In July, Bend Climate Collective joined Pacific Northwest Climate Week, putting Bend on the Climate Week map for the first time.

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Now in its fourth year, PNW Climate Week attracts people to events in cities across the region: Bellingham, Seattle, both Vancouvers (B.C. and Washington), Tacoma, Portland, and now Bend. We were part of over 300 events across these cities, which together attracted nearly 7,000 people. Our regional Climate Week complements the United Nations' Climate Weeks initiative, which keeps momentum going between the big annual UN climate conferences.

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In our small corner of the PNW, we dug into issues that shape our lives in Central Oregon: water, wildfire, and energy. In case you missed out (or just want to relive the fun!), here's a recap on some of our events:

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• Sunset hike at Pilot Butte: Viridian Ecosystems hosted an evening on wildfire resilience that included drinks and conversation at the base, then a walk to the summit for sunset views over the landscape we'd spent the evening discussing. Local experts talked about forest health, home hardening, defensible space, and how to fund this work at scale, including County Commissioner Phil Chang, Jacob Fritz of the Deschutes Collaborative Forest Project, Jodie Schiffman of Oregon Living with Fire, Woolsey McKernon of Viridian Ecosystems, and Craig Letz of Tamarack Wildfire Consulting.

• Force of Water: We partnered with the nonprofit Green Empowerment to screen their documentary Force of Water, followed by a Q&A with Green Empowerment’s Engagement Director, Mica Miro. The film follows two communities in Ecuador and in Uganda that built their own piped water systems from scratch. It’s a powerful reminder of what's possible when communities have the tools and autonomy to shape their own futures.

• An Honest Discussion about the Energy Transition: We brought the critical conversation about the country’s energy transition home to Central Oregon in this panel discussion on what the future could look like for the Pacific Northwest. Leaders from Station A, Pacific Power, Hotrock Energy, Iron Mountain, and The Marken Group held a candid discussion on energy reliability, affordability, growth, and what it means to our region. Thank you to Derek Green and Davis Wright Tremaine LLP for sponsoring the evening and to Zac Taie of the OSU Energy Innovation Center for providing us with an excellent venue.

• Geothermal Energy Potential in Oregon: We teamed up with the PNW Geothermal Rising Group for a discussion on the potential for geothermal here at home: where the accessible heat is; what emerging technologies could mean for the state; and the challenges and opportunities at the intersection of energy, water, economic development, and climate goals. Big thanks to organizers and panelists from Quaise Energy, OSU/Enthalpion, Hotrock Energy, the governor's office, GSI Water Solutions, DOGAMI, ORMAT, and Blade Energy.

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Thank you to everyone who showed up, asked questions, and stuck around to talk afterward! This is exactly what Bend Climate Collective is here for: getting climate professionals and the climate-curious into the same room to meet, connect, and build a real hub for climate progress and innovation in Bend.

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Here's to next year's Climate Week - and to everything in between!