Create a team of Elders (http://www.theelders.org) for the state of Oregon, who are tasked with identifying major initiatives and areas of need for Oregon, and receive $1MM from MMT as the first committed investment for a lending/investment/social venture fund for which they raise an additional $50-$100MM in matching funding, and deploy leadership, operational expertise, and funding to empower Oregonians to solve a variety of problems in these areas of need, over the coming years and decades.

How To Do This:

Create a 5-10 year term 12-person group of leaders in Oregon, similar to Richard Branson's "The Elders", with representatives from chosen from experienced, proven leaders from local and state government, private sector, public policy, education, employment, philanthropy, technology, sustainability, apparel, clean teach, agriculture, humanities, recreation, nonprofit, and other representative sectors which are heavily influenced by, or heavily influence, the economic, environmental, and educational systems in Oregon that collectively result in what it means to live, work, invest in, and experience being in Oregon.

Have the group solicit and analyze feedback regarding pain points from major and minor organizations and individuals in Oregon, and outline major initiatives for Oregon's future, across sectors, systems, and regions, similar to the United Nations' Millennium Development Goals-- http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals-- (End Poverty & Hunger, Universal Education, Gender Equality, etc.) For example, Oregon's might be Decrease Length of Unemployment, Increase Access to Capital, Stabilize Rural Small Business Ecosystems, Catalyze Commercializable Sustainability & Clean Tech Innovations, Decrease High School Drop Out Rate/Increase Retention of First Year College Students, Increase Nonprofit Capacity to Deliver Social Services & Innovation, etc.

Seed the first group of Elders with individuals who are known for being decisive, have good judgment, understand long-term investment strategies, are able to fundraise, and can provide compelling leadership for a state in economic distress and some degree of hopelessness. Provide them with operational funds to gather data in a quick, compelling, and meaningful way and begin to market the campaign of Oregonians working together to identify, fund, and solve our own problems together.

Empower them to have a seed fund, lending vehicle or endowment and to raise additional funds from every major entity and organization in Oregon, to leverage Meyer Memorial Trust's $1MM contribution, up toward $50MM or $100MM. Organize the fund in a revolving way that deploys capital quickly in compelling organizations who are results driven and able to pay back funding through loan or investment standards, and meanwhile make a significant social impact and are poised to create additional significant and timely economic impact to the workforce, business community, communities, families, and educational systems.

Provide required leadership and mentoring by the Elders and executive volunteers from the other contributing funding entities, to these organizations as they scale up to deliver solutions in areas of high impact for Oregonians.

Why This Idea Over Another

Oregonians need leadership and impact across a variety of sectors, not only quickly and judiciously in the immediate year or years, but over a span of time that brings some of our poverty, economic distress, uncertainty, and social challenges into the public eye in a way that is actionable. Funding one or two ideas alone will not be enough to change the direction of the state or the attitudes and practices that have degenerated into cynicism and inactivity and created the results and conditions under which Oregonians now live.

A group like The Elders, empowered to act and drive social innovation for a variety of relevant initiatives, as brought to awareness by an investigation into the needs, painpoints, and breakdowns in the macrosystems that drive Oregon, could truly have the impact and leverage that MMT is seeking to deliver through the $1MM Ideas 4 Oregon campaign.

