Denver Public Schools | Climate Action Plan
climate action plan
Our work supporting Denver Public Schools and their students was highlighted by Former Vice President Kamala Harris as a model for others to follow.
Lotus worked with Denver Public Schools (DPS) to develop new goals and programs focused on GHG emissions reductions, renewable electricity, environmental justice and education, and resource management. The plan was co-created with DPS stakeholders and included a strong focus on equity and accessibility as well as a fun, interactive, and engaging process. The new plan outlined a roadmap for achieving the goals laid forth in the recent DPS Climate Change Resolution. These goals included reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 90 percent of 2010 levels by 2050, prioritizing sustainability actions in schools and communities facing greater environmental injustice, and making sustainability a core value of DPS.
Lotus also fully reworked the DPS website to drastically increase engagement with students, staff, and the general public. The prior version of the website was difficult to navigate, lacked transparency for students, and made progress tracking challenging. Lotus worked with a web designer to develop the new website framework in alignment with the plan areas of focus. Lotus wrote all website content and created embedded progress tracking data visualizations and maps related to the overall plan’s key focus areas.
DPS website on-site solar map example.
All embedded visualizations and maps are connected to centrally located datasets, enabling DPS sustainability staff to have ownership over their relevant metrics. This improves transparency to students, staff, parents, and the public; but also enables DPS staff to make informed program decisions. Visualizations were developed to be engaging and fun, allowing viewers to quickly understand key takeaways or dive deeper through other provided resources linked on each page.
Lastly, Lotus created a program to help empower students to lead this effort to ensure that this work continues long after we are gone.
Lotus developed comprehensive GHG emissions inventories for DPS operations for fiscal years 2016 and 2021. Emissions from building operations, vehicle fleet, business travel, employee commuting, waste, and purchased goods were quantified in this analysis. These inventories highlighted changes in emissions over time, identified key sources to target for reductions, and provided key data for DPS to track metrics and goals.
You can view the plan in Spanish here. Este plan es disponible en español AQUI.
“Lotus was pivotal in supporting us in the creation of a transparent, clear, and relatable climate action plan that will engage our greater community for years to come. Their ability to engage our stakeholders throughout the development was invaluable.”
“Vice President Kamala Harris says Denver students’ climate plan is a model for others to follow.”
