Sustainability at PPS

A priority of the PPS Climate Justice and Climate Change work is to develop our work with integrity, transparency, and in ongoing dialogue with the community we serve.

One way we are doing that is with a NEW AND IMPROVED website, a one-stop-shop where you can find everything related to PPS climate justice, sustainability, energy reduction, and more. It has resources for teachers and community, ways to get involved, and places to find updates on all our programming. This website is a living resource, so it will change and update as we go.

We are thrilled to present: https://www.pps.net/climatejustice

We are also creating big new modes of engagement that will help build transparency and collaboration into our work.

• Community Climate Action design process, a project co-sponsored by the PPS Innovation Studio that will directly ask students and teachers how we can create meaningful pathways for students to engage and discuss PPS climate work.
• The Climate Crisis Response Committee, a group charted in the PPS Climate Policy to "monitor effective implementation, transparency, and tracking of progress," which holds public meetings on a regular basis throughout the year.
• School Sustainability Champions Network, a group of teachers and school staff that can help lead student and community projects and act as vital communication channels between the district and schools.
• And Coming Soon! Updated data and progress reports on Climate Crisis Response Policy goals and objectives.
  

Read about each of these programs in more detail below.

And keep scrolling down to find SO MUCH MORE in this month's newsletter:

• PPS Engagement Pathways

• Meet the amazing and growing PPS 2023-2024 AmeriCorps cohort
  
• On the ground with the Portland Youth Climate Strike
• School Sustainability Stories
• PPS Program Updates
• Teacher and Student opportunities
• Community Climate EVENTS for October
• Did You Know…

This Spring, in collaboration with the PPS Innovation Studio, we will be creating a collaborative design process with community partners, teachers, and students. The process will help us create a sustainable culture of community engagement that gives students and school staff meaningful pathways to take action on climate projects.

The design process will emulate the methods used to design the PPS Center for Black Student Excellence. We'll be relying on and paying partners who have close community ties and a history of climate justice action and engagement. Through their relationships and expertise, we'll conduct design workshops with students and staff to find creative and substantive ways for them to engage with PPS climate work.

Do you know of a community based organization doing amazing work in climate justice action and education? Email your recommendations to climatejustice@pps.net.

The Climate Crisis Response Committee (CCRC) advises the PPS Board of Education on implementation of the Climate Crisis Response, Climate Justice, and Sustainable Practices Policy. The CCRC meets regularly to provide insight and feedback to central office staff around goal setting, public engagement, and more.

All meetings are open to the public and members of the public are welcome to submit a request for public comment by emailing Kat Davis (kadavis@pps.net).

This year, we have two PPS student representatives joining the CCRC! We are excited for them to bring to this committee their experiences with deep community engagement, and fierce commitment to change rooted in climate activism as well as social justice.

Learn more and find meeting dates and agendas by checking out the CCRC webpage.

School Sustainability Champions (SSCs) are PPS staff members with an interest in promoting sustainability and climate justice at their schools and connecting with other teachers and staff across the district to share ideas, resources, challenges, and success stories.

SSCs serve as the grassroots implementers of many of the PPS climate action work, and as the connection points between schools and the PPS Sustainability Team.

Shoutout to our amazing Champions!

Don’t see anyone listed for your school? Share this opportunity with a PPS teacher, administrator, or staff member that you think would be a good fit. We hope to have members from all schools in the district. Here is the signup form or directly email Ari Ettinger at aettinger@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 PPS to address critical environmental needs facing students and the greater community. AmeriCorps members work with PPS to collaborate, design, and implement critical policy and programming that supports district-wide sustainability and climate justice goals. This year we are so excited to host FOUR AmeriCorps members. In the Climate Justice Department we welcome Rosie Goity, Jesse Nienow-Macke, and Hannah Skutt; in the Sustainability Department we welcome Anita Spaeth.

Anita Spaeth is an AmeriCorps member serving as Sustainability Project Coordinator with the PPS Sustainability department. Anita brings to this position her passion for arts-integrated outdoor environmental education and food justice. During her service year she looks forward to supporting district youth, community members, and PPS partners in advocating for and implementing sustainability-focused policy and practices.

