Our world is facing a crisis. Our climate is deteriorating and it is greatly affecting our planet. In recent decades the first hand effects of climate change have been more noticeable in communities. Whether it is rising sea levels or change in weather patterns, communities all across the world have experienced the effects of the climate crisis.
Since the 2012 enactment of the School Building Improvement Bond, five PPS high schools have been remodeled: Franklin, Grant, McDaniel, Lincoln, and Roosevelt. The most recent PPS High School to begin the renovation process in Benson Polytechnic High School in Northeast Portland. The renovations to all six of these buildings, including Benson, began (and majority concluded) before the passage of the CCRP which means that when the spaces were renovated, PPS didn’t have to account for their emission goals.
When talking about the future of the CCRP and the next steps PPS can take is becoming more climate conscious, it is very important to keep the student voice at the forefront of this discussion. In December of 2022, I spoke to the PPS board of directors about the Benson renovation. I shared many of the same facts mentioned in this article and reason with them to do what is best for our community and our planet. This experience proved to me that as a student, I do have a voice and there are times when authority will listen to that voice so we, as a youth community, keep pushing for what we believe in and never stop fighting for our future. So whether it is smaller dilemmas in our communities or the larger crisis around our planet, change can come in many different shapes and sizes. Extensive pieces of legislation or conversions about how one person can make a difference in a classroom. Anything, any choice, any action one partakes in to help our global community and climate, has an impact and the power to make the smallest things possible.
