“We thought there would already be one here!” This is how Southern Oregon Climate Action Now co-founder and co-facilitator Alan Journet described how he and native Oregonian Kathy Conway felt about a grassroots climate activist organization in Southern Oregon when they retired from Southeast Missouri to Southern Oregon. “We thought we’d arrive in Ashland and just plug in to that organization” he continued. But, much to their surprise, there was no such organization. “Furthermore,” the other SOCAN co-founder and co-facilitator, Kathy Conway added,“there wasn’t much in the local media about the climate crisis.”
Two year later, in September 2012, with some 70 other concerned Southern Oregonians, Alan and Kathy founded Southern Oregon Climate Action Now (socan.eco). With a Mission to promote awareness and understanding about the science of global warming and its climate change consequences, while stimulating individual and collective action to address this existential crisis, SOCAN has grown from strength to strength. The first grassroots climate activist organization in the region was incorporated as anon-profit in 2014 and now boasts over 2,000 activists with a branch affiliate group based in Harbor/Brookings known as Coastal SOCAN.
Since 2012, SOCAN has been integrally involved in statewide efforts to establish policies limiting climate pollution in the state and has developed a number of programs seeking to educate the region about the issues. Notable among these is the SOCAN Master Climate Protector course which offers a ten week experience each year wherein local and – since COVID has sent it electronic – statewide residents can learn about the science of climate change and what we can do to address it.
On September 17th, the SOCAN family will celebrate its auspicious tenth anniversary at a gathering in the Hilton Garden Inn featuring local state legislators Pam Marsh and Jeff Golden as Masters of Ceremonies and a live ZOOM visit from the national leading climate activists Bill McKibben. More details can be found at socan.eco/anniversary.
source: SOCAN press release