We are not interacting with one another and with our environment in a way that can sustain itself over time. Oregon’s most important resource in our quest for a sustainable future is the young people in the K-12 school system, however the value of this resource is not recognized and the current K-12 system does not allow the potential to be realized.
Education for Sustainability (EfS) utilizes the entire education system to provide students with the attitudes, skills, values, perspectives and knowledge they need in order to transform our societies to achieve a sustainable future that supports human, environmental and economic health for generations to come. This education should come from the content of the classroom instruction, as well as from the model of sustainable practices provided by school operations.
This project would help communities and their schools to develop a sustainability vision, and to jointly recognize the fundamental role of the school system in attaining the vision and goals. There are already some examples both of districts leading their communities, and communities leading their districts, with others ripe to follow.
Education for Sustainability includes core content areas such as cultural preservation and transformation, responsible local/global citizenship, systems & change, sustainable economics, healthy commons, natural laws and ecological principles, inventing and affecting the future, multiple perspectives and sense of place. This project would establish an infrastructure to train in-service and pre-service teachers in education for sustainability. It would assist district administrators to assess their curriculum, identify gaps and make needed adjustments. Together, the work will be able to simultaneously move forward both in a top-down and a bottom-up direction.
This project would identify the ecological footprint of our K-12 school system, a system large enough to contain 20% of Oregon’s population. It would provide a coordination function of the multitude of resources already in existence that can help school staff to integrate sustainable practices into operations and to manage their sustainability impacts. It would also identify and fill the gaps. This project would share case studies and best practices from around the country in order to expedite the transformation.
Educating all of our young people for sustainability will transform Oregon’s jobs and economy for sustainability and will support the health of Oregon’s citizens and environment for all future generations. Schools and education for sustainability are rapidly developing around the country and the world. Oregon school districts are gaining interest but without the supportive infrastructure that this project could provide, their transformation will be slow and limited, and we will not experience the potential of our youth to lead the transformation.

We are in one. One of those times in history where we will look back and say things like, “I never thought it was going to get worse and then it did...” It’s going to be awhile before we see some good light at the end of this tunnel. And what do we do in the meantime? We need to do everything we can.
In the midst of all this--it will be the long term changes that we work on right now that will make the landscape that exists when we pull out of this recession something that we can be proud of.
The Portland metro area has been a leader in the development of a sustainable and livable metropolitan area--a metro area that makes sense with a vibrant and multi-faceted public transportation system that incorporates and supports a multitude of options including an incredible number of cyclists for such a rainy clime; a comprehensive and well thought out watershed management system, one that is dedicated to the importance of nature and community; a city that that has a creative collection of individuals, nonprofits, companies, schools and agencies that reuse, recycle, garden and compost not because it’s trendy but because it works and it’s necessary if we are to plan for the increase in population that statisticians are forccasting; a metro area where words like bioswales, green streets and rain gardens are commonplace.
Is it perfect? No. The list of troubles may be equally as long. But the number of organizations, agencies, committees, groups, neighbors, and individuals working together on solutions to this area’s issues is enormous. And this is what keeps Portland and the surrounding metropolitan cities on the top of many lists of Best Places to Live.
It is a living think tank--and people from all over the US want to live here to learn from this area’s thinkers and be a part of the movement. And those of us who live here and work on these solutions easily imagine it to be the last place we will live during good times and bad.
And it is in the darkening times that we must still pull each other up and keep the movement going--for it will be the ideas and solutions that come from the collaborative efforts of many that will lead the world in creating a city that our great grand children will thank us for--and more importantly, passionately work to continue.
