Tell us a little bit about The Environmental Center. What is your mission, and what are you most proud of about your work?

This organization has been around for more than 30 years, which means that our work has shifted based on the evolving understanding and mission of environmental sustainability. We are an org focused on climate impacts and sustainable living, primarily with youth education programs in Central Oregon. We focus on a variety of education programs that involve garden stewardship, waste management, and energy & climate. We have a waste education program for adults as well.

The Energy Program (originally the energy challenge) focuses on advocacy work toward systemic policy and climate solutions. We’ve managed the Central Oregon Green Home & Solar tour for several years now which has been a great place for industry members to connect with each other and the community.

How long have you been a part of the ZERO Coalition and what compelled The Environmental Center to join?

We’ve been involved with the ZERO Coalition for 2 years. The Environmental Center has been involved with community organizing for Zero Energy building prior to joining in Central Oregon, which led to an interest in being better connected to state conversations around energy policy. With Bend located east of the Cascades, distance can be a barrier to being involved in conversations that are happening among other organizations. It’s been great to be a part of ZERO so that we can contribute what we know from our community, as well as bring back conversations that are happening at the state level to Central Oregon with a better eye to inform change-making.

The Environmental Center has staff with diverse expertise and project focus. Can you tell us a little bit about them?

We have fifteen people at the organization and each are a part of one or more initiatives involving Youth Education, Garden stewardship, Waste, and Energy & Climate. We’re an organization that also utilizes and hosts AmeriCorps members of all different types (Civilian Community Corps & Resources Assistance for Rural Environments) to help us with stewardship work and project-focused work.

What is The Environmental Center doing that you think is making the biggest impact toward ZERO’s mission?

Staff members of The Environmental Center are involved in various climate committees in Central Oregon. Having a local presence in another region of the state with the same mission is really helpful. It makes it feel like we are working on all of the same things together. Sometimes work that is being done on the west side of Oregon doesn’t make it over the cascades as quickly so it’s great to be involved in these conversations so we can provide input as well as bring takeaways home to C. Oregon.

Thank you, Neil Baunsgard, Program Manager at The Environmental Center for telling us about your organization. It has been around for 30 years, and joined the ZERO Coalition in August of 2019.