Championing Climate Justice: CEP’s Executive Director Joins Portland’s Sustainability & Climate Commission
Championing Climate Justice: CEP’s Executive Director Joins Portland’s Sustainability & Climate Commission
September 26, 2025 Advocacy, Climate Change, Policy
We’re thrilled to share some exciting news: Community Energy Project’s Executive Director, Charity Fain, has been appointed to serve as a Commissioner on the City of Portland’s Sustainability & Climate Commission (SCC). This four-year appointment is a powerful recognition of Charity’s leadership and lived experience, and it places CEP’s mission at the center of Portland’s efforts to build a more equitable, resilient future.
What the Sustainability & Climate Commission Does
The Sustainability & Climate Commission plays a central role in helping Portland respond to climate change. Commissioners advise the Mayor, City Administrator, and City Council on how to cut carbon emissions, strengthen resiliency, and ensure the benefits of climate action reach everyone in our community—especially those most impacted by climate challenges.
The Commission is responsible for shaping and reviewing Portland’s Climate Action Plans, holding public hearings, and recommending concrete steps to make the city healthier, more sustainable, and more equitable for generations to come.
A Rigorous Selection Process
Being appointed as a commissioner is no small honor. The process is competitive and demanding:
Large applicant pool: In the most recent recruitment, over 200 Portlanders applied for positions on the SCC.
High standards: Candidates must demonstrate either expertise or lived experience in sustainability and climate issues, accept the science of human-caused climate change, and show a strong motivation for collaborative, community-driven solutions.
Reflecting Portland’s diversity: Membership must include at least two people from each of the city’s four council districts and is intentionally designed to reflect Portland’s racial, geographic, and generational diversity. Four seats are even reserved for youth (ages 16–24), ensuring the next generation of leaders have a voice at the table.
Formal confirmation: Final appointments are made by the Mayor in consultation with the Chief Sustainability Officer and confirmed by City Council.
Being selected from such a competitive and high-standard process speaks volumes about Charity’s leadership, her dedication to community, and the trust she has earned across Portland.
What This Role Means for Charity—and CEP
Charity’s work has always centered around the idea that those most affected by climate and housing inequities must be at the forefront of solutions. At CEP, she has led efforts to transform homes, share skills and community wisdom, and advocate for energy justice across the Portland Metro region.
Her appointment to the SCC creates a vital bridge between frontline communities and policy leadership. It ensures that the experiences of low-income households—those often most impacted by climate change—are reflected in Portland’s climate decision-making at the highest levels.
Stepping Into Action
One of the first opportunities in Charity’s new role is her participation in Portland State University’s Climate Governance Seminar—a City-sponsored course designed to strengthen commissioners as changemakers.
The seminar covers place-based climate science, resiliency planning, community-driven solutions, and equitable governance. It equips leaders not just with knowledge, but with the tools to translate that knowledge into meaningful advocacy. Commissioners leave the program ready to influence climate policy, build stronger youth–adult partnerships, and drive forward solutions that work for all Portlanders.
For Charity, this training is more than professional development, it’s a chance to deepen the expertise she brings back to CEP and the communities we serve. It reinforces her ability to link household-level realities with citywide climate strategies, ensuring that the lived experiences of frontline communities shape Portland’s path forward.
Why This Matters Now
Climate change isn’t a future problem—it’s a present reality. For the communities CEP serves, the stakes are particularly high: energy insecurity, poor housing quality, and extreme weather events all compound existing inequities.
By stepping into this commissioner role, Charity ensures that the lived experiences of low-income and frontline communities are not only heard but centered in shaping Portland’s climate priorities.
This is what climate justice in action looks like—bringing community wisdom directly into policy conversations and decision-making.
Join Us in Celebrating
We are incredibly proud of Charity and the work she continues to do at CEP and now on the citywide stage. Her appointment underscores what we’ve always known: when frontline communities lead, we all move closer to a more resilient, equitable, and sustainable future.
