Sen. Ron Wyden visited with Energy Trust staff as part of his Listening to Oregon’s Future Tour in late October. As chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee and longtime resident of Oregon, Wyden is familiar with Oregon’s leadership when it comes to energy and the environment, and cited Oregon’s efforts to protect its beaches, the bottle bill and light rail investments as a few examples. He challenged Energy Trust staff to identify new ideas that can keep people interested and get more people involved.

Through the nearly hour discussion, staff shared ideas on energy efficiency and renewable energy actions and strategies, and the senator learned about Energy Trust results and successes. Upon hearing staff remarks on current Energy Trust programs and solutions available to Oregonians, he said, “Day in and day out, groups like this come up with ideas that keep Oregon a leader.… You are on the right side of history.”

“It’s not every day you get a visit from an Oregon senator,” said Margie Harris, executive director, Energy Trust. “We were happy to share our knowledge and insights during this open brainstorm about how to make energy efficiency even more compelling and engage more people. We wish Sen. Wyden success on the rest of his tour.”