The COVID crisis and its deadly impacts on our health, the economy, and frontline communities and workers have made clear that rapidly moving the Pacific Northwest to a just, equitable and 100% clean economy is more essential than ever to build a better future for everyone.
As we’re seeing in real time, many of the solutions needed to ease the broader impacts of COVID-19 will also ease the transition to climate justice—such as good, safe jobs that take care of workers and families, and cleaner air in their communities.
So how do we keep advancing solutions to global warming during this time of economic instability? A time of such social unrest and economic upheaval requires a lot of innovative thinking and creativity.
That is where you come in. We are launching our new online (for now) effort for Building a Better Future Together and we hope you will join us.
Over the next many months, we will be offering a series of online conversations in partnership with other organizations, businesses, and community leaders in public health, environmental justice, and more, to discuss and explore different pathways for what is possible and how we make progress together on climate change in these challenging times.
Here are some of the highlights of Building a Better Future Together:
Climate Leaders Live: a series of conversations exploring the intersection of COVID-19 and climate, as well as the bigger-picture system changes needed to shift our economy. The first conversation will also look at our approach and social habits to accelerate a 100% clean economy, and it’s happening next week.
Policy Deep Dives: advancing public policy solutions is an essential path for scaling up and making the transition to a 100% clean energy economy. How do we create wider paths to and investments in clean and equitable transportation, a clean grid, and safe and energy savvy buildings? This series will go deep on policy solutions, such as how to account for the cost of carbon most effectively, and how to transform the design and investments in our transportation systems. Key experts will join us to showcase what is possible with the right political will. How do we reimagine what’s possible?
Reimagining Engagement Events: in a current online-only world, how can we broaden the who, how and why to engage for a resilient climate and a transition away from fossil fuels? With people craving interaction more deeply than at perhaps anytime in recent memory, how can we come together, while physically apart, to demonstrate and create common purpose and more political accountability?
When we were founded back in 1998, our core animating thought, an idea woven deeply into our DNA, was that progress on climate change and shared economic prosperity go hand-in-hand. We believed fundamentally in rejecting the dominant frame created by the fossil fuel industry and others wanting to block progress—that progress on climate change meant economic sacrifice, that the only way we could see reduced pollution is if our economy stops.
These core ideas—shared economic prosperity, powerful partnerships, bridging divides and leading with an approach that prioritizes equity, diversity, and inclusion—are the foundation of our new initiative to respond to climate change in the age of COVID-19.
Here are two chances to join in May with more to come soon:
On May 6th, we are hosting our first Climate Leaders Live conversation in partnership with E8. This virtual conversation features a conversation with two courageous leaders—Maren Costa of Amazon Employees for Climate Justice and Mimi Casteel of Hope Well Wine. You can find more information here.
And RSVP now for Tuesday, May 19th at 11 am PT. We are hosting a fabulous discussion with Washington State Speaker of the House Laurie Jinkins, Dr. Lucas Joppa, the Chief Environmental Officer at Microsoft, and others on exploring how we build a better future during the challenging public health crisis of COVID.
We hope you will join us in conversation on how we co-create the world we know we all want and can see.
Author Bio
Gregg brings more than 30 years of experience working on climate, environmental, and public policy issues, including more than 25 as an Executive Director. At Climate Solutions, Gregg oversees a staff of more than three dozen policy experts, campaigners, innovators, and researchers across Washington and Oregon, providing strategic direction for one of the most effective regional climate and clean economy organizations in the nation. Under his leadership, Climate Solutions and our many allies have successfully passed some of the best climate policies in the United States.
Prior to coming to Climate Solutions, Gregg served as the Executive Director of Toxic-Free Future for 7 years and as the Executive Director of the California-based Pesticide Watch for 5 years. During that time, he played a leadership role in creating and developing a number of leading coalitions working on environmental health issues in Washington state and nationally. At Climate Solutions, he helped to found the Washington-based Alliance for Jobs and Clean Energy and Renew Oregon, and has served on the executive committee of multiple statewide climate change ballot measure campaigns including Yes on I-1631 in 2018 and No on I-2117 in 2024.
Gregg began his professional career in 1993 as an organizer for Green Corps, working in Washington, DC, Vermont, and California. He received his B.A. in Political Science from Dickinson College.
When not at work, Gregg spends time with his family and raising awareness about Cystic Fibrosis, a genetic disease that his son Jude has and that he is passionate about finding a cure for.
