There's a green buzz going around Forest Grove, a city of 20,000 or so in western Washington County.  Community residents at a town meeting in January expressed their preferences that the city develop alternatives to car culture, and curb urban while at the same time working to maintain its small-town feel.  Word has it the mayor is talking about making Forest Grove a "model for sustainability."  It's a little unclear, so far, how much is just talk and how much is true commitment, but it seems as if local politicians are becoming genuinely concerned about transitioning to a sustainable future.  In the next couple of weeks, I hope, we'll find out just how far they are willing to go in their commitment.

The night of one of Pacific University's Focus the Nation events, I was able to talk to Suzanne Casaus of Oregon Environmental Council, about the green movement in Forest Grove.  We had just finished listening to Secretary of State Bill Bradbury describe the US Mayors Climate Protection Agreement as one of the most hopeful climate initiatives in this country; we agreed that this is a movement Forest Grove should be a part of.  So this week, I am sending a letter to the Forest Grove City Council, accompanied by one from Oregon Environmental Council, asking them to sign onto the Climate Agreement.  Don't get me wrong: when all is said and done, signing a piece of paper endorsing the Agreement does not, in itself, do anything to reduce a city's carbon footprint.  However, here in Oregon this initiative has become a way for cities serious about reducing their carbon emissions to identify each other, and initiate cooperative efforts; this was made very clear at the first Oregon Local Sustainability Workshop.  Signing the Agreement is also a way for a city to publicly state their intention to go sustainable, and their willingness to be held accountable on this commitment.  I, for one, hope Forest Grove rises to this challenge.

-Nick