Oregon can’t wait for climate action. In just the past three years we’ve experienced a severe ice storm, destructive wildfires across our state and a deadly heat dome. Our homes and buildings are our first line of defense in these extreme weather events.
For too many Oregonians, our homes and buildings are just not up to par. I’m lucky enough to live in a home built in the 1990s with good windows, good insulation and air conditioning. My partner and I moved here in late spring of 2021 from an apartment with no air conditioning. Back then, our only relief from the heat waves was to open the windows, use box fans and hope for a cool breeze blowing in just the right direction. I can imagine what our experience would have been like in that apartment during the 2021 heat dome, and I’m indescribably grateful that it wasn’t our reality.
Many Oregonians are not as lucky, but it shouldn’t come down to luck, income, zip code or whether you own your home. All Oregonians deserve healthy, affordable, resilient homes and buildings that run on clean energy. Our homes, schools, workplaces and places of worship can be a refuge when we can’t leave our homes, can’t spend more than a few minutes outside or have to evacuate our neighborhoods due to wildfire risk. Oregon lawmakers must fund and pass the Resilient, Efficient Buildings bill package and Community Resilience Hubs so we can protect Oregonians and be prepared for the next disaster, (“Bills aim to make Oregon homes, buildings more climate friendly,” March 14).
Britney VanCitters, Portland
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