Climate Summit takes aim at global warming.

Byline: Jeff Wright The Register-Guard

They may be in denial elsewhere in the country about global warming, but that's not the case in Eugene and Springfield, community leaders asserted Thursday at a first-ever Climate Summit at the University of Oregon.

Representatives from a dozen agencies took turns outlining the multiple efforts already under way - from "no idling" policies for school buses to the capture of methane gas from cow manure - to reduce the region's release of greenhouse gases.

Amid all the congratulatory praise, however, UO Sustainability Director Steve Mital offered a cautionary voice - especially in light of an international goal to reduce the world's greenhouse emissions by 80 percent by 2050.

"We've heard a lot about pilot projects that will inspire and make a marginal impact on emissions," Mital said. "But if we're serious about these goals, we've got to look much more comprehensively."

The morning summit, which drew not quite 100 people, kicked off a full day of events at the UO, part of a national "teach-in" on climate change. Thursday afternoon, 13 UO professors and others offered public lectures that looked at climate change from geographic, philosophic, economic, political, legal, journalistic and other perspectives. Thursday night, state energy analyst Chris Dymond was slated to give a keynote speech on renewable energy at the second annual Lane County Energy Round-Up.

In introductory remarks at the summit, UO President Dave Frohnmayer chided "intellectually paralyzed pundits" and others who deny the scientific reality of global warming. The obstacles to action are many - including political and financial opposition, complacency and fear - but must be overcome, Frohnmayer said.

Representatives from the Springfield, Eugene and Bethel school districts described an array of efforts to address global warming, from the integration of energy-efficient features in new school buildings to the use of biodiesel in school buses and "green" cleaning products in classrooms. Plus, global warming, recycling and energy conservation are now standard topics of instruction, they said.

At Lane Community College, students can now choose to pursue two-year degrees in energy management, renewable energy or water conservation, Sustainability Coordinator Jennifer Hayward said. The college also has a full-time energy analyst and full-time recycling coordinator.

The college is pursuing a federal Environmental Protection Agency grant for teacher training that would lead to the introduction of sustainability issues in at least 200 classes, Hayward said.

Tom Williams, key account manager at the Eugene Water & Electric Board, won applause when he was introduced as having driven a car to work, rather than riding his bicycle, only five times in the 22 years he has worked at EWEB.

But Williams also fielded a pointed question on why EWEB's proposed new operations complex to be built in west Eugene does not include solar photovoltaic features. Williams said EWEB commissioners tried to find a middle ground between controlling project costs and adding as many sustainability features as possible. He said he's hopeful that funds can be found to add photovoltaics.

Most utilities, including EWEB and the Emerald People's Utility District, offer some sort of "green power" or wind power program to customers willing to pay a little more for cleanly generated power.

At EPUD, about 3.5 percent of customers are enrolled in the utility's green power program, spokesman Joe Savage said. While that may strike some as low, it's actually in the high range compared with participation rates across the country, Savage said.

Michael McKenzie-Bahr, community and economic development coordinator for Lane County, said the county's environmental efforts include looking at waiving certain fees for builders of sustainable projects.

Lane Transit District General Manager Mark Pangborn said mass transit can play a crucial role in communities such as Eugene, where an estimated 51 percent of all greenhouse gas emissions are related to transportation.

Riding the bus or, better yet, bicycling or walking, "is the most efficient one thing that any household can do to reduce its carbon footprint," he said.