Hannah Skutt is an AmeriCorps member returning for a second year of service in the Climate Justice Department. Hannah is the team lead for Pillar 2 of the Climate Crisis Response Policy, which focuses on wellness and climate resilience, with a focus on frontline communities, racial equity and disability justice. She is looking forward to collaborating with local organizations, government and schools to harmonize our climate resilience efforts. Hannah is interested in the power of storytelling, art, and envisioning to catalyze culture shift and systemic change, and hopes to bring these activities into classrooms.

Rosie Goity is an AmeriCorps member excited to join the Climate Justice Department at PPS as a Climate Justice Project Coordinator. She is looking forward to serving as a team lead for Pillar 3 of the PPS Climate Crisis Response Policy, which aims to provide effective environmental and sustainable education to district students. Rosie is passionate about supporting PPS in its effort to foster future climate leaders. She's excited to participate in direct school and classroom engagement.

Jesse Nienow-Macke is an AmeriCorps member joining PPS and the Climate Justice Department as a Climate Justice Project Coordinator. He will be serving as team lead for Pillar 1 of the Climate Crisis Response Policy, which aims to reduce environmental impact and costs within the district. He is looking forward to aiding in local climate resiliency in regards to the urban heat island and disaster planning and helping assist with future environmental education.

“We are unstoppable, a better world is possible,”

-- PYCS chant.

On September 15th, hundreds of PPS students and community members joined together in front of City Hall to participate in a school strike for climate action organized by Portland Youth Climate Strike (PYCS) (IG: portlandclimatestrike).

The event opened with student speakers leading the group in chants and broadcasting the main message of the strike: “Declare a Climate Emergency," calling on Governor Tina Kotek to declare a state of climate emergency, which would allow the state government to act quickly on the many issues that fall under the umbrella of environmental justice.

A second youth strike demand was that the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality deny Zenith Energy their Air Contaminant Discharge Permit. This isn’t the first time students have demanded to seek action against Zenith Energy. In April, the same group made similar demands for Kotek to deny Zenith’s operational permit.

As students chanted, “climate change is not a lie, do not let our planet die,” it was powerful to witness a coming together of people from different schools and different backgrounds to speak up for the kinds of climate action they want to see Portland.

October is National Farm to School Month! Multiple school sites will be participating by having students taste a crunchy fruit or vegetable together as a school, otherwise called an Oregon Farm to School Crunch. If you’re interested in learning more about how to schedule a Crunch at your school, check out the Oregon Farm to School webpage.

One great item to crunch is PPS Nutrition Services October Harvest of the Month! October’s Harvest of the Month is apples from Kiyokawa Family Orchards out in Hood River. Randy, the owner of Kiyokawa Family Orchard, is a third generation orchardist from Parkdale, Oregon. His grandfather emigrated from Japan in 1905, and through hard work started farming in Hood River in 1911.

Kiyokawa Family Orchards was founded in 1951 when Randy’s parents purchased 25 acres of land in Hood River, which has expanded over the last 72 years to be the 207 acre orchards it is today. With the help of family and employees, Randy currently grows over 100 varieties of apples! He also grows pears, Asian pears, cherries, stone fruit, and more.

Want to try the locally-grown apples that students will be enjoying in their cafeterias all October long? Check out the Kiyokawa Family Orchards website for their farmstand and U-Pick schedule!

While summer comes to a gradual close, farmers and gardeners are enjoying the fruits of their labor. Literally! At Woodstock Elementary School, their school garden is overflowing with ripe crops, including snow peas, green beans, kale, tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, chard, nasturtiums, tomatillos, and more. What does the school do with their bounty of produce? While some is served to students during their “Garden Tasting” events, a portion is also generously donated. In fact, this summer they were able to donate over 89 pounds of produce to local food pantries!

By engaging children and youth in gardening activities they learn the joy of growing food, how seasonal shifts influence different food plants, and what it means to support their community through sharing abundance.

Looking for a fun garden activity to do with your child? Jesse Hunter, School Garden Coordinator at Woodstock Elementary, suggests strolling through the garden and asking them what they notice and wonder. Noticing and wondering prompts elicit curiosity and sensory engagement with garden spaces and the natural world at-large. Of course, you can also do this activity with a friend in a forest, at the park, a plant nursery, or other outdoor space!