And it is with this mindset that I put forth an idea, one that has been tested to some degree and one that has yet to come to complete fruition.
---Examples--- 
I’ve seen what happens when young, smart, committed college-aged individuals are placed in solution-oriented situations with seasoned professionals. It hinges on magic. Working together, a learning novice with ambition, enthusiasm, and a willingness to take on substantial responsibility and a professional who knows and understands the problem, its history, and the solutions tried to date. Not to mention the established systems and navigation required for efficiency. These two together along with a network of colleagues and community members many times find an unexpected path toward solution.
Take the City of Gresham’s Dept. of Environmental Services, who for years tried to establish a volunteer base of citizens who would be willing to join in the effort to develop healthy natural areas for community members to respect and enjoy. They tried for years with City employees and got few results, as their appeared to be resistance to help ‘city employees’ do their “job”. Once the Department began to use [AmeriCorps]volunteers to be the “on the ground” face and voice of the City for conservation events and outreach, things did change. After two years the City has a substantial volunteer base that continues to grow and in return citizens have taken ownership in their city’s natural areas that are no longer choked by invasive and noxious plant species but filled with native plants and the associated return to healthy natural area.
Or take Multnomah County’s idea to take a small plot of land, in a historically small farm neighborhood, overgrown and unproductive and turn it into a small farm/garden that would eventually donate food produced to Oregon Food Bank. One [AmeriCorps] volunteer generated a volunteer network to help get the project out from under its state of overgrown blackberry and weeds and at the same time solicited donated seeds and supplies and a lot of hard work. In the first season they harvested and donated 10,000 pounds of food to the food bank.
And then take Oregon Tilth, which was a research and education organization with one staff member and an assortment ideas for outreach and education for youth. After two years with an committed 11-month volunteer, they now have fully developed Organic Education Center with programs and services that teach people and youth about the principals, practices and benefits of sustainable organic agriculture.
---Concept---
The concept is the development of an internship and training program that teaches tomorrow’s leaders, solves todays problems and benefits those in need.
A program that capitalizes on this model city [metro area] and it’s embedded thinkers and planners to deliver a career-oriented experience.
The concept is the development of an program that continues brings together organizations, for profit entities, and agencies to work together for the good of the whole.
A program that brings together the ambition, energy and intellect of committed interns and link them with organizations, for profits, and agencies that are working on solutions needed for today’s complex issues.
A model program that capitalizes on this model city [metro area] and the current ongoing innovation and solution-oriented efforts of the organizations, companies and agencies working on creating a sustainable livable and affordable city.
This city and all of its resources becomes the venue or learning lab for an entire class of interns that year after year not only learn from this city’s innovative programs and systems but add to the solutions needed for this city’s issues. It’s becomes a win win win. The City benefits, the intern benefits, and the community engaged and impacted by the intern’s on the ground efforts benefit. Portland can become not only the City that Works, but The City that Teaches.
It would be a program that is scalable and replicable. This program could be replicated in any city/town that has some degree of cutting-edge action in place.
And why not do exactly that, create a collective of cities and municipal areas that establish this model of program. And then the potential exists for interns and professionals to share research and innovations of ‘sister cities’, thus expanding the potential for expedited sharing of solutions.
The program could offer a second year option for interns where they would take what they have learned in their first year and spend a second year/term in a city or town in need of their experience, knowledge and network of professional support. So eventually all of Oregon is benefitting from the efforts of this program and it’s national knowledge bank.
This concept is built on the experience and historical successes of Northwest Service Academy, its staff and members. As Northwest Service Academy is making plans for closing their doors in Portland due to loss of federal funding, it seems only fitting to move forward with the spirit of that amazing and incredible landmark organization.

