2022–23
Denver Public Schools
Climate Action ANNUAL REPORT
2 Denver Public Schools | Climate Action Annual Report
Table of Contents 04
Introduction
07 Financial Year 23 (FY23) Environment and Social Impact 10
Financial Year 23 (FY23) Financial Impact
12
A Big Year for Climate Action
19
Other Highlights
24
Recognition
27
Ongoing Projects
28 Utility Costs & Consumption 31 Meet the Team
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Introduction A stable climate is foundational for a thriving society, and humans have disrupted the climate that has allowed our society to flourish. This year DPS students have seen smoke from Canadian wildfires reducing the air quality in Denver to the worst in the world, record-breaking heat domes resulting in health impacts, and a tornado touching down just south of Denver. Global heating from carbon pollution is both a threat to society and an unprecedented opportunity to create a healthier, cleaner, and more equitable future for all. But we must act with urgency because the window of opportunity to maintain a livable future is rapidly closing. The United Nations has warned of a ‘climate breakdown’, making this a pivotal decade of doing the work and making the change. We need rapid, deep, and immediate carbon pollution reductions this decade. We must move beyond feeling scared of the weight of what we must do to focus simply and narrowly on doing. At this pivotal juncture between threat and opportunity, we chose opportunity and we chose hope. • We have hope nationally with the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act that provides historic funding and investment for climate action. • We have hope regionally with Denver being named the most climate-resilient city in the U.S. by Architectural Digest. • We have hope locally from the activism of DPS Students for Climate Action in getting climate action policy adopted by the Board of Education. In this report we celebrate our busy year of action, not just potential. We will continue to listen to student voices and stay focused, energized, and determined. We urge you to get involved with our climate action work, use your voice, and come together as a community to act NOW. Our students’ future depends on our relationship with the one place we call home. LeeAnn Kittle | Executive Director of Sustainability 4 Denver Public Schools | Climate Action Annual Report
Vulnerable communities who have historically contributed the least to current climate change are disproportionately affected. - Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)
This figure, adapted from the IPCC’s 2023 Synthesis Report, shows how different generations will experience the effects of a hotter world, and how that experience will be affected by the climate action we take in the near-term.
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Youth action is the morality of the climate movement. - Climate Leadership Conference
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FY23 Environmental and Social Impact 107,700 pounds of produce grown in DPS gardens and farms
10,072 MWh of solar produced 3,500 people engaged at events 1,000 Instagram followers 113 tons of scrap metal recycled 68 active school gardens
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55 tons of textiles reused or recycled through collection bins 46 buildings with onsite solar production 35 tons of books redistributed or recycled 30 real-time electricity meters installed 14 Garden of Youth interns in Summer 2023 7 Sustainability Team staff 2 Student Train-the-Trainer workshops 1 Climate Action Plan 1 Financial Impact Assessment 1 Greenhouse Gas Inventory 8 Denver Public Schools | Climate Action Annual Report
In a 2021 global survey of young people about climate anxiety, 84% of respondents were at least moderately worried about climate change and 59% were very or extremely worried. (Hickman et al., 2021)
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FY23 Financial Impact The Sustainability Team made a positive financial impact to DPS of $5.2M through cost avoidance, revenue, and outside funding. These programs and financial savings also benefit the community from reduced carbon pollution, increased occupant comfort, and reduced maintenance. Program Category
$ Savings
Type
Energy Performance Contracting
$1.6M
Cost avoidance / ongoing annual savings
Fault Detection Diagnostics (Clockworks)
$161.1K
Cost avoidance
LED retrofit
$1.5M
Cost avoidance / ongoing annual savings
Community Solar
$1.6M
Partnership lease
Renewable Energy Credits (RECs)
$269.5K
Revenue from onsite solar generation
Rebates
$67.4K
Revenue from utility rebates
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Hertz donated a Chevy Bolt and funding for a charging station to Montbello Career and Technical High School so students can prepare for a green economy and learn how to maintain and repair electric vehicles. Denver Public Schools | Climate Action Annual Report 11
A Big Year for Climate Action Climate Action Plan The acceleration of the climate crisis from a vague threat to an everyday reality led 30 DPS students from eight schools to mobilize and urge DPS leadership to take significant and urgent climate action. The DPS Board of Education responded in April 2022 by adopting Ends Statement 1.6, which reads:
DPS shall be a national leader in establishing an organizational culture anchored in sustainability, climate action, and environmental justice in both the conservation of natural resources and minimization of the carbon footprint of DPS’ practices. As a result of this policy, the Sustainability Team created DPS’s first-ever Climate Action Plan. The plan incorporated feedback from 12 Denver Public Schools | Climate Action Annual Report
extensive internal and external outreach including focus groups, informational interviews, a staff task force of departmental leadership, a community-wide survey, and student involvement. In it we are changing the narrative from one of climate crisis to one of bold action, innovation, and accountability. The plan has three “North Star” goals that represent what DPS aims to achieve by 2050, and these goals guide the resulting frameworks and five-year strategies and tactics DPS will work on. It will take the entire DPS community to reach these goals, and we hope you’ll join us on the journey and empower students to combat climate anxiety through collective action.
