Portland Public Schools and Oregon Environmental Council Team Up for Cleaner Air, Energy Savings

In a win for the environment, children’s health and school taxpayers, the Oregon Environmental Council and Portland Public Schools have partnered to replace a “bunker oil” heating system with a cleaner, more efficient natural gas system at Harvey Scott Elementary School in Northeast Portland.

Harvey Scott was built in 1951, and, like many other schools built in the era, heats its classrooms with a boiler that uses oil #5, also known as “bunker fuel.” PPS has been switching to cleaner natural gas since 2001, but more than 40 schools still await conversion. Read more our efforts to reduce diesel pollution here.