I am a 34 year old homeowner in the River Road neighborhood, and I urge my fellow Eugene residents to support Measure 20-388, the Eugene Clean Energy Fund, on the November ballot.

Having moved to Eugene eight years ago for graduate school, I see how many young people fall in love with Eugene and want to make it their home, but struggle to find meaningful, values-aligned work here.

Eugene Clean Energy Fund would create the kinds of climate-friendly jobs that drive my generation to invest in putting down roots. And as a white person who yearns for our city’s vibrant, multiracial future, investing in climate justice is not negotiable.

Like the Green New Deal at the national level, Eugene Clean Energy Fund would increase investments in the kinds of climate solutions that deliver benefits to the communities who bear the greatest burdens of climate change.

In an era where many of us feel so powerless to affect change, let’s act locally and make megacorporations invest back into our community — toward renewable energy, energy efficiency, green job training programs and the kinds of investments in infrastructure and innovation that will keep Eugene a thriving city for generations.

I ask you to vote yes on Measure 20-388 for my future children — and yours!

Alex Renirie
Eugene