Commitment to a Healthy Environment
"I’ve always been attracted to helping the environment. When I heard that we were doing that at PYB, I wanted to be a part of it."
Kauri, age 18
In our part of the country, taking care of the environment is second nature. But when you’re a young person dealing with challenges that make it difficult to survive day-to-day, caring for the world around you often takes a back seat to personal survival. Our goal is to help students recognize the importance of becoming respectful caretakers of the world around them.
Some highlights of our commitment to environmental sustainability include:
Portland YouthBuilders is an Oregon Green School and is a member of US Green Building Council and Cascadia Green Building Council.
- Preparing students for jobs in the emerging “green” economy
- Building affordable homes that are energy efficient and environmentally friendly
- Keeping used computer parts out of the landfill through our computer refurbishing program
- A summer program called Fields to Forks which gives select students hands-on organic gardening experience while providing the whole student body with healthy fruits and vegetables – especially important as all of our students qualify for free or reduced lunch
- A three-month long classroom learning unit called Environmental Awareness, where students examine issues of global warming and climate change.
