2008 is BEF’s 10th anniversary year. I’ve only been with BEF for a little over a year now so it’s been quite fun for me to get to know the organization’s storied past and amazing accomplishments.
As one of the “newbies” to BEF, I feel like I can toot the organization’s horn a bit because 1) as a bit of an “outsider” I’m still quite amazed and fascinated by the ingenious, resourceful thinking that goes into our BEF projects (more on that in another post) and 2) most of the old timers here are far too modest to toot their own horns.
Last Wednesday, we had our 10th anniversary celebration. The day felt a bit like a great family reunion of sorts– current and former staff members & their partners mixing with current and former board members and their partners, mixing with several of our treasured external partners. It was like old home week. Prior to our evening of dinner and toasts, we took an afternoon, group field trip to bring to life 3 of the program areas that BEF supports: Renewable Energy Development, Renewable Energy Education, and Watershed Restoration.
The theme that struck me, as we ventured onward through our field trip sites, was how seeming little things can have the power to make a tremendous amount of change. I know, on its own, this particular insight is not all that insightful. You always hear trite phrases about how little things can make a difference, etc. I think on one level we all know those phrases are true– but, because we hear them so often, they can also feel like meaningless platitudes. However, as is the case with statements or parables like this, the phrase really starts to take on meaning when you add in a few true stories. So, let me tell you 3 brief, brief stories about how I saw small things begin to grow into hugely significant changes.
The first stop on our magical, biodiesel, field trip tour was out to Hillsboro to tour the Solar World plant. Although the site is still under construction, when its completed in 2009 the Solar World plant in Hillsboro will be the highest-producing solar plant in North America. As we strolled through the acres and acres of manufacturing space, we listened to Gunter Erfurt (Solar World’s head of planning & investment) tell us stories about how silicon would soon be processed into different forms in each room and turned into PV panels for homes and businesses. Towards the end of the tour, we saw photos of the processes involved in “growing silicon crystals”– that whole process is amazing. The aspect that is most relevant to this post is how one seemingly small, thin piece of silicon is strong enough to hold an entire large, bulbous mound of silicon upright. In the photo I saw, it looked like a piece of silicon the thickness of a thread was holding up a mound of silicon the size of a small hot water heater. Talk about the power of small things to make a big difference. I am only beginning to understand how the silicon is then resliced into small, thin wafers and then used to power an entire PV system and generate energy for a home or a business. Amazing. It’s one thing to hear about that, another thing to see it.
Our next stop was to DaVinci Arts Middle School in Portland. Here, our Solar 4R Schools program has been working with the middle schoolers to create a movable solar array in their water garden. It was so impressive to hear two very articulate middle schoolers share their knowledge of solar energy and sustainable gardening with us. These two 10 to 11 year olds regaled us with tales of how they were taking their various classroom lessons home to teach their parents about energy efficiency and other things their family could do to help stop climate change. Again, small people making a big impact on the world. Inspiring.
Our final stop was the Johnson Creek Watershed in Portland. Although this is not one of BEF’s 10 year model watershed partners, we have worked with them on various watershed restoration initiatives. The point of this field trip stop that is relevant to the theme of this post is: logs. Specifically, placing logs into streams and rivers to provide habitat for fish. Although some folks might drive by a river or stream and think, “wow… someone should clean up that river and remove all of those old, dead, unsightly trees.” Scientists are actually finding that the old logs provide habitat (less fast moving spots in the river where the fish are able to spawn without worrying about their eggs being washed downstream). So, although some might think that a few dead logs are unsightly additions to a river or stream, a single log can provide an incredibly valuable habitat for fish. So, again, a seemingly small thing making a big, positive change on the world.
In this day and age, when it seems to be easier to get press for gloom and doom and scary tales, I think it’s important to remind ourselves that positive changes are possible and are happening right now. Seemingly small things can make a hugely positive impact on the world.
Amazing image, isn’t it?
Heard the news? From 
Paula says congrats David Cook and Camino Nuevo!
Click 
As part our 10-year anniversary celebration, BEF staff and Board visited Brookside Wetlands, a 10-year-old stream restoration project on Johnson Creek, which flows into the Willamette in through Southeast Portland. In 2002, BEF funded the 
Today, some of the most innovative and progressive restoration work in the world is occurring in the Johnson Creek watershed. What I am talking about is the City of Portland’s 
Yesterday, May 20 was NATIONAL DAY OF ACTION ON CLEAN ENERGY and more than 100 organizations joined forces to motivate us to tell our representatives on Capitol Hill that we want continued support for renewable energy development. They’re moving quickly because 
jackhardypdx
Melinda
RobinJ
heidipdx
marilynrpdx
spfpdx
sarapdx
lisapdx
margienw
evapdx
lynnaeburns
dave o
billeddie
craigmcollins
kayladub
fphillips123