Fall 2024
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The Denver Public Schools Sustainability Team is excited for the fresh energy a new school year brings, and we thank you for championing sustainability across the DPS community. Read on to learn more about the journey toward the goals in the DPS Climate Action Plan.
Get Involved
Apply to the Climate Champions Grant Program
Empower your students to become climate leaders by putting their ideas into action! The DPS Sustainability Team is encouraging applications for student-led climate action projects for this year's Climate Champions Grant Program.
Pre-application is due Oct. 22, and the application is due Dec. 3.
All grade levels can apply. Project teams can request up to $25K. DPS charter schools are NOT allowed to apply.
Looking for Inspiration? Here are climate action projects that were funded last year.
Get EcoSchool certified
The National Wildlife Foundation's EcoSchools program offers a variety of paths to pursue environmental action at the school level and foster a culture of environmental stewardship.
This program is open for the school year, and its "choose-your-own-adventure" format makes it easy to build your path around what makes the most sense for your school community.
In the 2023-24 school year, four DPS schools achieved EcoSchools certification:
East High (Silver)
North High (Silver)
Teller Elementary (Green Flag)
Westerly Creek Elementary (Green Flag)
If you are interested in exploring EcoSchools certification at your school, email kelly_moses@dpsk12.net.
Sign up for Renew Our Schools energy competition
Renew Our Schools is a national education program that empowers K-12 students to conserve energy. The program provides inquiry-based lesson plans created by educators, allowing students to experience energy conservation through immersive educational activities and earn points for their school. Each semester includes a fun competition to win prizes!
Over five weeks (Sep. 23-Nov. 1), schools experience energy conservation through hands-on learning. The excitement builds as schools earn points by saving energy and completing School Energy Actions.
Spark Competition: registration,
designed for first-timers, no eGauge required
Star Competition: registration,
requires eGauge and toolkit
The Sustainability Team has a limited number of energy audit toolkits available for checkout. If you are considering signing up or have questions, please reach out to kelly_moses@dpsk12.net.
SustainEd partnership grows gardens and minds
SustainEd Farms is a DPS partner organization that uses school gardens as a way of teaching students about nutrition, food justice, and sustainability, while using the food produced to supplement communities that lack equitable access to fresh, healthy foods.
Students at partner schools are directly involved in the entire life cycle of the school garden, including prepping, planting, maintaining, harvesting, and winterizing.
The Sustainability Team is excited to grow our partnership with SustainEd Farms to bring these experiential learning opportunities to more of our community. If your school is interested in this partnership or in using the school garden as an outdoor classroom, email dept_sustainability@dpk12.org.
Resources
Abby's here for your sustainability curriculum needs
Abigail (Abby) Harkey joined the Sustainability Team in July as the new program manager for sustainability education. She is eager to assist teachers and school administrators with the integration of sustainability into all content areas.
Reach out to Abigail at Abigail_Harkey@dpsk12.net if you are interested in:
outdoor education resources,
sustainability & climate change curriculum resources,
Seal of Climate Literacy graduation diploma endorsement, or
professional development for sustainability education.
Teacher Resource: Subject To Climate
Interested in taking your students outside this fall, or wondering how to integrate climate and sustainability content into your courses? Check out SubjectToClimate.org, a great, free resource with tips for K-12 back-to-school activities that get students engaged with the natural world.
Connect with Denver Water’s Youth Education Program
Helping people appreciate water’s importance often starts with the youngest members of society, and that’s what Denver Water’s youth education program sets out to do - increase students’ knowledge of water in Colorado; educate young learners about what Denver Water does; and inspire wise water-use behaviors.
Whether in the classroom, learning remotely or exploring the community, YouthEd has a variety of program resources available to DPS staff and students at no charge, including classroom presentations, tours, and more.
Email youthed@denverwater.org and sign up for the Knowledge Drops Newsletter to learn more.
Bring a DreamBooks collection bin to your school and receive free books for educators
DreamBooks provides drop boxes at DPS schools for the reuse and recycling of books and other media. Beyond saving books from the landfill, every educator in DPS is given a $50 book credit every month!
School administrators can request a drop box for their school by emailing dept_sustainability@dpk12.org.
Recycling right and composting correctly
Correctly sorting materials into the trash, recycling, and compost bins is a tangible, easy way for students and educators to make a difference in our schools and communities every day.
To learn more about proper waste sorting, play Denver’s interactive waste sorting game, or email dept_sustainability@dpsk12.org with questions.
Recycling right looks like:
aluminum cans
plastic bottles
paper
cardboard
glass jars
Recyclables should be clean, dry, and empty!
Composting correctly looks like:
food scraps
plants
Landfilling looks like:
greasy pizza boxes
paper towels
snack wrappers
"compostable" service ware
Happenings
DPS builds its first all-electric school
DPS’ new Responsive Arts and Steam Academy (RASA) is an all-electric school. The heating and kitchen equipment, which is traditionally served with natural gas, will run on electricity.
This is a big win for climate action because electricity can be, and increasingly is, provided by renewable sources. Additionally, going all-electric saved DPS about $500,000 in upfront costs compared to building with natural gas infrastructure.
RASA incorporates additional sustainability features including energy efficiency, heat pumps, daylighting, and mass timber roofing.
Six DPS Schools Receive ENERGY STAR Certification
The Sustainability Team is excited to share that six schools earned ENERGY STAR certification from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for superior energy performance in 2024!
Congratulations to: Abraham Lincoln High, Joe Shoemaker School, John F. Kennedy High, North High, South High, and Place Bridge Academy.
On average, ENERGY STAR certified buildings use 35% less energy, release 35% fewer greenhouse gas emissions, and are less expensive to operate than their peers, all while meeting strict requirements for occupant comfort.
Solar canopies bring shade and renewable energy into view
DPS and the City & County of Denver partnered to create engaging outdoor learning spaces using visible solar panels as both a teaching tool and shade structure. Solar canopies were installed at three schools and were funded by Denver’s Climate Protection Fund, federal Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funds, and School Determined Funds.
Eleven more schools are slated to receive solar outdoor learning spaces in 2025.
Thomas Jefferson High
Manual High
Polaris Elementary
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