North Star Goals Environmental Protection
Reduce overall greenhouse gas emissions by at least 90% by 2050 (from a 2010 baseline).
Economic Prosperity
Reduce natural resources consumption and waste year-over-year.
Social Development
All students and staff are engaged in sustainability by 2050.
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NO TAGLINE. JUST ACTION.
CLIMATE ACTION PLAN 2023
Our futures depend on us taking action.
Maya Kitei, South High School
VISION: DPS is recognized as a leader and steward of healthy, livable, and sustainable environments.
CLIMATE ACTION PLAN
A STUDENT-LED INITIATIVE
Environmental Protection Reduce overall greenhouse gas emissions by at least 90%* by 2050. BUILT ENVIRONMENT Electrification
Yellow Fleet
Building Envelope
White Fleet
Electrify 80% of the heating load for 10 buildings
5-YEAR GOALS
TRANSPORTATION
Commission two existing building envelopes and incorporate findings into future financial impact assessments
Design Standards
Require Sustainable Design Guidelines to be integrated into all capital improvement decisions
12% of buses are zero "tailpipe" emissions 7% of vehicles are zero "tailpipe" emissions
Commuter
Create an incentive program to increase alternative modes of transportation to DPS locations
SMART Buildings
Implement one fully SMART building, perform a cost-benefit analysis, and create a funding plan for additional SMART buildings
Renewables
65% of electricity supplied to DPS is renewable
Grounds
Create Sustainable Landscape Standard & Implementation Plan
Economic Prosperity
*Of the levels of district-wide greenhouse gas emissions that existed in 2010 by 2050
Reduce natural resource consumption and waste year-over-year.
5-YEAR GOALS
RESOURCE MANAGEMENT Energy Management
Gardens
Water Conservation
Greenhouses
Reduce energy (MMBtu) consumption by 15% from 2021 baseline Reduce consumption by 15% from 2021 baseline
Waste Diversion
Ensure landfill diversion rate is at least 25%
Sourcing
Embed sustainable practices in all procurement policies including "end of life planning"
Social Development
100 gardens are active and produce 100 pounds or more of harvest per year 50% reduction in tomatoes purchased commercially to be produced by the Glenbrook Greenhouse
Nutrition Services
Develop a comprehensive nutrition education plan to be used at 100% of schools for all grade levels
All students and staff are engaged in sustainability by 2050.
ENGAGEMENT + ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE 5-YEAR GOALS
WELLNESS
Community Engagement & Events
1 district-wide sustainability event per quarter
CAREER + CURRICULUM Sustainability Curriculum
Eco-Schools Certification
25 schools have and maintain certification
STUDENTS: 100% of schools have at least 1 annual sustainability project-based learning opportunity STAFF: 50% of science teachers participate in an annual professional development on climate and sustainability
Environmental Justice
Career Exploration
100% of schools have an action-based pledge toward continuously addressing environmental justice
Of all students participating in work-based learning, 20% or more will explore/engage in activities that promote sustainability careers
Outdoor Experiences https://sustainability.dpsk12.org
100% of schools incorporate an outdoor learning space in their academics
Greenhouse Gas Inventory The Sustainability Team completed a greenhouse gas emissions inventory to ensure that the goals, strategies, and tactics developed through the Climate Action Plan would be driven by data and scientific estimates of greenhouse gas emissions reduction potential. The inventory results have and will continue to be used to model and prioritize frameworks, strategies, and tactics based on greenhouse gas emissions reduction potential, and will be used to ensure we are moving the needle toward Ends Statement 1.6. The results show DPS has ample opportunity to focus on our built environment and its impact on the natural environment.
