The Multnomah County Office of Sustainability and Environmental Health teams hosted an open house for Multnomah County's first ever Climate Justice Plan. The Climate Justice Plan is being co-created by a steering committee composed of justice-centered community members and organizations representing frontline communities, and staff from Multnomah County and the City of Portland.
The open house was an opportunity for the steering committee to share the 12 goals in the plan, and strategies developed to achieve each goal. Open house attendees were invited to upvote strategies they considered most important, offer their own suggested strategies, and provide comments on the overall direction of the effort.
Over 50 people participated in the event that was held in the community room at the recently rebuilt Holgate Library. A diverse group of people participated, including some young people who created drawings of what a community for everyone could look like.
“We are grateful to our dedicated partners, community members, library patrons, and local government staff for attending this open house and embracing this necessary work,” said Monique Smiley, Sustainability Engagement Specialist for the Office of Sustainability. “Creating a vision for climate justice means engaging people where they are, breaking down abstract concepts into tangible actions that can help people today, and inviting those who are most impacted by the climate crisis but are often overlooked in public planning to have a seat at the table.”
The Climate Justice Plan is rooted in the Climate Justice by Design Process and the 2023 Climate Justice Framework. The Framework provides the foundation of vision and values that inform the Climate Justice Plan.
The overall aim of the Climate Justice Plan is to strengthen our community's resilience to the climate crisis and reduce climate pollution through an approach that centers and empowers the communities at the frontline of the climate crisis. A complete draft plan will be presented to the community for more discussion in Spring 2025.
