Portland Community College | Portland, Oregon

Vision

We envision the SLC as a district-wide, cross-functional, consensus driven and innovative council of stakeholders that coordinates the implementation of the Climate Action Plan and other sustainability efforts across operations, student engagement and education. PCC’s sustainability and climate action work are part of the college’s integrated planning efforts in support of the college’s mission to support student success by delivering access to quality education while advancing economic development and promoting sustainability in a collaborative culture of diversity, equity and inclusion.

Values

PCC’s Sustainability Leadership Council serves by working as an intentional community to bring hope, courage and innovative solutions for a just and sustainable future. We respect, value and celebrate the unique attributes, characteristics and perspectives that make each person who they are and is a fundamental component of crafting solutions for a just and sustainable future. We value all forms of knowledge, lived experience and indigenous wisdom. We invite and welcome the diverse contributions of many voices and experiences, particularly from students and those of historically marginalized and underserved communities to solve today’s many sustainability challenges. We believe in the power of education as a transformative catalyst for sustainability and justice for current and future generations. We value restorative approaches to justice and seek to uplift and empower our diverse community, ensuring that all individuals have the opportunity to participate and benefit from sustainability education and initiatives.

We aim to share power by taking a consensus based approach to decision making. We use self-reflection, transparency and community engagement to help us grow and remain accountable to the PCC community.

1. Hope is the best path forward for a sustainable future. We will inspire our students, faculty by taking innovative action on meeting our sustainability and climate action goals and share our successes with our community.
2. Planning for the future is critical for student success. We will work to prepare our grounds, facilities and operations for a changing climate in the knowledge that student, faculty and staff success depends upon a safe and healthy environment for learning and personal growth.
3. Education is a civil right. We will apply integrative learning strategies to empower our students, faculty and staff to adapt to and thrive in a changing environment. PCC thrives as a learning community when it draws its strength from the many talents and experiences of those who come here to learn, to teach, to work.
4. Everything is connected. We will use our campuses’ as living laboratories where students and the community can explore climate and sustainability solutions by supporting faculty use of community based-learning with real-world examples, while providing hands-on learning opportunities that also offer space for self-reflection and research.
5. Success requires equity. We will actively use social justice and equity frameworks to center those impacted most in creating climate and sustainability solutions. We value all knowledge, indigenous wisdom and lived experience.
6. Our responsibility to our community goes beyond the college’s doors. We will root climate action in our home in the Pacific Northwest of the United States, while ensuring that we reduce our global footprint.
7. We can go further together. We will work collaboratively with our neighbors and other stakeholders to support leadership development in sustainability and a green workforce. We use self-reflection, transparency and community engagement to help us grow and remain accountable to the PCC community.
8. A just transition is imperative. We will address historical injustices with restorative, place-based sustainability efforts that uplift and empower our diverse community. We seek to engage and learn from our community stakeholders in our efforts to deliver positive benefits from our sustainability efforts that are healing and restorative.