Sustainability and Energy Action Plan

A Day in 2045 By Kayle Palmore Grants Pass High School Class of 2025 and Sustainability and Energy Action Taskforce member (2022 -2023) As you walk the streets of downtown Grants Pass in the summertime, you marvel at all the beauty surrounding you, from the hanging flower baskets hooked on LED streetlights to the smiling faces of all the people strolling about and entering the small shops with their families. Much of what was once extra parking spaces have been turned into spaces for bikers and pedestrians to navigate this city more safely. In remaining parking lots, many of the spots now host electric vehicle charging stations charging a wide array of electric vehicles. As you turn one of the corners, you see a young girl and her brother riding their bikes side by side in the large bike lane. They pass in front of you and your family’s favorite restaurant, one of the oldest in the city and you admire the way the sunlight dances across its rooftop solar panels which have enabled it to reduce its energy costs enough to stay in business all these years. The sounds of birds and laughing children permeate the air in the absence of the vehicle noises that once drowned them out, even as an electric city vehicle drives past with its brightly colored logo so beautifully plastered on the side. The warm breeze draws you to tilt your face up to the clear blue sky and take a deep breath of the fresh air. A bumblebee flies past you and into the foliage of the small grove of trees planted on a designated urban forest expansion area where once there’d been nothing more than an empty lot and abandoned building. A smile spreads across your face as you think of how much you love this beautiful city. 31