| The Ashland Climate Collaborative empowers, energizes, and engages our community to embrace meaningful climate solutions. Our goal is to reduce our climate impact and build a more equitable and resilient Ashland. Thank you for being a part of this vibrant community! |
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| January 2026Welcoming the New Year with Gratitude |
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| Greetings Ashland Climate Community,
As we step into the new year, I want to express my heartfelt thanks.
Because of you, we met our end-of-year 2025 fundraising goal! Your generosity and ongoing commitment to local climate action make our work possible.
Ending the year with this collective win reflects a year full of real, tangible progress – right here in Ashland: |
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| More people bike rather than drive around town More people compost food scraps and divert them from landfills More Ashlanders are taking steps to conserve water More homes are energy-efficient More neighbors feel informed, inspired, and connected More folks understand how to prepare for emergencies and protect their homes from wildfire
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| Together, we’re reducing climate pollution and building resilience right where we live, work, and play.
I am thrilled by our momentum, and invite you to carry it into 2026 by setting a few climate-friendly resolutions for the year ahead. |
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Thank you for being part of our growing, caring, and committed community. I’m excited for what we’ll build together in the year ahead!
With gratitude, Erin O’Kelley Muck
Executive Director |
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Featured ArticleClimate-Friendly Resolutions for 2026
Reducing your contribution to climate change can feel overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to. Change can start with small, manageable steps. The new year is a great time to set goals that help our community cut pollution. Just a few examples:
Get ideas on our website—and email us with your ideas at In...@AshlandClimate.org.
Local action matters and success is possible — here’s to each of us doing what we can! |
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Announcement
Sign Up Today for a Free Home Energy Score
The City of Ashland just launched a pilot program to help residents save money and reduce carbon pollution: Ashland Electric customers can now receive a free Home Energy Score assessment. Similar to a car’s miles-per-gallon rating, this score shows how efficiently your home uses energy — and how to improve it. The number of residents who can take advantage of this program is limited, so reserve your spot today.
Learn more about Home Energy Scores and book an assessment with Ashland Climate’s home energy navigator Peter Lagemann by emailing HomeE...@AshlandClimate.org or calling 541-646-2641. |
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Welcome, Peter!
We’re excited to welcome Peter Lagemann as Ashland Climate Collaborative’s new Home Energy Navigator. Peter brings more than five years of nonprofit experience and is a strong champion of environmental education as a driver of local change. In this role, he will conduct Home Energy Score assessments and offer recommendations to help community members improve home energy efficiency. In his spare time, Peter enjoys backpacking and fly fishing. To set up a home energy score with him, email HomeE...@AshlandClimate.org or call 541-646-2641
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| | | Upcoming Events
January 9: Bike bus to Willow Wind, TRAILS, AMS, and Walker January 9 + 10: Climate Monologues at the Bellview Grange Every Tuesday: Winter compost drop-off at ScienceWorks
Save the Date
February 3: Big Ideas - Climate Change and Community at the Ashland Public Library from 4:00 - 5:30 pm.
A hallmark of the Rogue Valley is a shared love for our natural environment and many of us care about living sustainably. Join Lorrie Kline Kaplan and Erin O’Kelley Muck of the Ashland Climate Collaborative for this free presentation. Lectures are jointly sponsored by the Ashland Branch of the American Association of University Women (AAUW) and Jackson County Library Services.
Feb 10 - March 10: SOU OLLI Course: Living With Wildfire – Planning for Community-Driven Solutions
Large, destructive urban fires are increasing, including the Palisades and Eaton fires in Southern California in January 2025. In our region, the 2020 Almeda Fire—the most destructive wildfire in Oregon’s history—ignited in Ashland and destroyed more than 2,800 structures in Talent and Phoenix.
Ashland’s 2025 Community Wildfire Protection Plan sets a goal of reducing wildfire risk by 90% within ten years. This “local conversation” forum explores opportunities to achieve that goal through community action. Topics include identifying neighborhood-level risk using aerial imagery; reducing residential risk (with attention to renters and socially vulnerable households); responding to the insurance crisis; and building a wildfire-smart workforce. The last session will be a mini-summit where we develop an action plan.
Details: February 10–March 10, 2026 Tuesdays, 3:30–5:30 pm Campbell Center (655 Frances Lane, Ashland) and Zoom
Registration: OLLI members may register directly. Non-members should contact Charisse Sydoriak by email (char...@gmail.com) to learn how to participate.
Facilitator: Charisse Sydoriak has 35 years of experience in fire and natural-resource management, co-founded Ashland’s Volunteer Wildfire Risk Assessment Program, and co-authored the City’s 2025 Community Wildfire Protection Plan. |
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| | Updates from Action Teams
Action Teams are groups of community members working together to educate and mobilize climate action in Ashland. |
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| Monthly Water ReportJackson County is experiencing a warm, dry start to winter, receiving just 61% of our normal precipitation since October 1, and just 11% of our normal snowpack in the mountains.
For more information on the state of our reservoirs and mountain snowpack, check out our monthly precipitation report.
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| Thank you for your support!
In our last newsletter, we called on the community to support the addition of a designated walkway on Winburn Way between the Bandshell and Upper Duck Pond—and you delivered. About 50 letters were sent to the Ashland Parks and Recreation Commission (APRC) helping move the conversation forward. The Parks Department recommended, at the December 3rd APRC meeting, that Winburn Way include an eight-foot wide designated walking area, a two-foot wide buffer and two 10-foot wide shared bicycle/vehicle travel lanes.
The Commission voted, at their December 3rd meeting, to table the matter until their February 11th meeting.
Thank you for your support! We couldn’t do this work without you.
2025 ODOT Traffic Safety Survey
ODOT is working to make the roads in Oregon a safer place for all. Do you feel safe on our roadways? What areas need improvement? How can we reach more people with safety education? Please take 3-5 minutes to complete the following survey and share with everyone you can so we can get the most diverse public opinion possible. Your responses will help shape transportation safety in Oregon. Take the Traffic Safety Survey
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| Donate to Support Our Work |
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| Together, the Ashland Climate Collaborative is building crucial networks to energize, engage, and mobilize our community to accelerate meaningful, scalable, and equitable climate solutions. For this generation and the next. Your support makes this work possible. |
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| | | Please forward this newsletter to a friend! Give us a follow or shout on social media, or learn more by visiting www.ashlandclimate.org. |
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