Policy

🎉

Passed

🥳

Policy

🌎

Passed

🌲

Policy 🎉 Passed 🥳 Policy 🌎 Passed 🌲

DPSS4CA gives students a voice in climate action

DPS Students for Climate Action is an award-winning, nationally-recognized, and student-led organization with a mission to involve students in DPS’s Climate Action Plan (CAP).

Desperate times call for immediate action.

A group of students from across Denver Public Schools (DPS) has been working together since February 2021 to create a resolution for DPS to address the climate crisis.

The climate crisis impacts all people, yet disproportionately affects young people, people of color, and people in poverty, thereby exacerbating existing inequities and limiting opportunities. Social and racial justice is environmental justice.

DPS had no plan to address climate change and was not required to follow the City of Denver or Colorado’s climate goals. We, the students, believe that DPS had to pass resilient policy to ensure the wellbeing of our generation. After more than a year of campaigning, DPS passed our one-sentence policy in April 2022, followed by a 100+ page CAP in December 2022.

STUDENTS, GET INVOLVED! →

Vice President Kamala Harris, Northfield High School

“And as a result of your activism, I say to the young leaders: Last year, Denver Public Schools became one of the first school districts in our nation to adopt a climate action plan.”

Our Mission Statement

Denver Public Schools Students for Climate Action (DPSS4CA) involves students in the implementation of the Climate Action Plan (CAP) by educating, providing opportunities, and supporting sustainability clubs to address the climate crisis with urgency and effectiveness.

The Strategy

  • Clean Energy

    Use 65% renewable electricity by 2028 under DPS’ Climate Action Plan, with on-site rooftop solar, solar shades, solar canopies, and other non-solar alternatives.

  • Decrease CO2 Emissions

    Reduce overall greenhouse gas emissions by at least 90% of the levels of district-wide greenhouse gas emissions that existed in 2010 by 2050, in line with Colorado’s HB19-1261 Climate Action Plan.

  • Environmental Justice

    Prioritize sustainability actions in schools and communities facing greater inequity and environmental injustice.

  • Sustainability as a Core Value

    Make sustainability a core value of the district and consider sustainability when making decisions.

FAQs

(last updated November 2023)

  • DPS Students for Climate Action is a student-led organization founded by students in 2021. We worked for almost two years to pass a Climate Action policy in DPS, followed by a 100+ page Climate Action Plan. We won the President’s Environmental Youth Award and were honored to meet Vice President Kamala Harris. However, our work is far from done, as our new mission is to ensure student voice and engagement are at the forefront of implementing the Climate Action Plan (CAP).

  • Glad you asked! You can join our GroupMe chat to get access to our upcoming 15-minute Welcome meetings!

  • We meet monthly every second and fourth Monday at 7 pm via GroupMe.

    Join our GroupMe!

  • Yes.

    Director of Sustainability LeeAnn Kittle has hired Lotus Engineering to facilitate and develop a Climate Action Plan, which was completed in December 2022.

    Director Kittle has also hired another firm, Group 14, to prepare a financial impact assessment. They will consider what it would cost to replace all of the district's boilers, what should be sought after in bond initiatives, what we can do with energy performance contracting, and more.

  • Check out DPS’s Sustainability website to explore our Climate Action Plan!

  • Yes, and DPS is already making progress in this area. A culture focused on sustainability, climate change, and environmental justice has the potential to improve the lives of DPS families.

    For example, DPS has recently arranged to allow the City and County of Denver to install a solar umbrella over the parking lot for Northeastern Early College. The City and County of Denver is paying for installation of maintenance, the district is receiving shaded parking, and, best of all, 20% of the electricity produced will be provided free of charge to needy DPS families.

    We expect many more opportunities for collaboration and funding from federal, state, city, and non-government partners. Society is moving toward a cleaner future and DPS must do its part to maintain a livable world.

    1. Follow us on Instagram @dps_studentsforclimateaction and DPS Sustainability @dps_sustainability

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