OLCV's Annual Dinner sends clear message

Last Friday night, OLCV hosted its 13th Annual Dinner for the Environment. It’s not the kind of event that grabs the attention of news reporters, even less so now, when the news media world is populated by fewer reporters every week, who are asked to do more with less.

As a former reporter myself, I certainly get this. I would have shrugged off the press release I sent out before the dinner, despite the impressive keynote speaker, the expected record attendance, and the new sponsors. At the end of the day, it seems like inside baseball-- just an organizational fundraiser, one of thousands of fundraisers in an election year, right?

Maybe. But while it may not have passed the muster of the stretched and shrinking media world, the dinner was definitely a noteworthy event that sends a clear message: The environment is a priority for Oregonians. Given recent polls which indicate that the environment is not a top issue—for citizens or lawmakers—Oregon seems to be bucking that trend, with a loud and mighty outcry to preserve the quality of life we have here. And as ballots start to hit mailboxes later this week, who we elect is an integral part of this equation.

In fact, this year, Oregon is poised to further build its rep as an environmental leader, due to the calls of concerned citizens, along with leadership from elected environmental champions who know that their constituents expect them to fight on the front lines for the conservation values that are so much a part of the collective Oregon DNA. A few stats:

• For some time, OLCV’s dinner has been the largest political environmental event in the state. This year, the dinner saw a 20 percent increase in attendance over last year, with more than 1,100 guests.
• More than 100 elected officials attended the event, including U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, whose words inspired an after-dinner ovation, and U.S. Congressman Kurt Schrader. 20 Oregon legislators as well local elected leaders from all levels of government also attended, including the entire Clackamas County Commission.
• Among and in addition to those elected officials were some 20 candidates, including some who applied for the OLCV endorsement but did not receive it—a testament to strength and inclusiveness of the environmental community.
• This year’s dinner drew first-time sponsors as well, that really show how broad the environmental base is, and show that the environmental and business communities share a common agenda that not only protects the planet but builds wealth.  Intel signed on as a presenting sponsor, with the Portland Trail Blazers and SolarWorld offering premium sponsorship (the Blazers bike bells were a huge success!).
• Finally, the speaker list was impressive, with the keynote crescendo from Chris Chafe, Executive Director of the newly formed Clean Economy Development Center, and former superstar from Change to Win. Chris delivered a passionate message about the economic opportunity before us as we steer the nation toward energy independence.

Sure, it’s not something you might read about in the newspaper or at msn.com. But OLCV’s 13th Annual Dinner—which also raised more money than any of the previous 12 dinners—shows that clean air, clean water and healthy kids are indeed priorities for Oregonians—from the state’s working families to the people who represent them in Salem.

And while that seemed all too obvious at Friday night’s soiree, we need to make sure that message is loud and clear once the final votes are counted in Oregon’s Primary on May 18. Get involved in a race near you and help pro-environment candidates win!