Portland Community College | Portland, Oregon

Events

Survey & Snacks: Climate Action Plan Survey & Feedback Session

Come enjoy some snacks and help inform the future of climate justice at PCC. This is an open house, drop in as available.

• Wednesday, November 19, 3:30-4:30pm, Southeast, Mt Tabor Hall Great Hall
• Friday, December 5, 12:30-1:30pm, Rock Creek, Building 5, room 122

Winter Craft Fest

Join us for various eco-crafts and resources from campus groups!

11am-1pm each day

• Monday, December 1 – Sylvania, CC Upper Mall
• Tuesday, December 2 – Cascade, SU 2nd floor
• Wednesday, December 3 – Southeast, Community Hall
• Thursday, December 4 – Rock Creek, Building 5, room 122

Free Food Markets

Free Food Markets are community events that center fresh produce provided by the Oregon Food Bank. This event is open to all and there are no limits. No ID is needed to attend; we only ask how many are in their household. We ask that participants bring their own bag or box to transport the food. Everyone is welcome! Food may run out before the event’s end time.

• Southeast – Wednesday, November 19, 3:30-4:30pm
• Sylvania – Monday, November 24, 12:30-1:30pm
• Rock Creek – Friday, December 5, 12:30-1:30pm

Financial Wellness Workshops

Come for a free meal and learn how to master budgeting hacks, build a realistic savings plan, and avoid common financial pitfalls.

The Student Basic Needs Center is pleased to offer this free Financial Wellness Workshop series designed to help PCC students take control of their money. Whether you’re a pro at balancing your budget or just getting started, these workshops offer practical tools and tips from financial experts in our local community.

Budgets & Bagels

Southeast Campus, Tabor 100
November 20, 10:30-11:30am

Savings & Sandwiches

Rock Creek Campus, Building 5, Room 122
Nov 26, 2-3pm

Volunteer

Learning Garden Open Volunteer Hours

You are welcome to stop by the gardens at the times below to volunteer your time. No experience or tools necessary. We are excited to welcome volunteers back!

Cascade Campus

Tuesdays and Thursdays, 11am-3pm

Rock Creek Campus

Tuesday-Friday, 10am-1pm (ends on Nov 25 for fall term)

Southeast Campus

Mondays and Wednesdays, 11am-3pm

Sylvania Campus

Mondays and Wednesdays, 9am-1pm, and Tuesdays, 1-3pm. Contact peter.ritson@pcc.edu to schedule an alternative time. (No volunteer hours on Oct 20.)

GivePulse

Explore community engagement opportunities, track your hours, connect with community partners, and share your impact through PCC’s GivePulse site.

Whether you are taking a course with a community-based learning assignment/project or just looking to get involved, GivePulse is your one-stop shop for connecting with community here at PCC! Just a couple of the benefits of using GivePulse include becoming a part of a movement or cause that you care about and creating a community engagement transcript (for your own reporting purposes).

Check out these upcoming sustainability opportunities through GivePulse!

Classes

Upcoming credit classes

The following classes in the winter 2026 term include sustainability as a component of their curricula:

Sustainability Focus Award

The Sustainability Focus Award recognizes students who have completed a broad range of sustainability-related courses. The award is designed to encourage students to learn to see environmental issues from multiple perspectives and to increase their experience in this multi-disciplinary topic. The earning of this focus award can demonstrate to potential employers and transfer colleges that the student has a deep and broad understanding of sustainability issues.

Jobs

We frequently have work-study positions available at the campus and district level. Please see the PCC Work Study page for available positions or email sustainability@pcc.edu. Please note that not all positions may be available at this time.

OASIS Internship

The Oregon Applied Sustainability Program (OASIS) is a paid 11-week (June 16 – August 29, 2025) internship program that places 3rd- and 4th-year undergraduate and graduate level students into Oregon- or Washington-based businesses to achieve sustainability and pollution prevention goals while gaining hands-on experience. Eligible students will be passionate about environmental science, engineering, sustainability, green chemistry, or environmental policy and work that prevents pollution and waste. More information can be found on the OASIS website. Applications open on March 21 and will close on April 16 at 4pm Pacific time.

Clubs

Student Sustainability Club

This is an organization of students from Portland Community College who believe that a collective effort can make a difference for a better world. Our mission is to build awareness about the issues of environmental degradation and environmental social justice, and to help the community adopt a sustainable lifestyle in their own lives and on campus. We have community outreach projects, volunteer opportunities, and outdoor activities.

Please check out our page on PantherHub or contact Jade Menchaca at jade.menchaca@pcc.edu with questions or concerns!

Bee Campus USA Committee

Are you passionate about pollinators? Are you interested in increasing pollinator habitat on our campuses? The PCC Bee Campus USA Committee is seeking new members. Your commitment would be to participate in meetings 3-4 times per year, serve as an advisor, and help educate the PCC community about the importance of pollinators and their habitat, our campus apiary, beekeeping classes, and our fundraising efforts (honey sales). If you are interested in joining, please email sustainability@pcc.edu.

Tree Campus Higher Education Committee

You have the opportunity to join forces with us to protect and promote trees, enhancing the natural environment in and around all of our campuses and centers at PCC. The PCC Tree Campus Higher Education Committee welcomes students, faculty, staff, and community members to help with this important college-wide effort.

