RARE Monday Mailing Year 27 | Issue 27 22 March 2021
1. Anti-Asian Sentiment a Problem in Oregon Too, Locals Say 2. A Clean Energy Milestone: Renewables Pulled Ahead of Coal in 2020 3. Are Electric Vehicles Really Better for the Climate? Yes. Here’s Why 4. Talent Development Approved After Decades of Waiting 5. State, Local Governments in Oregon Receive $4.3 Billion from Federal Relief Bill 6. Oregon Lawmakers Consider “All-Lands” Approach to Wildfire Risk 7. How to Prevent the Return to Offices from Being an Emotional Roller Coaster 8. Pedestrian Injury and Social Equity in Oregon 9. PODCAST: North Carolina Electric Cooperative Aims to Make New Technologies Accessible to All 10. RESOURCE: Climate Ready Communities: A Practical Guide to Building Climate Resilience
Quote of the Week: “The first bud of spring sings the other seeds into joining her uprising” - Amanda Gorman
1.
Anti-Asian Sentiment a Problem in Oregon Too, Locals Say
KOIN Jenny Kim has lived in Portland since 1968, she said she has always felt safe in the community. But recently, she said she’s felt uneasy as an Asian American woman.
Oregon Fast Fact Oregon’s state flower is the Oregon Grape, a holly-like yellowflowered shrub that blooms in early spring. While edible, the berries are far less tasty than grapes. Learn more.
“Right now when I go out I make sure I don’t carry a purse and I make sure that I can defend myself,” Kim said. “Don’t cause trouble … And just be real nice and say hello.” Kim isn’t alone in this sentiment, as hate crimes against Asian Americans have jumped since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. The tension has been simmering since former President Donald Trump helped fuel the hatred on Twitter when he referred to COVID-19 as “the Chinese virus.” Read the full story.
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2. A Clean Energy Milestone: Renewables Pulled Ahead of Coal in 2020
Inside Climate News In a year of pandemic illness and chaotic politics, there also was a major milestone in the transition to clean energy: U.S. renewable energy sources for the first time generated more electricity than coal. The continuing rise of wind and solar power, combined with the steady performance of hydroelectric power, was enough for renewable energy sources to surge ahead of coal, according to 2020 figures released this week by the Energy Information Administration. “It’s very significant that renewables have overtaken coal,” said Robbie Orvis, director of energy policy design at the think tank Energy Innovation. “It’s not a surprise. It was trending that way for years. But it’s a milestone in terms of tracking progress.” Read the full story.
3. Are Electric Vehicles Really Better for the Climate? Yes. Here’s Why Union of Concerned Scientists One of the questions I’m most frequently asked about electric vehicles (EV) is: “Are they really a cleaner option?” While it’s obvious that a fully-electric vehicle eliminates tailpipe emissions, people often wonder about the global warming emissions from generating the electricity to charge an EV. The latest data affirms that driving on electricity produces significantly fewer emissions than using gasoline and is getting better over time. Electricity power plant emissions data for 2018 has just been released and we’ve crunched the latest numbers. Based on where EVs have been sold, driving the average EV produces global warming pollution equal to a gasoline vehicle that gets 88 miles per gallon (mpg) fuel economy. That’s significantly better than the most efficient gasoline car (58 mpg) and far cleaner than the average new gasoline car (31 mpg) or truck (21 mpg) sold in the US. And our estimate for EV emissions is almost 10 percent lower than our previous estimate two years ago. Now 94 percent of people in the US live where driving an EV produces less emissions than using a 50 mpg gasoline car. Read the full story.
4. Talent Development Approved After Decades of Waiting Mail Tribune A hillside tract of land in Talent has gained approval for a subdivision after several decades of efforts. The approval followed a March 10 ruling from the state Land Use Board of Appeals, which reversed a denial and ordered the city to approve the developer’s application.
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For three decades owners have attempted to gain approval for housing on a 26-acre site at Belmont Road in the southwest part of town that is described by LUBA as a peninsula of the city. Owners Tony and Tory Nieto’s Talent View Estates project will get the approval after LUBA ruled that city Hearings Officer Roger Pearce’s Sept. 10 denial was based on a city standard that is not clear and objective and therefore outside the range of discretion allowed the local government under its comprehensive plan and implementing ordinances. “We are excited for Talent, with a lack of housing and with the fire,” said Tony Nieto. ‘It will broaden the city tax base and more importantly eventually equate to more affordable housing. It uses the property for what it was zoned for, residential housing.” Read the full story.
