What if we could have healthy forests, a healthy climate, healthy communities, and thriving local economies?

We think it’s possible, and it’s what Sustainable Northwest has been working toward for 30 years. Along the way, we’ve had incredible wins and gains, but now, we’re kicking it up a notch.

In 2002, one of the year’s biggest national headlines was the death of 68,000 Klamath River salmon. That year, federal agencies faced a dilemma: When there is not enough water for both fish and farmers, who gets the water? Agencies chose farmers.

We are celebrating this week because Klamath dam removal is proceeding as expected and ahead of schedule! All of the planning and engineering by Kiewit Corporation, Resource Environmental Solutions (RES), and the Klamath River Renewal Corporation is proving to be accurate and well thought out.

Sustainable Northwest believes wide-scale microgrid development is an important strategy for increasing energy resilience in rural and tribal communities. Microgrids will provide greater energy independence, resilience, and flexibility for rural and tribal communities. Beginning in 2022, Sustainable Northwest’s Making Energy Work Policy Committee began exploring what policies are needed in Oregon to make microgrids more accessible and affordable.

One dam has been removed on the Klamath River. The remaining three outdated hydrodams are one step closer to removal, as the reservoirs behind them begin to be drawn down.

Opsis Architecture and Sustainable Northwest celebrate the new Redmond Senior and Community Center, built in part with Mass Panel Plywood, using wood from climate-resilient forestry and restoration in Oregon. LEED recently awarded the project with a point in its green building certification system for building with climate-resilient wood, and being able to trace the wood back to its forest of origin..

Guest Blog | Northwest Community Forest Coalition:

Earlier this month, the Northwest Community Forest Coalition had the opportunity to join the Clackamas Soil and Water Conservation District and visit the Eagle Creek Community Forest.

Follow along as we learn about the Cow Creek Umpqua Tribes' efforts to restore their ancestral forests in SW Oregon.

Thank you to everyone who joined us at our Fall Energy Symposium, and a special thank you to our event sponsors Energy Trust of Oregon, Wy’East RC&D, Oregon Dept. of Energy, Wisewood, and Oregon Clean Power Co-op.

Maybe you’ve heard about the Inflation Reduction Act? Congress passed it and the president signed it – along with another law, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law – in 2022. Now in 2023, funds are beginning to flow to communities. Sustainable Northwest and its partners are leveraging some of these funds for projects that benefit nature, people, and local economies.

Project Greenlight aims to provide tools and technical assistance to rural communities and Tribal Nations to create and implement the complex funding plans often required for clean energy projects. Our goal is to develop a “full-service” hub, built to move planned projects from concept to construction.

The Blue Mountains in Malheur National Forest was recently the site of significant new research conducted over 10 years showing that mechanical thinning greatly improves forest healthy and resiliency. Photo credit SNW.

Guest Blog | Northwest Community Forest Coalition:

Mt. Adams Resource Stewards (MARS) led a Learn and Burn event taking place within the Mt. Adams Community Forest in May > Read about the experience here!

During the 2023 Oregon Legislative Session, we were fortunate to secure several significant achievements core to the mission of Sustainable Northwest and the places we work.

One year ago we endeavored to build upon the momentum of our growing Making Energy Work for Rural Oregon (MEW) coalition by launching a MEW Policy Committee to advocate for energy policies that support an equitable energy transition for rural Oregonians.

Sustainable Northwest staff, board and partners toured the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest in Washington in June to learn more about conserving dry, east-side forests in the Pacific Northwest. Here are nine things we learned.

Thank you to everyone who attended our Sustainable Startup Happy Hour!

On April 19th, 2023, a network of rural energy stakeholders from across Oregon gathered in Lake County, Oregon, at the PLAYA Center on Summer Lake, for the second annual Statewide Rural Energy Convening.

Sustainable Northwest and our Electric Farms (E-FARMS) partners – WyEast RC&D, Forth Mobility, and Bonneville Environmental Foundation (BEF) – hosted an electric tractor demonstration day with The Black Food Sovereignty Coalition (BFSC).

Resource Environmental Solutions (RES) is leading a massive restoration effort integral to the largest dam removal and river renewal project in US history – a task vital to the future of several imperiled salmon populations on the West Coast.