9 results for author: Kevin Kasowski
Building Climate Resilience with Better Buildings
Gazing at the downtown skyline of Portland? Rushing through PDX to catch a flight? Lost in the Silicon Forest? You probably aren’t thinking about how to reduce climate emissions. But Oregon’s large office, high-tech and public buildings are one of Oregon’s best opportunities to meet our climate goals by addressing our second largest source of greenhouse gas emissions.
That’s because the overall “carbon footprint” of those buildings can be huge. Making the steel and concrete to build them is energy intensive. Construction equipment, the choice of materials that go inside, and the way the building is heated and cooled all contribute to ...
Clean Tech: Greener, Richer, Freer
More and more people in Oregon and across the United States are embracing electric vehicles and efficient HVAC systems to heat and cool their homes. Individual decisions like these will help Oregon deliver on its climate goals, but is our state missing a big opportunity to create thousands of jobs building clean energy technologies? Hear from industry experts who spoke at our latest Business & Environment Forum about Oregon’s chance to be a leader in clean tech.
Electrifying Oregon’s Local Economies
To advance an equitable transition to electric vehicles, OEC recently partnered with several local women- and/or BIPOC-owned small businesses to invest in on-the-ground workforce development, consumer education, job creation, and business competitiveness – all powered by funding from the Oregon Clean Fuels Program via PGE’s Drive Change Fund.
Moving the Decimal Point on the Price of Gas
When I was learning how to drive, back in the middle of the 1973 Arab oil embargo, with long lines and gas rationed on “odd/even” days, everyone was completely shocked when the price of gas rose from 39 cents to 53 cents.
Today, gas is selling at an average of $4.72 per gallon here in Oregon. As the old Bob Dylan song said, “the times they are a’changing” and it may be time for many drivers to consider making a change that can save you a lot of money. If you need to replace your car, think electric.
Consider this: for a 25 mpg car, paying $4.72 per gallon, it works out to 18.8 cents a mile. That’s more than four times higher than the ...
Unlocking the Power of the Grid
Last July, OEC worked with our allies to persuade the Oregon Legislature to adopt 100% Clean Energy for All, which will transition Oregon’s electricity supply away from fossil fuels no later than 2040, among the fastest such transitions in the nation. Creating more wind, solar, and wave energy is one thing. Ensuring it gets to consumers is another. When the power is out, much of our lives – and our economy – comes to a standstill. Our March 15 Business and Environment Forum focused on new ways in which clean energy can be available reliably, even when the sun isn’t shining or the wind isn’t blowing.
Current State of the State
Oregon is ...
An Earth Day Challenge
When the pandemic ends, will we go back to business as usual? Take the #MyPlanetMyPledge for a healthier future for all.
COVID, Climate and Quakes
Our annual Business and Environment speaker series tackles the intersections of futurism, technology, environment and social equity
24th ANNUAL BUSINESS & ENVIRONMENT FORUM
OEC’s 2020 Business & Environment Forum brought together a diverse panel of active partners focused on transportation transformation.
Innovators from government, business and community sectors joined together to explore emerging transportation technologies, opportunities to reduce emissions from company fleets, and regional efforts to relieve traffic jams by expanding light rail, speeding up bus travel, and implementing new parking and road congestion pricing policies.
It was a great opportunity to collaborate, learn and share a diverse vision for the future of transportation. We had a full room of engaged participants and the questi...