Tag: RARE Alumni

Tidings from Titus | February 2024

Tidings from Titus graphic, featuring a head shot of smiling Titus!

Dearest RARE Family,

I sure hope this note finds each and every one of you kindhearted humans in the best of spirits as we settle into 2024 and all the wonder it will bring. If the beginning of your year has been anything like mine, well, it is already off to an exciting start!

It is a milestone year for the RARE AmeriCorps Program as we celebrate 30 years of giving back to rural Oregon. Such an accomplishment is absolutely cause for celebration. We are so excited to be hosting our RARE Family Reunion at Havenroot (just outside of Veneta) during the first weekend in August. Shoutout to our amazing Program Coordinator, Liz Gronert, and our wonderful planning committee who have been dedicating a ton of time and energy into the planning of this year’s RARE Family Reunion. I cannot wait to celebrate our longstanding legacy alongside fellow members of the RARE Family. We hope to see you onsite for what is bound to be fantastic time for all involved.

When I think about RARE’s legacy, it is the people we have impacted that matters most. As I reflect on my tenure with the RARE AmeriCorps Program, well, I cannot help but think of the countless lives that have been changed. First as a Member, then as Coordinator, and finally as Director, it is the people – members, site supervisors, and partners alike – that always keep me coming back for more. To those who I have had the honor of engaging with, please know that I hold our connection dear, and that each of you have a special place in my book.

As a network, as a family, may we find the ability to embrace all that life throws at us throughout the year ahead. May we harness the grit, tenacity, and dedication illustrated by our thirty-two active members, who are out there giving back on a daily basis. And may we never forget what our RARE experience taught us… Together we can make a difference!

P.S. – It is recruitment season here at RARE HQ and we could use your help spreading the good word! Please do so by sharing a copy of our flyer, passing along the link to our website, and/or sharing a social media post within someone who might benefit from serving with the RARE AmeriCorps Program 😊.

In Service,

Titus Tomlinson, Years 13 & 16
RARE Program Director

Tidings From Titus | October 2023

Tidings from Titus graphic, featuring a head shot of smiling Titus!

Dearest RARE Family,

Sure hope this message finds each and every one of you amazing humans in the best of spirits. It’s been a little while since you have received one of our newsletters and I am personally excited about the opportunity to reconnect, reflect, and share a few of programmatic updates with you folks!

I can’t help but start by looking back to 2022-23 service year, which offered up another impactful experience for all involved. The list of accomplishments from the 32 current members who served throughout our 29th year of service is extensive. Whether it was launching a digital directory and online marketplace, updating an array of long-range planning documents, supporting small businesses and famers looking to increase use of renewable energy technologies… it’s clear that our members continue to “get things done” for rural Oregon, all while growing personally and professionally throughout the service year. I am proud to say that we continue to hit the mark with our dual mission of providing critical capacity to rural Oregon communities, all while building up the next generation of leaders.

Having been involved with RARE for over 15 years, well, I have watched this program go through a lot of change. Now here we are, having just embarked on our 30th year of service, which we kicked off early September with RARE Orientation. It’s been a wild ride getting to this point, one that has come with many ups and downs, but I truly believe we as a Program are in better place then ever before. We have updated systems, expanded the program, new funding streams in place, developed (and actively apply) an equity lens, work with an array of new statewide partners, and so much more. We have a lot to celebrate and are already looking forward to hosting a 30 Year RARE Reunion in August of 2024… More to come!

Finally, I want to give a massive shout out to my colleague, friend, and all-around amazing human, Victoria Binning, who served as Program Coordinator over the last 3.5 years. It’s all about the people we meet along the way, and I am forever grateful to have gotten to serve rural Oregon alongside that amazing human. You can read more about her next adventure in this month’s newsletter. Wishing Victoria nothing but the best as she opens a new chapter with the Oregon Department of Agriculture.

Forever honored to be part of this wonderful network!

In Service,

Titus Tomlinson, Years 13 & 16
RARE Program Director

Renewable energy gives economies a jump-start

by Lorrie Kaplan for the Ashland Tidings

Tired of hyper-partisanship and worried about the ability of Americans to communicate with each other across party lines? Concerned that half the country seems to deny climate change, while the other half sees a looming climate disaster?

A new independent film offers a glimmer of hope.

In October, nearly 80 Ashlanders enjoyed a Zoom screening of “Other Side of the Hill.” Produced by James Parker of Synchronous Pictures, it’s a beautiful and compassionate film that defies the narrative that conservative Eastern Oregon is ignoring climate change.

From large-scale solar and geothermal in Lakeview to innovative timber and wind energy operations in Wallowa County, the film shows how renewable energy projects are taking off in Eastern Oregon, providing skilled jobs and substantial county tax revenues — nearly $1 million to Lake County alone in 2020.

The screening was hosted by the Ashland Climate Action Project and Southern Oregon Climate Action Now, partnering with Local Innovation Works, Climate Reality Project-Southwestern Oregon Chapter, the Geos Institute, McCloud Watershed Council, Pollinator Project Rogue Valley, Rogue Community College Earth Club, Southern Oregon Pachamama Alliance, Sustainable Rogue Valley, and Sustainability at Southern Oregon University.