MMT should fund Drive Oregon, a coalition of Oregon companies and interest groups engaged in the electric vehicle industry, and in issues surrounding transportation electrification – with an emphasis on job creation and economic gardening. Drive Oregon’s mission is to catalyze the growth of Oregon’s electric vehicle (EV) industry to ensure Oregon develops and maintains its competitive advantage and maximizes the economic development potential of this emerging industry.

Drive Oregon is a collaboration of Oregon companies, public entities, and other stakeholders in the process of forming a formal tax exempt organization with the following high-level goals:
• Attract existing federal resources and private financial support to enable local companies to overcome commercialization barriers for clean vehicles, EV and EV-related products and facilitate opportunities for external collaboration.
• Leverage and connect Oregon University System institutions, utilities, state and local government entities and Oregon electric vehicle (EV) industry stakeholders to efficiently develop and commercialize next-generation transportation technologies.
• Foster collaboration between Oregon's existing clean tech, advanced manufacturing, software and high technology sectors to participate in the EV supply chain, both locally and globally.
• Aid in the creation of skilled, family-wage jobs to build the next generation of transportation solutions.

Context:
Oregon is at the forefront of Electric Vehicle (EV) deployments, having garnered attention internationally as an early-adopter market as exemplified by our high hybrid electric vehicle concentration. Transportation Electrification represents the transformation from a fossil-fueled, combustion based transportation system to one that increasingly powers vehicles with electricity as the motive force. Electric vehicles have much higher energy efficiency than internal combustion powered vehicles and are significantly cleaner. Beyond the environmental benefits of EVs, there are significant benefits from energy security and retained wealth in the local economy not transferred to purchase petroleum. While there are undeniable regional benefits for being an early EV market, so called “green dividends,” as well as transitory job creation through EV charging installations, there are significant long-term benefits available to Oregon. Seed funding from Ideas 4 Oregon can enable focus Oregon’s efforts on transformative economic development.

Oregon’s vision is to be a leader in EVs. Governor Kulongoski recognizes EVs in his climate change and sustainable transportation agenda; having issued Executive Order 08-24 creating the Alternative Fuel Vehicle Infrastructure Working Group (hereafter AFVI). The group produced a report issued in February 2010 providing recommendations to the Governor.

Cited within the report of the AFVI Report is the recognition of an Oregon electric vehicle cluster and a call to action to support this cluster for long-term sustainable advantage. The AFVI Report contained well over 6 pages dedicated to job creation opportunities and recommendations. Highlights include opportunities in the component and subsystem level for existing local companies; software and embedded electronic systems for Oregon firms, recognition of Oregon's advantages in "niche" vehicle segments; development and manufacturing of EV charging infrastructure (actual charging stations and the associated grid connectivity, communications and control); as well as job creation including design, engineering, analysis of software, systems and process to integrate into hardware, networking and devices that support the evolution of smart grid and on-board services. Furthermore, the AFVI Report also advanced recommendations for creation of a “world-class, multi-disciplinary transportation electrification and “smart mobility” center of excellence” as well as a “center of excellence for Smart Grid integration of electric vehicles.” Funding from MMT would provide seed / development funding to leverage federal funds, state funds and other private sources to start up such a center.

Oregon has a strong manufacturing capability and expertise throughout the region to support a clean vehicle industry, with a correspondingly robust supply base in existence that serves commercial trucks (i.e., Freightliner/Daimler in Portland and PACCAR in Washington) as well as recreational vehicle makers. There are opportunities for existing Oregon companies -- or people-- to diversify, create new divisions, start new companies, or join emergent companies. Despite the economic downturn and scarcity of capital investment, Oregon’s pioneer spirit has launched in excess of 14 local companies over the last several years as evidenced by the cluster formation through start-up entrepreneurial activity. Oregon already has well over 40 companies actively working on transportation electrification and vehicle efficiency technologies, many are listed at http://DriveOregon.org/members.

By harnessing the resources of this broad array of companies, fostering collaboration and attracting additional complementary firms, Oregon is well positioned to capitalize on the growth in the electric vehicle sector. Meyer Memorial Trust’s support as an economic gardening approach will create local jobs and bolster an emerging local industry. Now is the time to Drive Oregon towards a prosperous electric vehicle future.

Meyer Memorial Trust should leverage its investment with a $1 million "challenge grant" that will serve as a catalyst to attract other dollars; especially one-time start up funds from other foundations, private industry sources, and key federal granting agencies. A MMT placement can position Oregon in a leading position to secure a portion of the $11 billion in federal funding through the Electric Vehicle Deployment Act of 2010 co-sponsored by Senator Merkley. A Meyer grant will also send a strong message to the Governor, Legislature and the Oregon Innovation Council that future jobs in Oregon will depend on public/private investments in clean vehicles, clean energy and technology.

Clean transportation, green jobs and livable communities. Drive Oregon.

So many bright, well-educated graduates from our universities are unemployed or underemployed. Meanwhile, many entrepreneurs and small businesses are working to develop new clean energy, energy efficiency, green building materials and other clean tech technologies without the resources they need to achieve market success. If we leveraged the networks of many existing organizations, we could easily place unpaid or stipend-based interns (think Americorps scaled back) at these companies. These grads get resume-building experience and these businesses access inexpensive human resources for 6-12 months and get closer to market launch, adoption, or penetration or private investment they need to become self-sustaining businesses. These internships would also help support Oregon's leadership position in the clean technology sectors on which we are basing our economic development strategy.

