Photo caption: Climate planners board the electric school bus that was generously offered as transport from Beaverton School District.
Climate planners came together in Portland this July to continue learning from one another, building momentum for collaboration, and charting paths forward for this work even in uncertain times. Oregon did not disappoint. The gathering began with a field trip to visit two inspiring local projects. Attendees hopped on a Beaverton School District electric school bus to head over to the first stop, Verde’s community solar project in NE Portland.
The first community solar project of its kind in the area, located on Port of Portland land, provides clean energy to 200 BIPOC and elderly residents in the Cully neighborhood. This initiative not only delivers clean energy but also lowers utility bills, benefitting the community economically. Saolo from Verde highlighted the importance of bringing in community members at the earliest stages of dreaming up the project. Verde serves communities by building environmental wealth through social enterprise, outreach, and advocacy. Funded by the Portland Clean Energy Fund, this pilot project will inform future projects will break ground soon.
This is just the beginning of the incredible work happening around the country aimed at reducing climate pollution and strengthening community.
with the project through planting native plants and taking care of the land surrounding the solar panels.
The crew set off again to Portland General Electric and Daimler’s joint vision, Electric Island, to get a behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to charge electric heavy-duty trucks. This site is unique in that it allows for testing of a variety of electric vehicle chargers that are on the market today. From how the electricity makes its way from the grid to the site and then to the chargers and vehicles themselves, this site is constantly collecting lessons on how to improve future sites.
The field trip was followed by keynote speakers and collaborative workgroups that addressed critical ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Plenty of time was also left for sharing out from many states that are doing incredible work to address climate pollution.
Michigan is running a Justice 40 Accelerator Program, a cohort-based program for community-based organizations from Michigan’s Justice40 communities to receive technical assistance and training to apply for and receive available funding successfully. Colorado is tackling industrial decarbonization projects through grants for industry-related emission reduction projects that bring the State closer to its air pollutant emission reduction goals. New Jersey is set to launch a one-stop shop, enabling residents to use to find all rebates and programs in the State to reduce climate pollution. New Orleans came together after Hurricane Ida and dreamt up the Community Lighthouse, powered by solar and storage, a gathering place in each community where neighbors can come when they lose power during extreme weather events. This is just the beginning of the incredible work happening around the country aimed at reducing climate pollution and strengthening community.
…learning from one another, building momentum for collaboration, and charting paths forward for this work even in uncertain times.
Last, but not least, the inspiring speakers from Portland Clean Energy Fund and Vertue Lab left the group with hope and an exploration of what it means to be resilient during difficult times.
The event was made possible by the Convener’s Network, a network that helps states collaborate to overcome challenges, seize opportunities and spur investment and innovation in an advanced energy economy. It is a partnership of the Great Plains Institute, Georgetown Climate Center, Duke Nicholas Institute for Energy, Environment, and Sustainability, Center for the New Energy Economy, Harvard Law Environmental and Energy Law Program, and Atlas Public Policy.
By Whitney Dorer and Morgan Schafer, Oregon Department of Environmental Quality