We work together to:

• Establish policies and guidelines for planting, maintaining, and removing trees
• Ensure that adequate funding and staff time are provided in support of the program
• Organize activities in observance of National Arbor Day
• Create opportunities for students to participate in tree-related service learning projects
• Educate the community about the important ecosystem benefits that trees provide

For more information or to join the committee, contact tree-campus-group@pcc.edu.

Nature For All: Environmental Club

Want to share your love for sustainability and the environment, need volunteer hours, or just want to learn more about the world that surrounds us, then come join Nature for All. Participate in trail maintenance at RCESC; participate in Adopt-a-road clean up along 185th; write restoration proposals for grants; participate in restoration projects on and off PCC campuses; and network with like-minded individuals and local environmental agencies, like Clean Water Services and Portland Audubon Society. Interested in learning more? Visit the PantherHub page.

Organic Garden Club

The purpose of the LAWNS club (Land Air Water Nutrients Space) is to make gardening accessible to all PCC students, staff, and faculty and open the door to promote the transformation of LAWNS into biodiverse environments that engage all plants and gardeners by bringing access to affordable, sustainable gardening and awareness to food sovereignty. To get involved, contact Peter Ritson at peter.ritson@pcc.edu.

Habitat Restoration Team at Sylvania

Would you like leadership and environmental field experiences? Come join the team! We don’t usually meet for two hours but sometimes we write grants, show movies, do a walkabout, or have a mini-work party. The Habitat Restoration Team, working with the Sylvania Grounds crew, PCC students and staff, and community members, works to remove invasive species, plant NW native plants, and help stabilize creek beds. To get involved, contact April Ann Fong at afong@pcc.edu.

Green Team

Comprised of staff, students, and faculty, this group of dedicated people is the champion of sustainability at PCC. Functionally serving as an advisory committee to the Sustainability Office, this group has a strategic influence on department-level sustainable practices, information dissemination, and Environmentally Preferable Purchasing (EPP), as well as serving as contacts for campus-wide initiatives and education. It is this group of sustainability promoters that keeps us going! We always welcome interested folks! We usually meet once per month. The Green Team always has something going on. Please contact Jade Menchaca at jade.menchaca@pcc.edu to learn more.

Thinking of starting a club?

First, contact the district sustainability department, which can connect you with people and resources that you will need to know. Who knows – maybe there’s already a club that exists, waiting for someone like you to step into a leadership role!

Resources

Student Basic Needs Centers

The SBNC combines the programs and services of the Panther Pantry, the Basic Needs Hub, and BNSL Student Leadership in an expanded and redesigned model that provides not just food, but meaningful access to resources, support, and community connection. The SBNC is rooted in our core mission to address student basic needs insecurity and also provides a welcoming and accessible space to access peer-to-peer support, build skills, share knowledge, and connect in community.

Free Food Alert

Sign up for Free Food Alerts today! PCC is combating food waste by offering Free Food Alerts to the campus community. Students can sign up to get notifications when food is available on campus during and after events. PCC staff can sign up to be hosts and send out notifications for free food at campus events. For more information and how to become a host, visit the Free Food Alerts website.

Eco Social Justice Grant

In 2008, the Associated Students of Portland Community College (ASPCC) District Student Council approved a ten-cent addition to the student activity fee, creating the Green Initiative Fund. At the beginning of 2018, the ASPCC District Student Council unanimously agreed to change the name of this fund to the Eco Social Justice Grant (ESJG). This name change better reflects the broader scope of what these grants have been and will be dedicated to. This grant works to support and foster a culture of collaborative, innovative problem-solving using environmental sustainability and social justice initiatives to accomplish these goals.

This grant is supported by the Basic Needs, Sustainability, and Leadership team.

Learn more and apply for the Eco Social Justice Grant!

Environmental Center

The PCC Environmental Center promotes sustainability, education, and action. We invite students to protect and sustain our local and global community. We are currently located in the Science Technology building, ST 213. Our office hours are Monday and Wednesday, 8:30am-5pm, Tuesday and Thursday, 8:30am-2:30pm, and Friday, 9am-3pm. Email peter.ritson@pcc.edu if you have any questions.

Climate Research Guides

An updated climate change research guide is now live on the PCC Library website. This updated guide has a tab highlighting the PCC Climate Action Plan. One of the best ways to support students experiencing eco-anxiety and climate grief is to help them connect with a community doing meaningful climate justice work.

Also, there are two more guides in production focused on integrating climate change into classroom curriculum: Teaching Climate Change in the Community College and Climate Change Curriculum. Would you be able to contribute some PCC-specific content to help complete these additional guides?

Specifically, the guides would benefit from:

• Assignments and curriculum related to climate change created by PCC instructors
• PCC instructors and staff willing to advise or support colleagues wanting to add a climate component to their courses

Please reach out to Roberta Richards at rrichard@pcc.edu if you have assignments to share or are willing to be listed as a support person.

The Menstrual Project

Cascade Women’s Resource Center is providing more free reusable menstrual products through the Eco Social Justice Grant to help students and PCC reduce their waste and lower the amount of money used on menstrual products.

Go to our Instagram at @cascadewrc to find more information on the products!

You can directly request products at any time via The Menstrual Project. Request products by filling out this form.

GPSEN College Network of Environmentalists

Stay in the loop of networking events in Portland, discuss goals and ideas for the future, and more!

Want to learn how to be more sustainable on the day-to-day?

Take the Sustainable Choices Pledge.