“Other Side of the Hill” was the inspiration of climate activists Julian Bell of Ashland, Deb Evans and Ron Schaaf of the Greensprings, and Tom Bowerman of Lane County. Bell recalls his own wake-up call moment.

“I went to Portland for the release of Naomi Klein’s book, “This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs. The Climate.” People at the event were saying that Eastern Oregon is the problem, that nothing is going on there.

“But Eastern Oregon is doing its part,” said Bell.

He decided it was important to help get the story out, especially after the 2019 state legislative session ended in a Republican walkout to block passage of “cap and invest” legislation.

Located just east of Klamath County, Lake County (population 7,879) is ideal territory for renewable projects. Much of the land is not suitable for grazing or agriculture. Solar resources and geothermal energy reserves are abundant. High-voltage power lines run through the county to connect Oregon and California, making it easy to upload power to the grid.

“The demise of the timber industry put us in major peril,” explains Nick Johnson, executive director of Lake County Resources Initiative, a nonprofit working to weave together economic and environmental prosperity for Lake County.

Today the county has 110 megawatts of solar generating capacity (enough to power more than 14,000 Oregon homes, according to industry experts). The county has approved additional projects that will more than double its capacity, and other projects are still in review. Lakeview produces far more renewable energy than the county consumes, and it is on track to offset all of its livestock methane emissions. Lake County Resources Initiative also assists homes, ranches, businesses, schools and other public buildings to reduce energy costs using rooftop solar — saving an estimated $9 million over a decade, according to LCRI.

According to Juliet Grable, a Greensprings-based writer who worked on the film, just because Eastern Oregonians “don’t talk about climate change in the same way doesn’t mean they don’t see it happening or that they don’t care about the environment or the planet.”

We all care about providing for our families.

“Everybody speaks the language of money, and we’ve had a lot of success by speaking that language,” says Johnson. “Renewable energy generates tax revenues for the county. We know that people also care about the ecological benefits. ”

Bell, Schaaf and Johnson believe that Oregonians can work together and are intrigued by the idea of an ongoing dialogue or partnership between Ashland and Lakeview.

“The time is now — right now. Because this is just the beginning of renewable energy development,” says Johnson.

“What we need are like-minded people,” Schaaf asserts. “Like-minded means you’re going to stay in the conversation. It means you want to help find a solution, not win an argument.”

In January, ACAP will host a second screening of “Other Side of the Hill” featuring a discussion on the art of collaborative conversation. Stay tuned for details or contact us to receive occasional emails about local climate action news and events. Check out the film trailer at othersideofthehillmovie.com.

Lorrie Kaplan is chair of the Ashland Climate Action Project of Southern Oregon Climate Action Now. She can be reached at ACAPSpotlight@socan.eco.

Originally published in The Ashland Tidings

The Reality of RARE Family

I’ll be honest:  I was skeptical at my RARE orientation in 2012, when Titus was going on and on about the RARE family.  I was like, sure, these people seem cool and nice, but family? I wasn’t convinced.  I had recently been married, and was very content spending most of my time with my husband. I had an amazing RARE placement working at a farm outside of Springfield focused on K-12 education, local food systems organizing, and training beginning farmers, and I really wasn’t looking to socialize much beyond that.  I just wasn’t in the market for family.  But, as the year progressed and I saw these folks at trainings, informal gatherings, and from hosting one at our house many a weekend *shout out to Katya for getting me out of the house*; before I knew it, I had become friends with this phenomenal group of people.  I knew that if I needed anything they’d be there to support, and they knew they could expect the same from me.  I wasn’t going on all the extra RARE trips or social gatherings, but that didn’t mean I didn’t feel this closeness with this RARE cohort.  That’s the beauty of RARE.  It is bigger than an individual and really bigger than itself.

Since that service year, I think even more so actually, I see and feel a part of the RARE family. Working in the Oregon food systems world, I come across many RAREs.  This year in my role working at Oregon Food Bank in community food systems, I get the privilege of supporting the RARE Food Systems Cohort through monthly calls.  This group of women are fire.  I am inspired by the amount of passion, thoughtfulness, and critical thinking they bring to the work.  I also continue to connect with RARE alum and people impacted by the RARE program.  Particularly during this current COVID-19 health crisis, I’ve seen how deep RARE support and reach goes.  Through finding placements for RARE’s, modifying work plans, and general broad based support, the RARE network is expansive.

When reflecting on RARE, I can’t help but think about who makes up the RARE family.  To be part of the RARE family is a privilege.  Privilege itself isn’t inherently good or bad – it is determined by how you choose to use it. In acknowledging the privilege I do have, I want to continue to push and expand and support what the RARE family is, who is part of it and who has access to this amazing network of people.  Titus, I believe you now.  There is a RARE Family, and I’m grateful to be part of it.

Katy Giombolini, Year 19