In Case You Missed It – Your Weekly News Highlights

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Rebuild with Clean Energy 

This week we launched the ‘Rebuild with Clean Energy’ campaign. The economic impacts of COVID-19 have broken many long-standing practices down, but we have the opportunity to rebuild our country with clean power to lessen the impacts of climate change, protecting the outdoor recreation opportunities and lifestyles we love. Join us!

Emissions Declines Will Set Record This Year. But It’s Not Good News (NYTimes). 

Favorite Quote: “This historic decline in emissions is happening for all the wrong reasons,” said Fatih Birol, the agency’s executive director. “People are dying and countries are suffering enormous economic trauma right now. The only way to sustainably reduce emissions is not through painful lockdowns, but by putting the right energy and climate policies in place”

Our Takeaway: We are at a point in time where we could make history by building up our economy and its infrastructure with renewable energy solutions. Despite the grim circumstances, we have an opportunity to come out of this difficult period better than when we started. 

Billions in Clean Energy Loans Go Unused as Coronavirus Ravages Economy (NYTimes)

Favorite Quote: “We’re searching high and low all over Washington, D.C., for money to put people back to work and here we have more than $40 billion,” said Dan Reicher, executive director of the Steyer-Taylor Center for Energy Policy and Finance at Stanford University, who served at the Energy Department under President Bill Clinton. “This is the moment to really put these programs back in gear.”

Our Takeaway: We aren’t going to pretend like we are experts in financing renewable projects, which is why this article is a great way to learn more about this complex topic. It’s easy to get sucked into clickable headlines, but upon opening, it’s evident that there is a lot at play.

Colorado Unveils Plan to Get More EVs on Road (US News)

Favorite Quote: “This plan is the first time Colorado has set a goal to transition all vehicles to clean, zero-pollution energy,” said Travis Madsen, Transportation Program Director for the Southwest Energy Efficiency Project, a nonprofit based in Boulder. “That’s a big deal.”

Our Takeaway: Electrifying transit is one our POW’s focus areas and we are excited to see this news coming from our home state, but we do have to note that the budgets for this plan were created pre-COVID, and according to Will Toor, executive director of the Colorado Energy Office, “Given the uncertainty surrounding the impacts of the pandemic and the budget impacts, it’s possible that there will be impacts to those dates going forward, but we will be doing our best to meet the timelines that have been identified in support of our broader goals.”

BONUS

Becoming Ruby 

Tired of scrolling on instagram, and want something more impactful to watch on your weekend? Patagonia just released an incredible short film, Becoming Ruby: Inclusion, Bikes, and Hand-Drawn Heroes, highlighting the art and life of Brooklyn Bell – mountain biker, skier and artist and how she tackles diversity and inclusion in outdoor spaces.

Favorite Quote: “Something that I keep thinking about is the difference between being included and being welcome. Just because you are welcoming to people, doesn’t mean you’re necessarily inclusive.”