Three years after the Oregon Legislature told the Metro region to curb its per capita vehicle emissions, an effort to figure out how to curb those emissions is starting to make sense.

At no point has that been more clear than at Wednesday night's meeting of the Metro Policy Advisory Committee, where representatives of governments from around the Portland region asked specific questions about the project and how it would apply to their communities.

Metro councilors Kathryn Harrington and Carl Hosticka joined city councilors and planning commissioners from Beaverton and Tigard in a joint meeting Tuesday afternoon at the Beaverton Library, to talk about Metro's Climate Smart Communities project and other planning endeavors in Washington County.

Stay warm this season, but don't stay in too long. Enjoy birding with the experts at Mount Talbert Nature Park and get tips on building a natural refuge at Oxbow Regional Park. And don't miss the bus – the Magic School Bus, that is. Catch Ms. Frizzle and her students in a play about climate change this weekend.

Local policies designed to preserve farmland and make livable neighborhoods have made the Portland area well prepared to reduce emissions related to climate change, but more work will be needed to meet state targets and maintain the quality of life the region is striving for.

Metro planners are wrapping up the first phase of their study of the region's greenhouse gas emissions, focusing primarily on exhaust from cars and light trucks. The work was prompted by legislation at the state, which required the Portland region to reduce its per capita vehicle emissions by 20 percent by 2035.

To create jobs and save money, several European metropolitan areas are building public-private partnerships that create innovative clean energy solutions the Portland area can learn from, says Metro Councilor Rex Burkholder.

Visitors attending conferences, consumer and trade shows and special events at two of Metro’s visitor venues can now charge their electric vehicles during their stay. The same is true for guests of the Metro Regional Center.

With the recent adoption of its first-ever green building policy, Metro has set new sustainability standards for all the agency’s facilities and developed properties, from regional parks, solid waste transfer stations and the Oregon Zoo to venues such as the Portland Expo Center and Oregon Convention Center.

The Oregon Global Warming Commission wants feedback on a proposals to help reduce Oregon’s carbon footprint and meet the state's 2020 greenhouse gas reduction goals. The 25-member group has been working to coordinate state and local efforts to prepare for the effects of climate change. Last fall, the commission adopted a roadmap of ideas and has been on a "road trip," seeking input on the proposals.

Philip Fensterer, a marine-life keeper at the Oregon Zoo, is northward bound this weekend to participate in the annual Zoo Keeper Leadership Camp organized by Polar Bears International. Fensterer will travel to Churchill, Canada, to learn more about climate change and its effects on polar bears as they congregate on the shores of Hudson Bay to await the return of their icy hunting platform.