• Tualatin Climate Action Plan

    Tualatin Climate Action Plan

    Fall 2023 Online Open House

  • Visualice este contenido en español.

  • This online open house is now closed. While the content is still available to view, we are no longer accepting comments. Thank you for participating!

  • Welcome!

    The city has created a draft Climate Action Plan to prepare for the current and future impacts of climate change in Tualatin and ensure that our community is a healthy and thriving place to live now and for generations to come. Now we need your input on the draft plan to see if it’s headed in the right direction.

  • Icon highlighting that Tualatin will be net zero by 2050

    In this open house you can:

    • Learn about outcomes the draft plan is trying to achieve, and actions to get there.
    • Let us know if you support the actions outlined in the draft plan overall.
    • Learn about ways you can help reduce climate change.

  • Stations

    This open house site has a series of "stations" where you can learn about the project and provide input. You can go directly to a station by using the navigation buttons at the top of each page or click "Next" to move through the stations in order.

    Be sure to click the “Submit” button at the end to record your responses.

    The survey questions in this online open house will be open through November 10 and will take approximately 10 minutes to complete. Share your contact information on the last page of this open house to be entered into a raffle to win 1 of 5 $50 Visa gift cards.

  • Background

  • Why are we creating a Climate Action Plan?

    The goal of the Climate Action Plan is to provide the community with clear steps for decreasing carbon emissions and adapting to climate change.

  • The plan provides actions for dealing with a changing climate, such as:

    • Rising temperatures
    • An increased threat of wildfires and smoke
    • Increased flooding

    It also includes actions that individuals, businesses, and the City can take to reduce carbon emissions. These actions will provide immediate community benefits, such as improved air and water quality in Tualatin and more accessible relief from heat and wildfire smoke.

  • Three circular graphic illustrations depicting severe weather: flooding, fire, and heat.

  • A science and community-based approach

    The Community Climate Action Plan considers the most up-to-date climate science and reflects the needs specific to the Tualatin community. 

  • Work on the Climate Action Plan began in January 2022 with research into local climate predictions to understand how Tualatin’s climate might change over time and an emissions inventory to identify major sources of carbon emissions in Tualatin.

  • Image of highschool students sitting at tables, discussing concerns about winter storms.

  • Graphic demonstrating how much the project team spent the last year engaging with community members. There were two tabling events: one at the Tualatin Public Library and one at the Tigard Farmers Market. There were 4 interactive bilingual workshops. Latino engagement was involved through the online open house, workshop, and meetings with Viva Tualatin and Tualatinos. Collaboration was demonstrated with partner agencies, utilities, non-profits, and private companies. The project team had conversations with individuals and groups like the Chamber of Commerce, TEAM Tualatin, the Earthwise Crew, and the Latino Business Network. Engagement was seen with over 30 businesses through surveys and conversations.

    These conversations informed us about what’s most important to you in preparing for a changing climate in Tualatin – and, what actions and strategies should be included in the plan.

  • About the Climate Action Plan

    The plan is organized into broad ideas called Sections and within each section there are more specific details on ways the ideas can be achieved.

    Some ideas, or actions, included in the plan will require further community conversations and City Council action to successfully implement them.

  • A graphic of an inverted triangle showing the organization of the plan from Broad ideas a the top to specific ideas at the bottom. Headings from top to bottom are sections, focus areas, strategies, and actions.

  • There are many ways you can get involved!

    Read the full draft Climate Action Plan

    If you are interested in supporting the goals of the plan and want to do more, you can check out these guides for tips and ideas on reducing your carbon footprint.

    Individual & Household Tips
    Tips for Commercial Businesses
    Tips for Industrial Businesses

  • Preparing for climate change

    The strategies and actions in the Preparing for Climate Change section are meant to help Tualatin adapt to changing climate conditions like extreme heat, wildfire smoke, and increased flooding. These strategies focus on infrastructure and natural resources, keeping people healthy and safe, and economic impacts of climate change. 

  • The following are some actions that we can take to better prepare for climate change. Let us know what you think!

  • Natural systems, resources, and infrastructure

    Natural systems, resources, and infrastructure

    • Increase access to shade and shelter outdoors. For example, increasing covered areas and shade in parks, at transit stops, along the roadway, and in parking lots.
    • Plan for a changing climate so that our natural systems, resources, and infrastructure meet the community’s needs today and in the future by:
      • Updating stormwater storage and retention.
      • Planting more drought-resistant trees and increase tree coverage.
      • Developing better design standards for parking lots, pavement, and parks to consider materials that reduce heat and create more shade.
  • Health and safety

    Health and safety

    • Increase access to indoor shelter, such as cooling, clear air, and warming centers during extreme weather events. This includes things like providing shelter spaces at the Tualatin Public Library and other public places and supporting homeowners, renters, and businesses to be equipped with adequate temperature controls and air filtration systems.
    • Provide resources to empower community members to be prepared for changing conditions. Resources could include education, existing financial support programs, and community-driven preparedness events like coat drives and emergency preparedness workshops that can help community members acquire the knowledge and materials they need to prepare.
  • Economic shifts

    Economic shifts

    • Coordinate with local businesses to help them respond to climate hazards like extreme heat, wildfire smoke, and flooding to ensure that employees stay safe and customers can meet their daily business needs.
    • Update municipal code to require more stringent cooling requirements in commercial and industrial buildings that create a lot of heat to keep workers safe.