Do you have a garden overflowing with crops? How do you share your garden abundance with loved ones and the community?

Interested in getting involved with Woodstock Elementary School gardening projects?

Contact school garden coordinator Jesse Hunter: jhunter@pps.net

The Ecology in the Classroom & Outdoors (ECO) Metro Middle School Watershed Restoration Program enters its seventh year along Johnson and Trillium Creeks with the support of the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, Avangrid Foundation, and the Tualatin Soil and Water Conservation District.

These stream systems span two significant watersheds in Multnomah and Washington counties. Over 700 Rachel Carson School of Environmental Science and Robert Gray Middle School students will conduct biological assessments and macroinvertebrate surveys, evaluate native plant density, remove invasives, and plant natives to restore the health and biodiversity of these crucial ecosystems.

Calling all high school students! Tappin Roots internships are now open for application! Tappin Roots (TR) is an environmental internship program for Black-identified high school students in the Greater Portland area. Tappin Roots was created by a collaborative group of Black and Indigenous-led organizations, including ELSO Inc., The Blueprint Foundation, and Friends of Tryon Creek.

TR seeks to train and empower the next generation of environmental leaders and community leaders using: Storytelling, Mentorship, Career exploration, Please-based learning, and Healing practices. This incredible opportunity runs from November 2023- August 2024.

Applications close Oct. 20. Each Intern is eligible to receive up to $4000!

For more information: https://www.tappinroots.org/

Join teachers from around the Pacific Northwest on October 21, 2023, for the 16th annual Northwest Teaching for Social Justice Conference. This is an amazing event to learn with teachers from around the region on a wide range of social and environmental justice issues. The event takes place at Parkrose High School.

Staff and former teachers from Portland Public Schools will be presenting specifically on ways to bring environmental justice topics to your classrooms for all grade bands. We hope you will join us!

Register here: https://nwtsj.org/wp/register/

Join Grow Portland in giving our school gardens some extra love and contribute to projects needing adult support. Grow Portland hosts regular volunteer work parties at all of their school garden sites! Show up to help weed, spread mulch, repair beds and more. There’s no experience necessary- just come dressed for the weather and ready to help! Bring gloves if you can. See dates and locations below. No need to RSVP- just show up! Any questions? Email Site Coordinator, Ary, at ary@growportland.org

Upcoming volunteer dates:

• Saturday Nov 4th: James John, 10am-12pm

350PDX has played a critical role in the climate justice movement here in Portland. Join them as they celebrate TEN YEARS in the Rose City.

What: Resistance, Resiliency, & Revelry: A Climate Justice Celebration! 350PDX 10-Year Anniversary Party

When: Thursday, November 2nd, 2023, 6-10 pm

Where: The Redd on Salmon (831 SE Salmon St. Portland, OR 97214)

RSVP: 350pdx.org/party

From halting drilling efforts in the Arctic, to organizing a 20,000 person climate strike, to fighting for our forests, and to stopping dozens of new polluting fossil fuel projects across the region, it's now been ten years since 350PDX formed as a grassroots organization for climate justice. There's a lot to celebrate!

Join us on Thursday, November 2nd to celebrate a decade in the climate justice movement.

Don’t know what to do with your old, rotting pumpkin? Here are a few tips and resources for how to get the most out of them and how to properly dispose of them!

When carving the pumpkin, set some seeds aside to roast or to plant for next season.

Pumpkins can be composted! The City suggests putting them in your green Portland Composts! roll cart with other yard clippings, leaves, etc.

October is National Farm to School Month! What better way to teach students about sustainability and climate justice than to integrate lessons on farming and food access in their region.

Especially because, while there are over 31,700 farms in Oregon (oregon.gov), there are less and less young people going into farming. Teaching our children about farming can help them realize the critical need for more sustainable agricultural practices, as well as the vital role that farming plays in ensuring strong, local economies. Farming is an excellent entry point for fostering connection to place and community.

Check out these resources for ideas on how to integrate farming, gardening, and agricultural topics into your curriculum or extracurricular activities:

• https://www.fns.usda.gov/f2s/farm-to-school

• https://www.farmtoschool.org/our-work/farm-to-school-month#resources