Climate change is real. Our students know it and are bold enough to demand change. We must listen to them!*

I have been an environmentalist and climate change activist since my teens. It started with the animal protection movement and going vegetarian in the early 90s. That quickly morphed into me learning about the connection between agribusiness and human rights concerns. And then of course the big one: agribusiness and environmental degradation (including deforestation, greenhouse gas emissions, water pollution and biodiversity loss). 

In 2002, I moved to Portland in 2002 for Lewis & Clark Law School's Environmental Law Program.

My husband and I have been bike commuters our whole careers and we invested in a cargo electric bike in 2016 so we could ride around with our 3 kids in tow, showing them the city by bike, with the wind (and sometimes rain and sleet!) in their hair!

How does this apply to becoming a School Board Director? Policy, policy, policy!

• promoting a Bike Bus and Walking Bus option at every PPS school - this helps with kids getting wiggles out before school and also is good for our community and the environment. I am proud to have been part of the founding team for Abernethy's Bike Bus and am bringing a Walking Bus to Abernethy starting April 11.
  
  

• the PPS lunch calendar does not have a daily plant-based or vegetarian option. So vegetarian kids have the option of eating something processed or relying on a parent to make lunch in the morning. Let's make sure there are healthy vegetarian options for our kids.
  
  

• Remember that cool PPS salad bar? Let's bring it back! It means PPS can work with local farmers to bring salads (back) into schools. And schools can have incentives like "earn a classroom star for trying the salad bar today" and then classrooms earn a pajama party when they get the most stars. Eventually, trying a little salad a day becomes a change and salad becomes a part of our students' daily lunch option.
  
  

• Ridwell in schools? Compost programs in schools? Gardening programs in classrooms? The list of ideas goes on and I look forward to working with environmental stewards and our student body to make change.

• https://www.opb.org/article/2022/05/19/portland-student-activists-climate-change-rally-school-walkout/