2021 DPS Emissions by Sector + Source
This pie chart shows the results of the inventory, split by emissions source and sector.
Electricity 43% Waste 3%
Building Energy 84%
Other On-Road Fuel 2% Transportation 13%
On-Road Gasoline 11%
Natural Gas 41%
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Financial Impact Assessment A Financial Impact Assessment was completed to better understand the economic impact of achieving the energy and greenhouse gas emissions reduction goals proposed by DPS Students for Climate Action. The assessment focused on the cost of significant energy efficiency upgrades, the electrification of buildings, and the achievement of renewable energy goals. The assessment will be used to guide the prioritization of building electrification efforts and inform stakeholders on how to work toward the Climate Action Plan goals from an economic standpointment in potential future bond cycles.
VP Harris Uplifts DPS Student Climate Activists In June 2023, Vice President Kamala Harris visited DPS to speak about the importance of youth voices in the climate movement. In a powerful display of support, she applauded the determination and leadership of DPS Students for Climate Action for turning their climate anxiety into climate action.
When you track nearly every movement in our country that has been about progress, we have had young leaders at the head. Every one of them. - US VP Kamala Harris, June 16, 2023, Northfield High School
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New Sustainability Website The Sustainability Team updated its website to better inform the community on the Climate Action Plan, provide transparency and accountability on progress toward goals, and better motivate the community by highlighting and celebrating successes. The website also displays maps that show sustainability data spatially, and these maps will be used to prioritize climate action work based on environmental justice.
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Other Highlights Community Solar Garden DPS partnered with the City and County of Denver to install a $1.6M solar array at Northeast Early College. This array is fully funded by the City and County of Denver and supports their renewable energy goals while addressing DPS’s environmental justice goals. A portion of the power generated from these community solar gardens will be allocated to DPS families to support them in offsetting their energy bills. Additionally, DPS receives solar energy at a guaranteed lower cost than the utility provider.
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All-Electric Heating at Responsive Arts and STEAM Academy (RASA) at the Ceylon campus DPS is constructing a new elementary school at the Ceylon campus called Responsive Arts and STEAM Acadamy (RASA), and the Sustainability Team partnered with the Planning, Design, and Construction Team to select allelectric space and water heating systems. This enables the heating to be powered by clean, renewable energy from the electric grid or on-site solar power instead of fossil fuels. The all-electric systems saved DPS about $500,000 compared to its status quo system that uses natural gas for heating.
Spreading the Word LeeAnn Kittle, Executive Director of the Sustainability Team, presented at the following organizations about DPS’ studentdriven climate action policy, plan, and bold action. Sharing DPS’ story can inspire others on their sustainability journey. • Harvard Graduate School of Education • New Buildings Institute • U.S. Green Building Council’s Green Schools Conference • U.S. Green Building Council’s Mountain Region
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DPS Sustainability Expo The DPS STEAM Department hosted its first-ever Sustainability Expo, called “One Earth, One DPS”, at the new CSU Spur campus. Students showcased their projects from a variety of disciplines that tied together STEAM and sustainability.
Let’s Talk Trash Art Contest DPS hosted a “Let’s Talk Trash” art contest for students in 27 schools that are part of an energy performance contract. Artwork included at least 50% repurposed materials and demonstrated students’ ideas about waste reduction and the environmental impact of trash. DPS STEAM then hosted the culminating exhibit of contest winners at the Sustainability Expo, and first place winners in each grade level received a family pass to the Denver Botanic Gardens.
To address the Career & Curriculum Framework of the Climate Action Plan, Visual Arts Instruction & Curriculum Specialist Abigail Harkey worked with 5 DPS arts teachers in June ‘23 to create new sustainability & arts themed units, to be launched in the ‘23-24 school year. The K-12 units include: Sustainable Architecture, Recycled Fashion, Counter Mapping, Seeds of Hope, and Art of Place.