I have been volunteering in the public schools for years. The last few, I have been mentoring high school and middle school students, in an "Academic Mentoring Program". This year the vice principal at the high school recruited more adult volunteers and I coordinated the program as well as mentored students.

The volunteers work with specific students for one or two hours a week to improve their academic success. We work on organization, motivation, study skills, some tutoring but mostly mentoring - basically we work to help the students that have been falling through the cracks. These students are academically capable, but for many reasons are not academically successful.

My idea is to use this money to fund Academic Mentor Program volunteer coordinators for our middle and high schools in Oregon. This person acts as a liaison for all involved people; teachers, counselors, parents, students and volunteers.

The coordinator gets a referral from a staff member, interviews the student to make sure they are interested, discusses the program with the student's parent for input and buy-in, connects the student with a mentor, and works with the student, mentor and teachers to check on progress. Students get reminders on the days they meet with their mentor, and the coordinator works on making sure that calendar changes (absence, doctor, dentist, vacation, etc.) are communicated to both mentor and student. Also, the coordinator continues to recruit new adult volunteers from the community. The end-of-year feedback from the adult volunteers was almost unanimous in how much easier the coordinator makes things flow.

I believe strongly in this program, and was able to get it started, with additional volunteers, in the middle school the last few weeks of the school year. I truly feel that the more positive adult connections we can make with our students, the better chance they have of finding their way.

Help reduce the tens of thousands of unwanted pets euthanized in Oregon every year. Educate people and their children on compassion. Compassion is not selective. You cannot only care for people or only care for animals. You have to care about both to truly have compassion. Cruelty and uncaring in a society are part of why we don't help our neighbors in times of need. It's built in to our flawed fabric. If we tackle some of the "accepted" cruelties allowed by our society and try to correct them, we will in turn improve ourselves as human beings, as well as increase our compassion. Since MMT disappointingly doesn't fund animal rights, I'm guessing ideas like this will be ignored, but you did say you would consider all ideas and I'm taking you at your word.

Imagine a structure, large and elegant, spinning with the wind situated somewhere in the vicinity of OMSI. The wind sculpture is highly visible from Waterfront Park. There are two sources of energy that propel the sculpture: The wind of course, and also energy aggregated from many stationary bikes installed across the river at Waterfront Park. This idea embodies three key elements:

* The first element of this idea is a wind (and possibly solar) energy harnessing sculpture, a bold statement representing Oregon as a center of innovation in all types of green energy technology development.

** Another element is the stationary bikes representing Portland as bicycling and green commuting hub. These bikes could be works of art themselves, each unique, commissioned collaborations between local artists and bike shops. They are situated throughout Waterfront park providing public benefit promoting cycling. The energy created from pedaling the bikes is converted to electricity and transported across the river to help spin the wind sculpture.

*** The third element of this idea is community building and a human connection to nature – The turbine like sculpture is widely visible, iconic. There is a sense of community building based on collaboration with nature, pedaling the bikes to keep the sculpture moving. When the wind blows hard enough, the sculpture spins on its own. If the wind is slack, people fill in and pedal to propel the sculpture.

The most pressing issue facing Oregon today is a lack of jobs due to a stagnant economy. To help turn this around, I suggest MMT seek to expand the Rose Quarter/Memorial Coliseum redevelopment project to include an elite, nonprofit academy/boarding school for at risk youth, similar to successful programs in New York and other cities.

The addition of such an academy could be a catalyst to jumpstart the stalled redevelopment project by inserting a noble and lasting purpose that goes beyond entertainment, helps underprivileged youth overcome the obstacles of their circumstances, and lead them towards academic achievement, service to the community and productive careers.

This proposed academy could be made an integral part of the redevelopment project, launched with funds from MMT and other foundations, the City of Portland, corporations such as the Blazers and Nike, and other stakeholders that will benefit from the redevelopment of the Rose Quarter. Long-term funding could be secured via the academy's development program, which would include innovative fundraising strategies.

