Who we are

Oregon Just Transition Alliance is a movement of communities facing environmental racism, climate change, and economic exploitation, by and for people on the frontlines of climate change.

We unite organizations committed to base building in frontline communities and gather to create ownership over our collective future. Our goal is to move Oregon toward an economy that is rooted in our shared values, the principles of a Just Transition.

Just Transition is a set of principles that build economic and political power to shift to resilient, regenerative and equitable economies from an extractive one. The transition itself must be just and equitable. If the process of transition is not just, the outcome will never be. Just Transition describes both where we’re going and how we build the new.

OUR ALLIANCE

We are a member-based alliance of over 20 urban and rural frontline communities in the climate justice movement.

They lead OJTA by anchoring Just Transition projects focused on the social, racial, economic and environmental justice issues of climate change.

The 2017 People’s Climate March, where OJTA was launched as a program of OPAL Environmental Justice Oregon.

HOW WE BEGAN

Oregon Just Transition Alliance was founded by OPAL Environmental Justice Oregon in 2017 to build a powerful movement for a Just Transition led by frontline communities in Oregon.

Over the next three years, we convened the inaugural Just Transition Retreat and facilitated webinars and retreats with frontline-led community organizations to build a shared analysis of the climate crisis and principles of a Just Transition.

OUR HISTORY

As part of OPAL Environmental Justice, we developed a first draft of the Oregon Green New Deal in 2019. To gather input from frontline communities, we created the Frontline Organizers Rising cohort to facilitated a listening tour across the state. In it, frontline communities envisioned a just future, addressed climate concerns, and contributed ideas to the final draft. Their insights led to the current Oregon Green New Deal we use to center our priorities.

OJTA’s work became so large and vibrant that it grew from OPAL into an independent statewide alliance in August of 2020. Unfortunately, Oregon faced numerous challenges that year, including impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and climate crisis, which we are still feeling today. In response to these challenges, the OJTA Steering Committee endorsed their first joint campaign as an alliance around energy democracy, an important principle of a Just Transition.

Later named the Oregon Clean Energy Opportunity campaign, it aimed to lower energy costs, improve home conditions for low-income families, and generate quality jobs in clean energy projects. The first campaign led by frontline communities, it resulted in the passage of three groundbreaking laws: 100% Clean Energy for All, Energy Affordability, and the Healthy Homes Grant Program.

From our inception to our role in shaping climate legislation, Oregon Just Transition Alliance proves that frontline-led movements have the power to build the new. As we navigate the ongoing climate crisis, OJTA will continue to amplify frontline voices and work toward a more just and sustainable future for all. To explore all of our work since the inaugural campaign, visit the Our Work section of our website.