2025 Schedule of Events
Convention Schedule
TIME
SESSION
8:00-9:00
Registration
9:00-9:30
Plenary: We Have the Power
We (the Pacific NW) have the electrical power available to meet our power needs, and we can do so cleanly, reducing our emissions towards zero as called for by both the states of Oregon and Washington. We (the people of the Pacific NW) have the political, organizing, and community power to achieve our climate goals. See KC Golden's Presentation Slides.
Welcome & Land Acknowledgement: Tom Crawford, Board President, Thurston Climate Action Team
Speaker: KC Golden, Northwest Power & Conservation Council
9:30-10:00
Climate & Heat Plans Status
Hear about the status of public planning to achieve our climate mitigation and resilience goals in Thurston County. Learn about the Climate Collaborative that the local jurisdictions have formed for climate action. See Rebecca Harvey's Presentation Slides. See Paul Brewster's Presentation Slides.
Speakers:
Rebecca Harvey, Climate Mitigation Senior Program Manager, Thurston County
Paul Brewster, Senior Planner, Thurston Regional Planning Council
10:00-10:15
Introduction to the Day
10:15-10:30
Break
10:30-11:45
Climate Impacts to the Salish Sea & South Sound Waterways, and What We Can Do to Address Them
Climate-driven impacts to precipitation, sea level, water temperature, and water quality are intensifying as we approach the middle of the 21st century. We’ll discuss what these changes may mean for our orca whales, salmon and the health of South Sound communities, waterways and food systems. Fortunately, concerted efforts to build resilience are also moving forward locally. We’ll discuss ways to support local environmental resilience efforts and global initiatives for systemic change. See Chris Wilke's Presentation Slides. See Pamela Braff's Presentation Slides. See Mack Kleiva's Presentation Slides.
Speakers:
Moderator Phyllis Farrell, Climate Activist, Sierra Club South Sound Group
Chris Wilke, Executive Director, Climate Water Action
Pamela Braff Ph.D., Director of Climate Programs, City of Olympia
McKenzie (Mack) Kleiva, Program Director, Deschutes Estuary Restoration Team (DERT)
What We Don’t Know Will Kill Us: The New Climate Health Reality & How to Best Educate Our Population
Review of the new climate-related risks, and what can be done to formulate effective community and medical education for resilience. See Stefan Wheat's Presentation Slides.
Moderator: Gordon Wheat MD, Olympia Coordinator, Washington Physicians for Social Responsibility Climate Task Force and Board Member, Thurston Climate Action Team.
Speaker: Stefan Wheat MD, Assistant Professor, Director, Planetary Health Theme, UW School of Medicine, UW Center for Health and the Global Environment
Amplifying Community Voices
Public discourse is essential to long-range community planning for climate change. This kind of community participation, discussion, and input can take place in a number of different ways. Paris will cover how TCAT is working to facilitate collaborative, community-led planning for climate change and climate action. Democracy requires participation, but that isn't always easy for everyone. Learn from a local government representative (Alyssa) about the who, how, where, and why on how to interact with your local government and make your voice heard. See Paris McClusky's Presentation Slides. See Alyssa Jones Wood's Presentation Slides.
Speakers:
Paris McClusky, Community Organizer, Thurston Climate Action Team
Alyssa Jones Wood, Sustainability Manager, City of Tumwater
10:30-12:00
Climate Legislation – The Local Picture & Beyond
Our panel will give their perspectives on local, state, and federal climate legislation and how it is impacting climate action efforts. See Mike Kelly's Presentation Slides. See Breck Lebegue's Presentation Slides.
Speakers:
Moderator: Stewart Henderson, Progressive activist, artist, and writer of "Stew on This, Folks" on Substack
Jasmine Vasavada, Port Commissioner, Port of Olympia
Mike Kelly, Washington State Co-Coordinator, Washington State Citizens' Climate Lobby
Breck Lebegue MD, Co-chair, Climate & Health Task Force, WA Physicians for Social Responsibility
New Buildings: Code Wars & What’s Getting Built
New buildings are being built to more and more stringent energy codes. Come and learn about what pathways builders are using to comply with these codes; the changes we can expect in future energy codes; and the political challenges associated with adoption, implementation, and enforcement of new building energy codes. See Jim Lazar's Presentation Slides. See Duane Jonlin's Presentation Slides.
Speakers:
Provocateur Jim Lazar, Volunteer, Thurston Climate Action Team, and Moderator - Electric Brain Trust
Tye Menser, Thurston County Commissioner & Council Member, Washington State Building Code Council
Duane Jonlin, Energy Code and Energy Conservation Advisor, Seattle Dept. of Construction and Inspections
Al Christensen, Building & Fire Safety Official, City of Tumwater
Driving EV Adoption Forward
Global and local progress so far; the view from a Ford dealership; dealing with gasoline superusers; and a bring-your-own cord approach to making charging in multifamily housing affordable. See Matthew Metz's Presentation Slides.
