It has a menu of options it is looking at, from more renewable energy to recycling. And its not only choosing what strategies to prioritize but also could discuss what should be mandatory and what should be voluntary. Not everyone will feel like they are being done a favor.
The committee doesnt make the final decision. It is making recommendations. But we have to imagine the Bend City Council will take the committees recommendations seriously. So if you want to influence Bends emissions diet, let the committee know what you think. For now the best email for the committee is clacy@bendoregon.gov.
Unfortunately the actual action matrix the committee discussed at its Thursday meeting is not available online. It should be. We got a copy by asking for it from Cassie Lacy, the city staff member working with the committee. The matrix is not all that different, though, from the strategy options in the Bend Community Climate Action Plan. That is online and easy to find.
We are going to highlight a few options we found interesting, but you should check it out for yourself.
The city could create incentives. The city could create a revolving loan fund to finance more renewable energy. It could also just try to raise more community awareness of options.
Once again, the city could create incentives, create a revolving loan fund or just promote education and the incentives provided by utilities.
The Department of Energy set up ratings for energy efficiency of homes. The Bend City Council debated it in the past. Should Bend make it mandatory for new homes or homes that go up for sale? It is a good way for people to get information that might help save them money in the future. But a home could be efficient and still use way more energy than another similar home because of choices the people who live in it make.
Many of these ideas are about improving recycling and reducing waste, through encouraging different behavior.
The problem with making a choice within the existing action matrix is that there are no numbers attached. How much do things cost? Which are more cost effective in improving efficiency or reducing emissions? And how much time and effort is involved to get them going? Its easy to be attracted to some of these options, but from the information presented to the committee its hard to know which are truly pretty.
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Editorial: What should be in Bend's emissions diet? - The Bulletin
