Grace Andrews

Email: grace@envirocenter.org
Title: Energy Program Coordinator
Organization: The Environmental Center/Sustainable Northwest
Community: Deschutes County
Population: 198,253
County Served: Deschutes

Meet Grace Andrews (she/her/hers):

Grace graduated from Colby College in spring 2021 with a B.A. in Environmental Science. During her time at college, she enjoyed working for a local land trust, being a writing tutor, and leading trips in Colby’s outing club. Grace is passionate about fostering connection with the environment and getting communities involved in environmental efforts. She was born and raised in a small town in Maine but is excited to explore everything Oregon has to offer, especially if it involves skiing and hiking!

Community and Organization:

Grace’s work is based in Bend at The Environmental Center, but she is serving all of Deschutes County. The Environmental Center is a non-profit organization that leads local efforts in environmental education, engagement, and action. Grace is also working with Sustainable Northwest, a non-profit organization that works across the state on a wide range of environmental projects, including sustainable forestry and clean energy.

Deschutes County sits on the eastern edge of the Cascades and offers a beautiful high desert landscape and sunny weather. The area boasts lots of recreational opportunities, from hiking to biking to skiing, which is one of the reasons its population has increased rapidly in the past 20 years. Deschutes County contains the bustling city of Bend, but there are also lots of rural communities in the county where farming and ranching are just as important as recreation.

Project:

As Energy Program Coordinator for The Environmental Center and Sustainable Northwest, Grace is focusing on the goal of developing a community energy plan for Deschutes County. A variety of projects will help to accomplish this goal, including completing a baseline assessment for the county and deepening community engagement through events and outreach. She will also be developing a toolkit of best practices for community energy planning in rural Oregon communities and beginning work on solar and renewable project development.