Portland Community College
EN-9: Inter-Campus Collaboration

PCC is a member of the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Ed (AASHE). AASHE is a non-profit 501(c)(3) membership organization that empowers higher education faculty, administrators, staff and students to be effective change agents and drivers of sustainability innovation.

AASHE enables its nearly 1,000 members to translate information into action by offering essential resources and professional development to a diverse, engaged community of sustainability leaders. They work with and for higher education to ensure that our world’s future leaders are motivated and equipped to solve sustainability challenges.

PCC staff have presented multiple times at AASHE conferences in the last three years. PCC was an active member of AASHE’s Community College and Technical Focus group. In addition, our Sustainability Analyst, Stephania Fregosi,  sits on the AASHE Board (2022-2025) where has chaired the Racial Equity Social Justice and Strategic Planning subcommittee. As a board member, she assisted with the senior leadership roundtable, introduced a keynote speaker and participated in the membership meeting. 

PCC is a signatory member of Second Nature's Climate Leadership Network. The Climate Leadership Network is composed of colleges and universities (we call signatories) in nearly all fifty states and the District of Columbia who are taking action on climate change and preparing students through research and education to solve the challenges of the 21st century.

Each Climate Leadership Network signatory signs (the President/Chancellor does) onto at least one formal commitment with respect to climate leadership. These commitments are a signature program of Second Nature called The Presidents’ Climate Leadership Commitments, and can include a Carbon Commitment (focused on reducing greenhouse gas emissions), a Resilience Commitment (focused on climate adaptation and building community capacity), or a Climate Commitment that integrates both.

As a member, PCC files an annual greenhouse gas report. In addition, PCC has been an active participant in Second Nature’s efforts to revamp the climate commitment and involved in working groups on Resiliency, Climate Justice and Community Colleges.

PCC is a founding member of the Greater Portland Sustainability Education Network (GPSEN). As a UNU-IAS Regional Center of Expertise (RCE) on Education for Sustainable Development (ESD), GPSEN helps implement Agenda 2030 and the Sustainable Development Goals. Check out the GAP Implementation Recommendations for the U.S., for ideas on how to advance ESD efforts. It is a regional network using sustainability education to create a greater Portland. They encourage collaborative partnerships among educators, students, non-profits, political and industry leaders, civic organizations, and community members in Clackamas, Multnomah, and Washington Counties, in Oregon, and Clark County, in Washington, to help create a sustainable future through formal, non-formal, and informal education, training, and public awareness campaigns. We have a faculty member serving as the international liaison with GPSEN who facilitates collaborations. For example, PCC co-hosted collaborative Climate Talks with students from the Netherlands GPSEN in April and May of 2024. Other recent collaborations have included talks on eco-anxiety, climate grief and training on climate migration and refugees.

PCC has continued to share its experiences around its 2021 Climate Action Plan. Most recently, Briar Wray presented in the Climate Action Plan Webinar Series held by Second Nature on a panel on integrating equity into Climate Action Planning. Since June of 2022, PCC has presented at the Washington Oregon Higher Education Sustainability Conference, the Higher Education Leadership Summit, the Public Sector Sustainability Round Table, the Global Conference on Sustainability in Higher Education, the Duke University All-In Symposium on Climate Change, Climate Justice, Food Justice, Climate Anxiety and more.

All In: Higher Education, Interdisciplinarity and Our Collective Climate Challenge Symposium at Duke University. - Keynote Panel, “How can higher education work collectively to confront climate change through its educational mission?” with Bryan Alexander, Damian Ferndandex, Daita Serghi and Stephania Fregosi, May 2024

 Recent presentations from the Washington Oregon Higher Education Sustainability Conference. The Washington Oregon Cascadia Higher Education Sustainability Conference (WOHESC) is an event built to inspire change, facilitate action, and to promote collaboration around sustainability within the Cascadia region's higher education institutions. Tours, keynotes, plenaries, sessions, workshops, and networking opportunities give participants the tools to advance environmental and social justice at their own higher education institutions after attending the conference.

