The past years have been prime examples of the consequences of climate change; from sweltering heat waves to devastating ice storms, our own community has suffered from the impact of the global crisis. Recently, a Climate Change Resolution was proposed to and passed by the Tigard-Tualatin School District school board to address the increasingly alarming state of our environment. 

Claire Roach, Isabella Kneeshaw, Mady McClung and Ale Gutierrez De Nova are Tigard-Tualatin Student Union (TTSU) members who make up the Environmental Committee that devised the resolution. 

“The general idea is to bring awareness [to climate change] but also to implement a climate committee to the school board in order to incorporate things like climate curriculum, analyzing and data tracking of our pollution, waste reduction and sustainable infrastructure,” Gutierrez explained.

The team started working on the project earlier in the school year, and they finished their resolution in December. 

“I think we all were really passionate about this, and we saw that this was something other school districts had done [that] our school district could be doing to make our own community more sustainable,” said McClung. “We worked with a lot of district employees and people who have jurisdiction over the areas that we’re asking for change in.”

The first reading of the resolution was back in March. After revising their statements, the four sTTSU members presented their completed resolution at the school board meeting on Apr. 11 for a second reading. The resolution was unanimously passed.

“I think this will be a great opportunity to reduce our waste. Hopefully, this resolution will also inspire other districts in Oregon and inspire even more change throughout the nation,” Gutierrez mentioned. “Even though I’m not gonna be here next year, I’m pumped for what’s to come!”