taaj.armstrong@pgn.com , or visit the following link: https://portlandgeneral.com/about/who-we-are/community/pge-project-zero