Kicking Off 2026 With Climate Action & Community Wins

Climate Action Partner Grant Program Highlight

The City of Bend’s Climate Action Partner Grant (CAPG)
program is supporting a new effort that
will soon make school-day travel cleaner, safer, and more community oriented.
Commute Options’ School Pool program, funded through CAPG but not yet
launched, is now in development, laying the groundwork for an easier way for
Bend–La Pine families to connect and share rides to and from school.
School Pool is designed to reduce the high volume of solo school-day car trips
by helping parents and caregivers match with nearby families through the Get
There Oregon platform. Once implemented, the
program will support families in forming carpools, ease congestion around
schools, and create safer drop-off and pickup zones for students. These
everyday travel shifts also add up to meaningful climate action: fewer single-
family trips mean lower emissions and improved air quality during some of the
city’s busiest travel windows.
The project directly supports Bend’s 2025 Community Climate Action
Plan , especially actions that encourage carpooling,
reduce vehicle miles traveled, and build resilience through cleaner
transportation options. By engaging Parent Teacher Organizations (PTOs),
partnering with Bend–La Pine Schools, and offering participation incentives,
the School Pool team is working ahead of launch to ensure strong community
awareness and accessibility when the program goes live.
School Pool represents a promising model for how Bend can reduce
transportation emissions while improving everyday convenience for families. As
outreach, training, and platform setup continue, the program is poised to make
school travel simpler, safer, and more sustainable, one shared ride at a time.
Follow Commute Options for updates

“School Pool is about more than sharing rides, it’s about building
connections between families while making school travel safer, simpler, and
cleaner. This program shows how small, everyday choices can add up to
meaningful climate action for Bend” – Brian Potwin, Commute Options Executive
Director

Sustainability Spotlight: Juniper Ridge Public Works Campus

Bend’s new Public Works Campus at Juniper Ridge is a major step forward for
sustainable city infrastructure. Shaped by the City’s Strategic Energy
Management Plan and the Community Climate Action
Plan, the project team worked across departments through
visioning sessions and a sustainability charrette to identify clear
priorities: lowering carbon emissions, using natural and low carbon materials,
and reducing energy use. Those priorities show up throughout the campus.
Buildings feature cross laminated timber, mass plywood, low carbon concrete,
and durable weathering steel, and the site design preserves high desert
features like juniper, volcanic rock, and natural topography.
On the energy side, the campus is fully electric, enrolled in the Energy Trust
of Oregon’s Path to Net Zero
program, and includes an onsite
solar array funded in part through Oregon’s 1.5% green technology requirement.
The system is sized to meet net-zero operations for the campus and can be
expanded in the future to offset other City sites in the future. It’s also on
track to be the City of Bend’s first LEED Gold–certified facility. Energy
modeling informed building orientation, daylighting, and insulation needs,
among others, helping ensure the campus operates efficiently now and remains
resilient in the long term.
The Public Works Campus signals real progress by demonstrating how The City
can lead by example, invest in smarter infrastructure, and make meaningful
strides toward our climate action goals.
Learn more

Oregon State Climate Updates

Oregon Energy Strategy – Published now!

The State of Oregon’s first energy strategy was published last November. This
strategy identifies five pathways to help meet its reliability, affordability
and greenhouse gas emissions targets. The strategy also identifies 42 near-
term actions to advance the energy strategy. These actions will help
communities transition to clean energy while improving resilience and equity.
These initiatives are designed to deliver immediate impact while laying the
foundation for long-term energy security and economic growth. Learn more about
the Oregon’s Energy Strategy and the full list of actions.
Learn more

Heat Pump Purchase Program (HP3) Incentive Now Available

The Heat Pump Purchase program at the Oregon Department of Energy (ODOE)
offers a $2,000 incentive for the installation of a residential heat pump.
ODOE is now accepting incentive reservations and applications for rental
property owners, builders, and developers. This funding may be eligible to be
layered with other incentives from Energy Trust of Oregon or other utility
incentives.
Learn more

Take Action & Upcoming Events

Monthly ECC Meetings

Join us for our monthly Environment and Climate Committee meetings:
11 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Second Thursday of each month
Upcoming dates:
* February 12, 2026
* March 12, 2026
* April 9, 2026
Congrats to Robyn Breynaert and Ken Davies for being elected the new Chair and
Vice Chair of the Environment and Climate Committee.
Learn more

Weekly City Council Meetings

Attend weekly City Council meetings to contribute to decision making.
City Council Business Meetings occur on the first and third Wednesdays of each
month at 6 p.m., and the City Council Work Sessions occur on the second and
fourth Wednesdays of each month from 4 p.m.-6 pm.
The February 11th Work Session will focus on the Electrification Policy.
Attend and/or submit written comment to make your voice heard!
Learn more

Tip of the Month

In the theme of reducing transportation emissions, this month’s tip is all
about an easy habit shift with a big impact: turning off your engine when
you’re parked or waiting. Whether you’re in a pickup line at school or
sitting curbside for a few minutes, shutting the car off helps cut unnecessary
emissions and keeps the air cleaner for kids and neighbors.
Idling for just a couple of minutes burns more fuel than restarting your
engine, and those small moments add up across our community. Less idling means
cleaner air, reduced emissions, and healthier spaces around schools and busy
corridors.
Learn
more

Winter Energy Tips You Can Use This Week

• Drop the thermostat 1–2° and grab a cozy layer
• Seal drafts around doors/windows with basic weatherstripping or a door sweep
• Use free solar heat: open blinds on sunny afternoons and close them at night
• Flip ceiling fans to clockwise on low to push warm air down
• Unplug “energy vampires” (chargers, consoles) when you’re not using them
• Wash laundry on cold and regularly clean your dryer vents to improve efficiency and reduce energy consumption.
  Learn more