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Fleet Electrification Analysis Program The Sustainability Team began participating in Xcel Energy’s Fleet Electrification Advisory Program to create a cost-effective and carboneffective electrification strategy for both yellow and white fleets. The analysis is based on actual DPS fleet data.
Strategic Energy Management Program The Sustainability Team is participating in Xcel Energy’s Strategic Energy Management program to identify and verify energy savings. The first two years of the program recognized $90,500 and 1.4 GWh of operational savings. We are wrapping up the third year of the program and are continuing with a second engagement with a new group of schools.
Food Forest Installations New food forests were planted at Glenbrook Greenhouse, Morey Middle School, and Doull Elementary. The food forests will increase local food security, provide pollinator habitat, and reduce maintenance requirements.
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Therapeutic Garden Initiative The Therapeutic Garden Initiative is a coalition of gardens, service providers, and hospitals working to transform our school and community gardens into sanctuaries of socialemotional health and healing using sensory plants and activities, and by empowering educators. Two sensory gardens were planted at DPS sites. Plants were selected based on their ability to evoke our senses.
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Recognition DPS Students for Climate Action won the prestigious President’s Environmental Youth Award for their work and determination in getting the DPS Board of Education to pass a climate policy that prioritizes climate action, environmental justice, and sustainability across the district.
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DPS was recognized by the U.S. Department of Energy for the district’s efforts in implementing energy efficient solutions, improving student health, and reducing carbon pollution. Earning the “Best in Class: Energy Efficiency Plus Health” award highlights our district-wide LED retrofits, HVAC system upgrades, and indoor and outdoor air quality monitoring projects, which target schools that serve students high on our equity index.
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Chris, the DPS Garden Guy, received the first-ever Impact Award for Skill Building + Education from Denver Urban Gardens. This award recognizes Chris’s work as a local changemaker creating opportunities for students to grow their work- and life-skills through gardening.
DPS Students For Climate Action hosted their firstever DPS Climate Summit on Earth Day 2023. Students learned from their peers about how to further their school’s sustainability club’s goals, support DPS’s Climate Action Plan, and build leadership skills.
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Ongoing Projects Denver Public Schools | Climate Action Annual Report 27
Utility Costs & Consumption The Sustainability Team manages the utilities for DPS’ 200+ buildings, and in FY23 utility expenditures totaled $24.2M. This is a 11% increase from the previous fiscal year’s expenditures.
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Utility Expenditures Comparison
Utility Use Resource
Electricity
Natural Gas
Water
FY23 Use
100,633,000
7,109,000
510,744,000
Units
Context
Use Comparison to FY22
kWh
This is equivalent to the electricity used in 9,500 homes for one year
+5%
Therms
This is equivalent to the natural gas used in 6,900 homes for one year
+12%
gallons
This is equivalent to the water used by 4,900 homes for one year
-16%
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Utility Impact From its electricity and natural gas consumption, DPS is responsible for emitting almost 114,400 tons of carbon dioxide equivalent pollution into Earth’s atmosphere. This is equivalent to the greenhouse gas emissions from over 14,400 homes’ energy use for one year. The DPS community has many ways to be part of reducing this carbon pollution, and we encourage you to use the DPS Climate Action Plan as a resource.
Food and Nutrition Services built Glenbrook Greenhouse, a first-ofits-kind greenhouse that grows and provides fresh, local produce for DPS cafeterias. The site grows tomatoes and has plans to expand to greens, peppers, and cucumbers, and there are plans to create pathways around agricultural education.
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Meet the Team
Lindsay Weber, Senior Analyst Kelly Moses, School Programs Sustainability Manager Adam West, Energy Engineer LeeAnn (Westfall) Kittle, Executive Director Darel Leedy, Building Optimization and Controls Supervisor Chris Woodburn, Program Specialist - Gardens Erin Ahlholm, Administrative Coordinator
Let’s stay connected! Follow us on Instagram at @dps_sustainability and @dpsgardens.
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It’s awful that we caused it, But this bad news can be good, For it means that we can solve it If we all agree we should The Pout Pout Fish Cleans Up the Ocean
Sustainability