5. State, Local Governments in Oregon Receive $4.3 Billion from Federal Relief Bill East Oregonian Oregon cities and counties and the state government are set to receive a combined $4.3 billion from the $1.9 trillion aid package Congress passed earlier this month. The largest chunk, $2.6 billion, will go to the state to spend on Oregon’s response to the pandemic or other uses. Budget analysts are working to pin down the level of flexibility the state has to spend the funds. Oregon will also receive $155 million for the state government to spend on capital projects, and county, city and other local governments are slated to receive a total of $1.5 billion, according to information from U.S. Senate Democrats. That is on top of the $1.1 billion the federal relief law will send to Oregon schools. Read the full story.
6. Oregon Lawmakers Consider “All-Lands” Approach to Wildfire Risk Capital Press Oregon would emphasize reducing fuels in high-risk forests near communities and key environmental resources as part of broader legislation aimed at mitigating wildfire hazards. A crucial aspect of the proposal involves steering forest treatments toward where they’re most needed, regardless of property ownership. “We are taking an all-lands approach here,” said Dylan Kruse, government affairs director for the Sustainable Northwest nonprofit organization. “Immediately, we’re going where there’s the most urgent need.” RARE AmeriCorps Program Monday Mailing | Page 3 of 5
Though the Oregon Department of Forestry would take charge of the planning and implementation, the agency would rely on help from Oregon State University and other entities. Read the full story.
7. How to Prevent the Return to Offices from Being an Emotional Roller Coaster MIT Sloan Management Review As more and more people get vaccinated against COVID-19, leaders and employees are starting to look ahead to a potential return to offices. Many organizations are considering a hybrid work model, in which teams come into the office a few days a week or a few key days a month. For employees who have felt isolated and siloed during the pandemic, the return to the workplace will be exciting. For those who have taken to remote work or have lingering health concerns, it will be anxiety-inducing. For many, it will be both. Simply put, the return to offices will be emotional. As a leader, your role is to give your people as much certainty about the future as possible. And while no one really knows what the world will look like six months from now, there are a few steps you can take today to make your people feel supported and safe ahead of an eventual return to the workplace. Read the full story.
8. Pedestrian Injury and Social Equity in Oregon Oregon Department of Transportation In October of 2020 the Oregon Transportation Commission formally adopted its Strategic Action Plan (SAP) which identifies equity as one of three priorities. The SAP calls out the disparate pedestrian crash rates in low income areas and communities of color and the need to prioritize improvements for people that rely on walking, transit, and biking across the state. Past research and planning has highlighted the existence of pedestrian injury disparities throughout the US and some local agencies have performed cursory analysis in Oregon. However, no statewide analysis of pedestrian injuries has been completed to see how these injury outcomes differ by race and income. This technical memo aims to fill that gap by highlighting key findings of active research currently being performed by ODOT to better understand the factors that result in disparate pedestrian injury outcomes for different sociodemographic groups. It’s important to recognize these disparities and understand the underlying conditions that create them so that targeted and effective action can be taken. The information presented below aims to inform that process. Read the full story.
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9. PODCAST – North Carolina Electric Cooperative Aims to Make New Technologies Accessible to All NPR In rural North Carolina, an electric cooperative is reliving its New Deal history, bringing technologies like electric cars and broadband Internet to isolated communities struggling with poverty. The U.S. is making plans for a massive shift from fossil fuels to clean energy. But with those plans come worries that the changes won't be equitable, that wealthy people will get their electric cars and energy efficient technology while the poor will get left behind. In rural North Carolina, NPR's Dan Charles visited one man who's trying to keep that from happening, carrying on a legacy of the New Deal. Listen to the full story.
10. RESOURCE – Climate Ready Communities: A Practical Guide to Building Climate Resilience GEOS Institute The core element of the Climate Ready Communities program is the comprehensive Practical Guide to Building Climate Resilience. This Guide is structured as a task by task, step by step framework that includes many on-the-ground ideas and free resources for implementing each task. This framework is based on the Whole Community Resilience approach that the ClimateWise team has developed over its years of experience helping communities. Access the guide.
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