Protecting Vāsā (Ocean) - Pacific Climate Justice to Protect Sacred Space ▾

Makerusa Porotesano | Director of Multicultural Services, Portland Community College

Addressing Climate Anxiety on Campus ▾

Roberta Richards | Reference and Instruction Librarian, Portland Community College

Taryn Oakley | Environmental Studies and Resources Faculty, Portland Community College

Makenna Smith | Climate Anxiety Program Coordinator, Student Sustainability Center, University of Oregon

Addressing Food Insecurity and Promoting Food Justice

Keara Monique Alonso-Lopez | University of Oregon

Brady Smith | Central Washington University

Chelsea Kimmett | Coordinator - Basic Needs, Sustainability & Leadership Program, Portland Community College

Student Led Initiatives Lightning Round

PCC Student Life Spotlight: Basic Needs & Sustainability Leadership ▾

In this session, the student perspective will be provided on a few initiatives within the new student leadership program that brings together basic needs and sustainability efforts. This new program recognizes the interconnectedness of these issues and provides meaningful ways for students to engage and be a part of the solution at a local level. To be covered included brief highlights on our new panther packs program, clothing drives, free food markets, pantries, bike rentals, and sustainable events

Jasmine Shaheen | Student Ambassador of Basic Needs and Sustainability, Portland Community College

Does the institution have a sustainability-focused articulation/transfer agreement that provides students who are studying sustainability at one institution with a formal pathway to another institution? (required)

Description of institution’s sustainability-focused articulation/transfer agreements

Has at least one individual with formal sustainability responsibilities at the institution served as a mentor or been mentored by a colleague with sustainability responsibilities at another institution during the previous three years? (required)

Protecting Vāsā (Ocean) - Pacific Climate Justice to Protect Sacred Space ▾

Makerusa Porotesano | Director of Multicultural Services, Portland Community College

We Are Not Drowning - The Pacific Battle to Protect the World

Addressing Climate Anxiety on Campus ▾

Roberta Richards | Reference and Instruction Librarian, Portland Community College

Taryn Oakley | Environmental Studies and Resources Faculty, Portland Community College

Makenna Smith | Climate Anxiety Program Coordinator, Student Sustainability Center, University of Oregon

Addressing Food Insecurity and Promoting Food Justice

Keara Monique Alonso-Lopez | University of Oregon

Brady Smith | Central Washington University

Chelsea Kimmett | Coordinator - Basic Needs, Sustainability & Leadership Program, Portland Community College

Student Led Initiatives Lightning Round

PCC Student Life Spotlight: Basic Needs & Sustainability Leadership ▾

In this session, the student perspective will be provided on a few initiatives within the new student leadership program that brings together basic needs and sustainability efforts. This new program recognizes the interconnectedness of these issues and provides meaningful ways for students to engage and be a part of the solution at a local level. To be covered included brief highlights on our new panther packs program, clothing drives, free food markets, pantries, bike rentals, and sustainable events

The Sustainability team regularly shares information and lessons learned about its 2020 Climate Action Plan through conferences and local groups. Due to its status as an early adopter incorporating climate justice and resiliency into climate action planning in higher education, PCC is frequently asked to share information from the Climate Action Plan at a variety of levels. This ranges from presentations at conferences and local groups, to one on one technical support. In addition, our Scope 3 emissions use EIO-LCA analysis and we are frequently asked how that works - those requests are handled by our Sustainability Analyst. Detailed information was provided to Stephanie Perryman at Hillsborough Community College in 2022. Additional information about documenting our GHG emissions was shared with a student at Rogue Community College in 2024.

Briar Schoon is part of the committee that puts together the annual Washington Oregon Higher Education Sustainbility Conerence and PCC will be the host in March of 2025. The Washington Oregon Cascadia Higher Education Sustainability Conference (WOHESC) is a platform for inspiring change, facilitating action, and promoting collaboration around sustainability and social justice within the Cascadia region's higher education institutions. Educational sessions, meetups and networking opportunities empower participants to advance action steps to create change. Solutions shared at the conference are tailored for implementation in our unique political, social, economic and environmental climate. 

WOHESC 2025 Theme - Cultivating Sustainable Communities

While communities often feel like things that simply are, it takes care and thought to cultivate them with intention. Communities also occur at multiple levels—from a neighborhood or town to a campus, to the communities we build with the more-than-human world, among others. WOHESC 2025 will focus on creating enduring communities in higher education that are environmentally conscious and socially responsible. Such practices may involve fostering a culture of sustainability, promoting ethical practices, and encouraging collaboration among students, faculty, and staff to address environmental and social challenges. In addition to sharing ways that we are cultivating sustainable community, we will also bring curiosity and questions: What are the benchmarks or warning signs to know if a community is sustainable? What does “cultivation” of community look like, and what are the best practices or innovations? When should community be as wide as possible and when is it better for it to be focused? How can we embrace an understanding of community that includes not only those we are near or not only those who are like us, but also a greater number of humans and other beings from the natural world? Last, how is the community that is WOHESC being cultivated for sustainability?

Stephania Fregosi is presently on the Board of Directors for AASHE (2022-2025). In her first year, she co-led the Racial Equity and Social Justice Committee. This past year, she has served as the Vice President of the Association and for 2025, she is the President of the Board of Directors.