In Local 20/20’s regular PT Leader column, on November 12, 2025, Cindy Jayne shared how climate, energy, birds and jazz all come together in Port Townsend on November 15th at the For the Birds concert will pre-concert energy talks.
Climate, Energy, Birds and Jazz on Nov 15th
By Cindy Jayne
What do climate, energy, birds and jazz have in common? You likely are aware of the energy and climate tie – energy usage, whether it be the energy we use to heat our homes or to power our cars, is a major contributor to the greenhouse gases that drive our changing climate. And how do birds come into play? Birds are impacted by the changing climate in many ways. For example, the timing between birds relative to their food sources (insects, berries, etc.) is shifting in ways that don’t necessarily align. One may be based on length of daylight and the other on temperatures, and while temperatures are shifting, daylight timing is not. One tragic outcome is that we are seeing more baby birds being born when their normal feeding insects are not available.
Now for the jazz tie – on November 15th, the Nelda Swiggett Jazz Quintet is again coming to the Olympic Peninsula, this time for a multimedia jazz concert titled “For the Birds”. The performance engages the power of artistic expression — live music, spoken words, images and poetry — to connect audiences deeply and emotionally to the scientific realities of climate change, through the lens of birds. As happened with the 2023 production of The Alaska Suite by the same composer, audiences leave the performances of “For the Birds” with a sense of community, feeling empowered to take meaningful action.
And to help with that empowerment, the Port Townsend concert will be preceded by fast-paced talks by local energy experts. Kicking off at 6 PM, Kyle Chase from Jefferson PUD will share the latest energy efficiency opportunities and rebates. This will be followed at 6:15 pm by Krista Myers of Frederickson Electric who will describe how heat pumps, EV chargers, batteries, and solar panels can improve your home’s efficiency all while reducing your impact on the environment Andy Cochrane of Power Trip Energy builds on that at 6:30 PM by describing in more detail the benefits of solar energy and how it ties in both literally and figuratively with our Pacific NW grid. So, by the time the concert starts at 7 PM you will be well informed about possible actions homeowners and others can take!
There will be two opportunities to see the concert on November 15th, hosted by Local 20/20 and Olympic Climate Action. The Nelda Swiggett Quintet will be performing in Port Angeles at 2 PM in Port Angeles at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church at 301 E Lopez Ave, and at 7 pm at the Quimper Unitarian Universalist Fellowship Hall at 2333 San Juan Ave, Port Townsend. Learn more and get concert ticket information at L2020.org/forthebirds. Note: we will be using the Port Townsend concert to do a food drive for the Jefferson County Food Bank Association, given the current SNAP challenges. Bring your non-perishable, non-expired food to QUUF and Local 20/20 will collect it up and get it to the local food banks.
Bio: Cindy Jayne is a steering council member of Local 20/20 and has led its climate group for the last 12 years.
