I was delighted to learn this morning that the city of Bend, Oregon has signed onto the US Mayors Climate Protection Agreement, committing itself to reducing greenhouse gas emissions.  I myself lived in Bend for a time, and can tell you that its wilderness areas and tracts of open space are worth taking strong measures to protect.  Like ecosystems across the country, the pine forests and sagebrush plains of Bend will be impacted by global warming, so it makes sense for the city to commit to reducing greenhouse emissions. 

Of course, only time will tell if the city is really going to follow through on its lofty goals - but there are some promising trends.  Curbing greenhouse emissions has, in the past, not been a priority for the city, and former mayor Bill Friedman was opposed to the idea of endorsing the Mayors Climate Protection Agreement.  However current mayor Bruce Abernathy, and other members of the city council, seem like they may be serious about reducing emissions.  Bend has purchased hybrid vehicles for its city fleet, and installed some solar panels (the cloudless, sunny days of summertime in Bend make solar energy an obvious option for reducing fossil fule dependence!).  Last year, the rapidly-growing city also began work on its first public transportation system.  Bend still has a long way to go before it can truly be called a "green" city, but these steps make a good start.

Bend is the 11th city in Oregon to sign onto the Mayors Climate Agreement, and it is the first city from Central or Eastern Oregon to sign on.  Perhaps Bend's decision is a forecast of things to come - we can only hope.

-Nick