Speakers:
Moderator: Thad Curtz, Member of the Faculty, Emeritus - The Evergreen State College
Matthew Metz, Co-Executive Director, Coltura
Jim Lazar, Volunteer, Thurston Climate Action Team, and Moderator - Electricity Brain Trust
11:45-1:15
Lunch at Cafeteria – lunch times are staggered to accommodate service
1:15-2:30
The Green Economy – Jobs & Training
This session will include a review of the jobs and workers needed to fully implement the Thurston Climate Mitigation Plan. Panelists will also examine the training, recruitment and other programs and resources needed to ensure workers are fully trained and available to do that work. See Tom Crawford's Presentation Slides. See Rachelle Martin's Presentation Slides. See William Westmoreland's Presentation Slides.
Speakers:
Moderator: Tom Crawford, Board President, Thurston Climate Action Team
Rachelle Martin, President, Thurston, Lewis, Mason Central Labor Council and CascadiaNow!
Gene Angel, Director of Research & Evaluation, Thurston Economic Development Council
William Westmoreland, Chief Executive Officer, Pacific Mountain (PacMtn) Workforce Development Council
Sequestration: What does it mean for Thurston County?
Forests and prairies can store carbon. What do we know about our local capacity for sequestration? Who can help facilitate more progress in this area? Learn about a local organization that is taking action in our region. See Squestration Presentation Slides for all Speakers.
Speakers:
Moderator: Tye Menser, Thurston County Commissioner
Gates Marshall, Graduate Student, The Evergreen State College
Derek Day, Community Planning Manager, Thurston County
Paula Swedeen Ph.D., Policy Director, Conservation Northwest & Board Member, Nisqually Community Forest
Existing Buildings: Successful Retrofit Strategies Elsewhere
Seventy percent of the buildings that will be here in 2050 are already here. We need to make them more efficient and decarbonize them. Hear Geoff Glass tell the story of retrofitting his century-old home in Olympia to net-zero (including his electric car). Jim Lazar will discuss strategies that are working in other places to improve efficiency in existing buildings. Leslie Wright, from PSE, will discuss their role in improving building efficiency. Geoffrey Glass' Presentation Slides. Jim Lazar's Presentation Slides. Leslie Wright's Presentation Slides.
Speakers:
Moderator: Jack Zeiger, Former Energy Efficiency Engineer, Tacoma Power, & Board Member, Thurston Climate Action Team
Geoffrey Glass, Healthcare Sustainability Consultant, Octet Works
Jim Lazar, Volunteer, Thurston Climate Action Team, and Moderator - Electricity Brain Trust
Leslie Wright, Manager of Business Energy Management, Puget Sound Energy
Land Use & Active Transportation: Where We Live & How We Move Matters
Transportation is one of the largest sources of GHG emissions. How does land use drive our decisions about how we move in our community? What are the ground-level changes we need to make for active transportation to work for all of us? What will it take to have a transit-supportive community? See Karen Messmer's Presentation Slides. See Chris Hawkins' Presentation Slides. See Kirk Hovenkotter's Presentation Slides. See Robert Vanderpool's Presentation Slides.
Speakers:
Moderator: Karen Messmer, Convener - Thurston Climate Action Team Active Transportation Action Group, & Former Olympia City Council Member
Chris Hawkins, Active Transportation Planner, Washington State Department of Transportation
Kirk Hovenkotter, Executive Director, Transportation Choices Coalition
Robert Vanderpool, Council Member, City of Olympia
When the Air Hurts & the Heat Intensifies: Mental Health During Extreme Weather
Examination of the mental health impacts of extreme heat and wildfire smoke, look at the populations that are most vulnerable to these effects, and review strategies for promoting resilience. See McKenna Parnes' Presentation Slides.
Moderator: Gordon Wheat MD, Olympia Coordinator, Washington Physicians for Social Responsibility Climate Task Force and Board Member, Thurston Climate Action Team.
Speaker: McKenna Parnes Ph.D., Acting Assistant Professor, Treuman Katz Center for Pediatric Bioethics & Palliative Care, Seattle Children's Research Institute & Department of Pediatrics, University of Washington
Movie: Cooked – Survival by Zip Code
We'll view the documentary film which examines the summer of 1995, when Chicago experienced extremely high humidity and a layer of heat-retaining pollution that drove the heat index up to more than 126 degrees. As a result, 739 citizens died, most of them poor, elderly, and African American. The story reveals the long-term crisis of pernicious poverty, economic, and social isolation and racism. It's about life, death, and the politics of crisis in an American city that begs the question: Was this a one-time tragedy, or an appalling trend?