  • Reducing Emissions

    The strategies and actions in the Reducing Emissions section provide guidance for how Tualatin can reduce its community-wide carbon emissions to meet its goal of net zero by 2050. Strategies are sorted into four Focus Areas: Buildings and energy, Urban form and land use, Transportation, and Food and goods.  

  • The following are some actions that we can take to cut down emissions in Tualatin. Let us know what you think!

  • Buildings and energy

    Buildings and energy

    • Increase use of renewable energy. Install solar panels, purchase renewable energy by enrolling in programs that fund regional renewable energy projects, like wind and solar farms.
    • Improve energy efficiency and conserve energy in buildings. There are many ways to do this, including upgrading lighting and insulation, advocating for stronger building codes, swapping out appliances for more efficient options, completing home energy scores, and more.
    • Reduce emissions from natural gas for home and water heating by switching to electric heat pumps for heating and cooling, banning natural gas hookups in new residential and commercial buildings, and more.

  • Graphic illustration of solar panels in a sunny field.

  • Urban form and land use

    Urban form and land use

    • Create walkable neighborhoods where community members can walk, bike, or roll a short distance to access the resources they need to meet their daily needs (e.g. groceries, personal care, work, etc.)
    • Increase density so more people can live, work, and play within a smaller geographical area. This could include identifying barriers and areas of town well-suited for mixed-use development, considering zoning changes, and providing incentives to developments that increase density.
    • Increase tree cover by strengthening tree removal regulations and enforcement, planting more trees, and setting new trees up for success by selecting climate-adapted species.

  • Graphic illustration of a cityscape with a parent walking with their child in the foreground.

  • Transportation

    Transportation

    • Reduce vehicle miles traveled. Reducing the use of personal vehicles can be supported by some of the land use strategies above, as well as transportation strategies like….
    • Increasing the number of home and public EV chargers in Tualatin. This can be achieved through partnerships, state and federal incentives, and regulation. 
    • Increasing the frequency and reliability of transit service by advocating to transit agencies, improving bus stops, and providing affordable and accessible first and last mile travel options.
    • Making it easier and safer to get around by biking, walking, and other active transportation modes. This could include adding or improving bike and pedestrian infrastructure like sidewalks and bike lanes and using traffic calming measures to reduce traffic speeds.

  • Graphic illustration of various transportation modes: bus, walking, biking, car, and wheelchair.

  • Food and goods

    Food and goods

    • Buy less new stuff. This will include providing more consumer education to inform purchasing decisions. Buying fewer items, buying used items, repairing broken items, reusing items, and recycling items that are at the end of their useful life all support this objective. 
    • Eat more plants and waste less food. Meal planning and proper food storage can help reduce food waste, while eating more plants and fewer animal products like meat and dairy can reduce the carbon emissions impact of your diet. 
    • Support opportunities to reduce waste by hosting “Repair Fairs,” and using “Libraries of Things.”
    • Support composting options to reduce food waste.

  • Graphic of an inverted pyramid showing ways to reduce waste. Most preferred is at the top (reduce, reuse, recycle, compost, energy recovery, landfill) Least preferred at the bottom.

    (Click the image to enlarge in a new tab.)

  • Next Steps

  • From now until plan adoption...

    • We are gathering feedback through this online open house until November 10.
    • The project team will incorporate the community's feedback into the draft Climate Action Plan presentations to City Council.
    • We’re presenting at Council Sessions on November 13 and November 27​. Visit the Tualatin City Council website for more information.
    • The project team will share the draft plan with City Council, answer questions, share what we learned in this open house, and make final changes before plan adoption.

  • After the plan is adopted...​

    • Implementation of ideas that are easy to accomplish can begin.
    • This will include prioritizing the actions and allocating resources and staff time to complete the work.​
    • Some actions included in the plan will require further public involvement and City Council action.
    • The plan and emissions inventory will be updated every 5 years.

  • Each action/strategy detailed in the CAP can be thought about as a “project” and each project will be achieved through a variety of ways. There will be additional opportunities to talk about specific strategies as the City considers how to implement them.

  • Final questions

  • Contact Information

    Please provide the following optional contact information if you would like to be entered into our raffle to win 1 of 5 giftcards. 

  • Demographic Questions

    We are requesting the following demographic information to help evaluate the effectiveness of our public outreach activities. Providing this information is voluntary.

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