In memory of KB Mercer - Portland, OR Volunteer

@Tamara Staton I met KB at the June Conference in 2023 and she was one of the first people that welcomed me into the CCL community <3. Rest in peace.

@Tamara Staton thanks for setting this up Tamara. KB and I met at a Portland chapter meeting early in my introduction to CCL. Our chemistry was incredible from the moment I met her. Incredibly feisty with a fun undertone that I knew would come out if I poked it…and poke I did! We had so many fun and serious conversations and knew we could challenge each other in full honesty but our love and respect for each other would always be there. KB I hope you're reading this and know you're missed deeply. I promise to keep fighting for the things you care about like a livable planet and will do my best to make you proud. With deep love and appreciation, your best naked bike ride co pilot ever! :) Bernard

@Tamara StatonThank you for setting this up.

KB was a ball of energy and unwavering support for CCL and its mission. She had the incredible ability to be steadfast in her support of CCL even when the organization couldn’t sign on to the positions of the local environmental groups she (also) steadfastly supported.

Although she herself was a ”progressive” democrat through and through, she was one of our most articulate and ardent supporters for CCLs bipartisan approach. She had a keen sense of how politics works.

Personally, I will not forget her gift for understanding what details needed taken care of… she baked cookies for legislators during Covid when we were relegated to lobbying them from the sidewalks instead of from inside the Salem capitol building. Most recently, she made little hand held signs for our Photo Booth at the candidate forum, created bouquets for the candidate’ stage tables that the candidates could take home with them, found chairs for them to perch on after I told her I didn’t have time to search and find the perfect chairs, and ensured the candidates didn’t slip off their perches by making cushions for the chairs. She was available and ready to help wherever she was needed. The candidate forum impressed all those involved and remains a key reason CCL is known and respected by our incoming Representative of District 03, Maxine Dexter . KB was a key part of the team that pulled the event off.

Last, KB had an edge to her that I appreciated because I sometimes had to let my edge show and she always supported me when things got tough and I found myself not fulfilling the expected polite female archetype. We were clear on the importance of the fight for a stable climate; I will dearly miss my fearless warrior friend.

Daniela

KB was a powerhouse of energy and action for the climate. I was grateful for her many climate efforts. She was a regular at our chapter meetings and would excel at sharing her experiences, especially lobbying in DC. When she talked at meetings, I always found her compelling. She was one of our most regular and reliable tablers. She called carbon fee and dividend the gold standard of climate policy, and she put her full force of energy behind it.

I especially appreciated the captain dividend and carbon fee fee cut out that she designed in 2019 that we still use at CCL tabling events. We had a team of folks who came up with the characters and painted the canvass. But none of us had the technical knowledge of building the structure. She designed it to be portable and durable, and insisted on donating the materials. She had serious intense energy, but she could also fun to work with. Who didn't get a kick out of her fun sequence tennis shoes?! For the Oregon Country Fair, she lent us tons of fun hats for tabling. I'm sad by her passing and will miss her very dearly. Francine

KB was a climate hero. She had an incredible passion for saving the planet and worked overtime to get things done. On top of managing her own theater company, KB was a committed climate advocate not only helping CCL's work but also supporting state policy by leading within MCAT. When I first met KB at the 2019 regional conference I had whiplash. She had a fiery personality unlike most of the older folks I had gotten used to working with in CCL. Getting to know KB in the Portland chapter I grew to appreciate her immensely, not only for her work but for her boisterous persona. At times KB could be very dramatic, fitting for a thespian but also fitting for the dramatic fight we face against climate change. KB was one of the first people to enthusiastically support my ambition to host a candidate forum, building momentum for what (I hope) became a great event. One chapter meeting KB was so excited about her new electric bike that after the meeting she insisted I take it for a ride (which I did). KB's theater experience and creative mind where immensely helpful for the chapter when we needed physical props, such as the amazing Carbon Fee Fee and Captain Dividend cutout that KB made.

In the last year alone KB published one Op Ed in the Oregonian and participated in 3 lobby meetings in DC. She also shared over 140 climate related news stories to MCAT's Facebook group in this last year alone.

Her presence as a friend and as a climate advocate will be extremely missed.

@Tamara Staton I will always remember KB for her great passion and unique personality. She was always at the top of my recruitment list when putting together lobby teams, and was a regular enthusiastic participant in our many meetings with Ron Wyden's office. KB could be counted on to ask very specific and politically sensitive questions - and especially in circumstances where the rest of us would hold back.

When I needed an MC for a climate event I was speaking at, I didn't even have to think about it, but immediately called KB and she immediately accepted. We had a script, but KB did not particularly stick to it, and her improvisation was exemplary.

I was jealous of KB's skills in giving testimony on various bills before the Oregon legislature. It was obvious that the fact-based science commentary I would deliver was far less effective than her approach, which made full use of her skills as a performer.

KB was a bulldog, to put it mildly. I will never forget the Spring OLCV fundraiser a couple of years ago, when she forcefully grabbed me with one arm while interjecting herself into a group surrounding Governor Tina Kotek with the other. This was KB's way of making introductions. It was very effective.

Rest In Peace, KB. I miss you already and I will always remember you.

Thank you, to everyone who has shared memories so far.

I wanted to take a few moments to share a bit, as well, specifically around what I really respect about KB. Many people have mentioned her fiery personality and her willingness and ability to make the requests and charge ahead in ways and on topics that most of us weren't willing to do. And while I really appreciated that about KB in many ways, I also really respected her ability to move past conflict, treating it like it deserved to be treated -→ like a thing of the past. I think many of us, including myself, tend to hold on to things and perceptions and conflict. But KB, at least on the outside, seemed to be willing and able to spark the fire and truly let it go out when it was time. My Dad is like that too, and I've always loved that about him. We'd have a blow up, he and I, and then I felt him right by my side again. KB was like that too - and there's a distinct power to that, which we could use a lot more of in our world. You will be missed, KB - and like Bernard said, I hope you're reading this, and smiling that big smile that you would get throughout your whole body! 💖

@Tamara Staton I want to affirm everything said on this page about KB and her commitment to and enthusiasm for climate action and the people she worked with in CCL and MCAT. As the Liaison for OR-3, I could always count on KB to participate in our lobby meetings and take on whatever role was needed. I especially valued her acting skills and political knowledge which she used when she played the role of Rep. Blumenauer during our practice lobby meetings. In addition, she cared deeply about each member of our lobby team, and supported and helped them in any way she could. She will be greatly missed.

KB was everything that has been said here about her. One accolade that I can add is that her climate advocacy work and impact is still felt well beyond CCL.

In 2014, a group of young people wanted to advocate on a state-level for climate change. No one took them too seriously. But, KB -- ever on the outlook for an opportunity to press for climate action -- was one of the few “adults” that stepped forward. She helped them form into Oregon Climate, which put climate action on the Oregon legislative agenda, by introducing one of the first climate bills in the legislature and overflowing two hearing rooms with young climate activists.

Oregon Climate’s -- and KB’s -- pioneering work continues on a national-level through Our Climate, which empowers young people to take climate action. Many of those young, committed activists remind me of KB