Speaker: Talauna Reed, Community Organizer, Tenants Union of Washington State, & Board Member, Thurston Climate Action Team
2:30-2:45
Break
2:45-4:00
Big Picture – Unmisunderstanding Climate Change
Somehow, the stories we've told about climate change have left too many of our friends and neighbors clueless, hopeless, or aimless. How 'bout some new stories? Come hear some different stories - ones that spark urgency, ignite hope, and turn people from victims of the problem into co-creators of the solution!
Speaker: Stewart Henderson, Progressive activist, artist, and writer of "Stew on This, Folks" on Substack
Future Transportation Possibilities
The zero emission vehicle (ZEV) car sharing cooperative; followed by a look at the present and potential future uses of autonomous electric vehicles. See Julien Thorn's Presentation Slides.
Speakers:
Julien Thorn, Customer Experience Manager & Board Member, Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) Cooperative
Thad Curtz, Member of the Faculty, Emeritus - The Evergreen State College
Buildings: Roundtable Strategies and Tactics for 2025-26
Join a roundtable of building experts to discuss how we get from here (significant emissions from buildings) to there (net-zero b 2050). The roundtable will include speakers from the New Buildings and Existing Buildings sessions, plus experts from the community in implementing new policies, programs, and standards.
Speakers:
Al Christensen, Building & Fire Safety Official, City of Tumwater
Provocateur Jim Lazar, Volunteer, Thurston Climate Action Team, and Moderator - Electricity Brain Trust
Geoffrey Glass, Healthcare Sustainability Consultant, Octet Works
Tye Menser, Thurston County Commissioner
Jack Zeiger, former Energy Efficiency Engineer, Tacoma Power, & Board Member, Thurston Climate Action Team
Pamela Braff Ph.D., Director of Climate Programs, City of Olympia
Leslie Wright, Manager of Business Energy Management, Puget Sound Energy
Round Table: How Can We Meet Our Land Use & Active Transportation Goals?
We are not meeting our goals that would result in transportation emissions reductions. How can we turn that around and become a community where people can choose to not drive a car? What factors need to change to increase density and support active transportation and transit? Presenters from the Land Use and Active Transportation session, with the addition of policy makers and advocates, will discuss our next moves.
Speakers:
Moderator Karen Messmer, Convener -Thurston Climate Action Team Active Transportation Action Group, & Former Olympia City Council Member
Robin Vazquez, Council Member, City of Lacey
Clark Gilman, Council Member, City of Olympia
Chris Hawkins, Active Transportation Planner, Washington State Department of Transportation
Emily Bergkamp, General Manager, Intercity Transit
Robert Vanderpool, Council Member, City of Olympia
Don’t Get Cooked: Your Brain & Heart Will Thank You
What is heat injury and why are we at high risk for mass casualties in the Pacific NW? We'll also examine how to mitigate this risk, especially for those most vulnerable, and review the Thurston Extreme Heat Emergency response and Illness Prevention Plan. Then we will look at two prevention strategies: Cooling Portland run by Earth Advantage, and Cooling Thurston, run by TCAT. Both aim to save lives by providing education and portable heat pumps to the most vulnerable. See Gordon Wheat's Presentation Slides. See Molly Hatfield Presentation Slides.
Speakers:
Moderator Paul Brewster, Senior Planner, Thurston Regional Planning Council
Gordon Wheat MD, Olympia Coordinator, Washington Physicians for Social Responsibility Climate Task Force and Board Member, Thurston Climate Action Team.
Molly Hatfield, Senior Climate Justice Program Manager, Earth Advantage
Movie Discussion & Paint Your Vision
We will discuss how we feel after viewing the documentary, Cooked - Survival by Zip Code. Could this happen in Thurston County? What can we do to prevent this? We'll also paint fans that depict a vision of where we want to go.
Speakers:
Talauna Reed, Community Organizer, Tenants Union of Washington State, & Board Member, Thurston Climate Action Team
Meg Martin, Director of Integrative Services, Interfaith Works
4:00-4:15
Break
4:15-5:00
Plenary: Where Do We Go & How Do We Get There? And, Yes We Can Do It!
Join Lieutenant Governor Denny Heck for an energizing session on what we need to do, how we will get it done, and what each of us will need to do. Expect the Lieutenant Governor to call on you (well, some of you) to learn what you see as YOUR role in this change. You think state politics is important: Denny was a legislator, Governor's Chief of Staff, and is now Lieutenant Governor. You think the federal government is important: He served in Congress for 8 years. You think communications is important: Denny was a co-founder of TVW, which covers state government. You think the private sector has a role: He was a co-founder of Intrepid Learning Solutions. Denny Heck is always a very fun speaker who will challenge us to do our best.
Speaker: Denny Heck, Lieutenant Governor
5:00-5:15
5:15
Final Recognitions
Speaker: Janet Nazy, Executive Director, Thurston Climate Action Team
Reception at Evans Hall