Short term jobs will result from the design and construction of the Rose Quarter redevelopment project. It is expected that longer term jobs will result from successful placement of qualified graduates from the academy, following their college or vocational education.

By adding an effective, interventional academy to the Rose Quarter redevelopment project, MMT could help jumpstart the redevelopment project, set thousands of disadvantaged youth on track for success, create short and long-term jobs, alleviate a host of societal burdens and strengthen Oregon's economy.

Respectfully submitted by Phil Brown, Brown/Armstrong, P.C.

I think that citizenship may be the most important managable factor in our effort to facilitate humane sustainablility. This creative $1 million contribution might well be spent in explicit effort to promote understanding of the meaning and practical use of the concept, "THE COMMON GOOD."

This insight would empower people with the confidence of being authentic in their thought, their own value and their action in being a citizen. The effort would need to identify the channels and processes most likely to bring about societal education on the concept and furnish the initial effort on those channels and processes which appear most likely to be successful.

As to content and topics which can make the concept workable in the citizen's practical thinking and action:

THE COMMON GOOD, as defined as broadly as the word 'common' means, and 'good' defined as an individual thoughtfully chooses, can function as the value matrix against which options and issues are measured for relative desirability.

It would allow people to consider: What is THE COMMON GOOD

-in an increasing wide circle: family, neighborhood, city, state, nation,............planet

-of the useful merits of a FREE MARKET system

-of individual and minority HUMAN RIGHTS

- in responding to GLOBAL WARMING, or more broadly, providing for ECOLOGIC SURVIVAL OF LIFE

- in creating workable structures and processes for SOCIETAL DECISION MAKING

- in determining worthy purposes for TAXES

- in assessing the fairness and practical collection of TAXES

- of the nature and importance of community support of CHILDHOOD

We need people to recognize helpful, specific examples of THE COMMON GOOD, to understand them accurately , and to place them in priority.

Bill Harris

Global greenhouse gas emissions are forecast to increase by 25 percent by 2015. In the Northwest, food processing companies spend $8 billion annually transporting their products, including thousands of truck trips and billions of pounds of atmospheric carbon. Yet research shows that more than 20 percent of those truck miles are partial loads or empty backhauls. An innovative concept, the “Green Shipper” transportation program, demonstrates that dramatic CO2 emission and energy reductions are possible through a collaborative approach to logistics.

Phase I Green Shipper program research was subcontracted in 2009 to an Oregon-based small company entrepreneur, through a $140,000 grant from Northwest Food Processors Education & Research Institute. Research showed significant efficiency, energy and cost savings potential. In a five week survey of most recent benchmark data, from five Oregon companies driving 2.6 million truck miles, the average waste of CO2 emissions was 27.6 percent, average wasted diesel fuel transporting temperature controlled freight was 32.8 percent and wasted truck cost was 22.4 percent.

The Education & Research Institute has concluded the need for a performance-based pilot study of an improved web-based, transportation management model. This pilot project will create a new executive training opportunity to help change the culture of transportation professionals in Oregon. This “shovel ready” project will train companies to find partners to optimize partial loads and empty backhauls.

Phase II pilot project goals include measurable findings to:
1. Demonstrate fuel and CO2 emission reductions of 18-20 percent.
2. Demonstrate and verify an average at least 10 percent truck transportation cost savings, enhancing the economic vitality of a key segment of the state’s economy.
3. Identify optimal logistical efficiency unique to each shipper

The significant savings generated by this program can be used to finance growth. Innovative products, equipment, and occupations in energy security can be self-financed. This fully-documented model program is fully adaptable to any shipper and is consistent with the recommendations of Governor Kulongoski’s Transportation Vision Committee.

Meyer Memorial Trust jumpstart funding would be leveraged by significant industry and state funding contributions, embracing continuous improvement in logistics management. Fewer trucks on the road will reduce the cost of maintenance to Oregon’s roads and highways for years to come.

Most crucially, Green Shipper could begin training immediately, which will lead to reducing Oregon industry’s carbon “tiretracks.”

Jim Azumano, ERI