The Corvallis Sustainability Coalition has two major projects for 2008: the Community Sustainability Initiative and the Corvallis Energy Challenge.
Community Sustainability Initiative
The purpose of this initiative is to engage the community in the creation of a Community Sustainability Action Plan, which is due for completion in December 2008. The initiative has gathered community input through three town hall meetings (March, June, and October 2008). Between April and September, over 200 volunteers participated in 12 topic area work groups that used community input to develop the heart of the Action Plan.
The 12 work groups have submitted their proposed goals and related actions. Thousands of volunteer hours have gone into this effort! Read the Work Group Proposals for a glimpse at what a sustainable future might look like.
At the third Sustainability Town Hall Meeting on October 7th, participants were presented with goals for each topic area and were asked, "Which of these goals should we go after first as a community?" They used keypad polling to register their responses. Find out the results under Keypad Polling.
The next step in the process is the formation of Action Teams that will begin work on implementation of the forthcoming Community Sustainability Action Plan. The Action Teams will include both individuals and organizational representatives. Contact us at info@sustainablecorvallis.org to indicate your interest in joining an Action Team.
Corvallis Energy Challenge
Energy Trust of Oregon selected Corvallis as the Oregon community to pilot a Community Energy Program to promote energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies. Energy Trust chose the Corvallis Sustainability Coalition to work with them to design and implement the program.
The purpose of the Corvallis Energy Challenge is to help residential and business customers save energy through expanded participation in existing programs, such as free energy audits and cash rebates.
Corvallis is the test case to determine whether a Community Energy Program is an effective way to promote energy efficiency and renewable energy in Oregon. The Energy Challenge was launched in March 2008 and will run through February 2009.
Find out more at www.corvallisenergychallenge.org.