Thanks to the Portland Clean Energy Fund's collaboration with PPS, PPS students are making waves with their innovative climate projects. Every K-8, Middle, and High School across Portland has been given $10,000 and a paid project advisor each year for the next 5 years to work on a climate project of their choice! Over 60 project proposals rolled in this year, tackling everything from waste reduction to active transportation and green infrastructure.
This has been an amazing opportunity for students to get involved in climate action in their communities, and students are taking full advantage of it. We are blown away by the creativity and dedication of our students, who are establishing a legacy of climate action at their schools. A dedicated staff member accompanies each project to help facilitate project management for students throughout the year. Each Student Climate Project Advisor has shown amazing enthusiasm and willingness to help bring climate action to their school community. We are so proud of the incredible effort students and staff have put in to get these projects up and running.
In 2025 we will see projects turn from a proposal on a piece of paper to real working examples of a better future!
The CJYA continued to grow and thrive this year! High school students from across PPS connected over shared experiences, planned climate career fairs, and became critical voices in shaping our district’s climate action goals.
This incredible group is still open to new members—if you’re a high school student passionate about climate leadership, join us by emailing climatejustice@pps.net. Let’s work together to make PPS a leader in sustainability and student-driven action.
Last spring the PPS Climate Justice set out to answer how PPS could create and support meaningful, accessible pathways to climate action, and engagement opportunities for all PPS communities with a focus on frontline communities. In a collaborative effort with the PPS innovation studio, a team of 30 was assembled to address this question with diversity in experience and thought. The team of 30 was comprised of PPS students, teachers, staff, and partner organizations, and coined the “Design Team”.
This fall PPS staff and the Design Team released our Community Centered Climate Action Recommendations.
The document houses the research, emotions, and lived experiences of the team of dedicated climate stewards and the community members they spoke with through the process. It lays out a series of best practices and prototypes of specific strategies to support our most underserved students and community members in thriving despite a changing climate. Understanding the community's real needs is essential to creating climate solutions that promote racial equity and social justice. That’s why this report highlights the Design Team’s findings and the process used to uncover them, emphasizing the process and findings as equally important steps toward meaningful change.
In a huge step toward equity and student well-being, PPS now offers free breakfast and lunch to all students through the Student Success Act. This milestone ensures that every student is fed, ready to learn, and free from barriers that disproportionately impact low-income families.
We’re proud to be part of a statewide movement that prioritizes health and access for all students.
In 2024, PPS upgraded to LED lighting at 19 schools, bringing energy savings, emissions reductions, and better quality lighting for our students and staff. These projects result in an estimated $106,700 in annual savings as well as an emissions reduction totalling approximately 913 metric tons of CO2e! This amount of CO2 is equivalent to 2,326,234 miles driven by an average gas powered vehicle. Additionally, an incentive provided by the Energy Trust of Oregon will pay $178,000 back to PPS for investing in energy efficiency!
PPS is driving sustainability forward—literally! Over the last year, we have added many electric vehicles to the Portland neighborhoods.
With the help of PGE’s Electric School Bus Fund, we raised the number of electric school buses at PPS to 11!
We also added our first Ford E-Transit electric maintenance vehicle to the fleet and installed a central charging station. We are incredibly excited to have added our first electric vehicle to the district's fleet (outside of school buses).
A special shoutout to Aaron Presberg, Senior Program Manager of Energy & Sustainability, who represented PPS at the White House Summit for Sustainable and Healthy K-12 Schools. Aaron showcased our efforts to make schools resilient and climate-friendly, earning PPS national recognition in the "Solutions Strategist" category.
Congrats, Aaron, and thank you for leading the charge toward a sustainable future!
We’re also setting our sights on the next year as we celebrate these accomplishments. Whether it’s growing student involvement in climate action, expanding sustainability efforts, or fostering equity and a sense of community, there’s so much to look forward to in the year ahead.
Thank you to every student, teacher, parent, and partner who contributed to this year’s success. Together, we are creating a school district that’s green, resilient, and inspiring.