Camas Community Pushes Local Climate Projects

Camas residents and local groups are expanding community gardens and shared solar projects ahead of Earth Day, turning climate action into neighborhood-scale work. (clarkpublicutilities.com) At the Port of Camas-Washougal, Clark Public Utilities built Community Solar East, a 799-kilowatt solar array across five port buildings. The utility said the project was constructed in 2023, launched in the first quarter of 2024, and is fully subscribed by residential, business and government customers. (clarkpublicutilities.com) Clark Public Utilities said 199 kilowatts of that array are reserved for low-income customers through Operation Warm Heart, its energy-assistance program. The port said the project grew out of a 2022 collaboration on ways to cut carbon through efficiency, electrification, renewable energy and electric-vehicle charging. (clarkpublicutilities.com) (newbuildings.org) In Camas itself, garden projects have moved through schools and public spaces rather than large public-works sites. The Camas Earth Day Society says it is running a pollinator demonstration garden at the Camas Library and a “living lab” at Prune Hill Elementary that turned an unused field into hands-on earth-science space for fifth graders. (camasearthdaysociety.com 1) (camasearthdaysociety.com 2) The city’s parks department says its mission includes protecting natural spaces and improving ecological health, giving those volunteer-led projects a municipal partner as Earth Day events ramp up. The city calendar also listed April 2026 volunteer events tied to invasive-plant removal and park work. (cityofcamas.us 1) (cityofcamas.us 2) The push lands in a city with a long Earth Day identity. The Camas Public Library hosted a 2025 exhibit on Denis Hayes, the Camas native who helped organize the first Earth Day in 1970, and the Camas Earth Day Society says Hayes remains active locally. (cityofcamas.us) (camasearthdaysociety.com) Local organizers have framed the work as both environmental and civic. The Camas Earth Day Society says its projects are meant to build a “more connected, sustainable place” through small local actions, while the port scheduled an Earth Day clean-up in Washougal for April 22. (camasearthdaysociety.com) (events.columbian.com) The next test is whether these projects keep growing after the holiday passes. In Camas, the solar panels are already producing power, and the gardens now depend on the slower work of volunteers, students and city partners. (clarkpublicutilities.com) (camasearthdaysociety.com)