The proposed strategies and actions being developed now by the Community Advisory Task Force will be the subject of numerous and widespread public outreach activities this winter. People from throughout the county will be invited to learn more about the proposals, share ideas and ask questions through public discussions, presentations to community and business groups, focus groups, surveys, technical task forces, emails and social media, and the project website.

The goals of the outreach will be to:

The feedback from the community and stakeholders will be used by the Community Advisory Task Force and the project team to revise and improve the proposals to include in the final draft plan for the county to reach the goal of being carbon neutral by 2050. That plan will be shared again with the community before being presented to the Board of County Commissioners for action by the end of 2022.

The Community Advisory Task Force (CATF) has been meeting since July to help develop a climate action plan to meet the county goal of being carbon neutral by 2050.

At the Oct. 21 meeting, members reviewed the engagement plan to share information about the draft plan and gain feedback from community members about climate strategies and actions. The group also received a report from and discussed the activities of the Youth Advisory Task Force.

You are invited to listen in to task force meetings and express your views during the public comment portion. Meetings will continue approximately every two weeks through November, and periodically through spring 2022. Get meeting Zoom links, read meeting materials and watch past videos at www.clackamas.us/sustainability/climateaction.

The just-released 2010-2020 Regional Climate and Health Monitoring Report provides data on health conditions that climate change is known to affect. The report was produced by by the health departments of Clackamas, Multnomah and Washington counties.

Projected impacts for the three counties include more extreme heat days, poorer air quality days, larger wildfires, and heavier rainfall increasing the risk of floods and landslides. As shown in the graph below, changes in our regional climate from deteriorated water and air quality, heat waves, and increased allergens are already affecting the health of community members.

As in other parts of the country, low-income households and communities of color are experiencing impacts first and worst. The report concludes that addressing the cause of these environmental conditions and slowing future warming rates will depend on finding ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to improve resiliency for all.

In order to plan effective interventions, develop policy that addresses root causes, and allocate needed resources, counties and cities need to know the extent of health issues in their community. Few tracking systems exist for local climate-related health impacts. This report is one resource that decision-makers and the public can use to guide current mitigation efforts and provide a benchmark for future measurement. Read the report.

Bob's Red Mill is now recognized as one of the most sustainable businesses in Clackamas County, after being certified as a gold-level member through the county's Leaders in Sustainability program.

The Bob's Red Mill team has been hard at work over the past few years developing their sustainability plan, setting up a recycling program, educating staff, and recently hiring a sustainability manager who will continue to drive their efforts forward.

Julia Person, the newly hired and first sustainability manager for Bob's Red Mill, is also a member of the county's climate action plan Community Advisory Task Force. She brings her expertise in sustainability to help the county implement a forthcoming climate action plan to reduce net carbon emissions to zero by 2050.

Read the article for more about how Bob's Red Mill is showing up for climate health.

We want to welcome people, organizations and businesses from throughout Clackamas County to help achieve the countywide goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2050. This newsletter is one way to share opportunities for community members to be engaged. If you know of folks - students, neighbors, colleagues, supervisors, electeds - who would be interested in learning about and perhaps contributing to this plan, please share this newsletter and encourage them to sign up.

We also want to know what kind of information you would like in this newsletter and on the project webpage. Send suggestions to climate@clackamas.us.

Thank you for being on this journey with us!

Sign up to receive future e-newsletters and opportunities to engage in the climate action plan development process!