For Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, the environment isn’t just a concern, it’s the reason he’s running for president.

The 68-year-old Inslee told a crowd of about 400 Rossmoor Democrats Tuesday afternoon that he wasn’t looking to get in the race until he saw that none of the other candidates was making the nation’s environmental concerns a priority.

“My last days on Earth, I wanted to be able to look my three grandkids in the eye and say I did everything possible” to address climate change, Inslee said. It was a sentiment that struck home with many from the senior-living community in Walnut Creek.

“I thought he was terrific,” said Casse Tzur of Rossmoor. “I believe we’re in an environment crisis and this is the only planet we have.”

There’s nothing halfway about the measures he’s proposing. Inslee has called for rapidly transitioning from coal and fossil fuels to 100% renewable energy by 2035. He wants to end gas-powered buses and light- and medium-duty vehicles even sooner, in 2030.

Inslee was even willing to give a shout-out to a rival when it came to environmental ideas. He argued that in order to be serious about climate-change legislation and keep Congress from blocking needed bills, “we have to get rid of the filibuster.’’

Since Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren is the only other Democratic candidate in favor of ending the filibuster, “How ’bout a round of applause for Elizabeth Warren?” Inslee asked.

He brushed aside any suggestion that his climate change agenda is too optimistic in its timing, too expensive and too likely to disrupt the nation’s economy.

“We have done this technological innovation before,” he said. “All we need is a spark,” and that’s what he and his campaign intend to provide.

Communities like Rossmoor are taking measures to protect the environment, but that’s not enough, Inslee told reporters after the town hall meeting.

To make the dramatic environmental changes Inslee says the country immediately requires, “we need national help,” he said. “Rossmoor can’t require auto companies to start building electric cars en masse. They can’t stop the use of coal.”

He also warned the crowd, members of one of the nation’s largest Democratic clubs, that they have to focus on one thing: beating President Trump in November.

“Don’t let anger blind us to our job,” he said. Even if the eventual Democratic nominee isn’t someone they backed and even if they don’t totally agree with them, “We’re going to be unified. There’s no other option.

Inslee was in Southern California on Monday and admitted that the prospect of the state’s early primary next March has made him a regular visitor.

Anything that gives more political clout to California is a good thing for everyone in the West, Inslee said, because “it’s about time we had a West Coast president.”

Earlier in the day, Inslee appeared on The Chronicle’s “It’s All Political” podcast, talking about the advantages of a governor in a presidential campaign.

As governor, Inslee said he has had to deal with a wide range of issues, make personnel decisions and be the person responsible for everything that happens in his state, good and bad.

It’s the good stuff he’s going to be talking about.

“I’ve simply had a record of frankly tremendous success around progressive values,” Inslee said, pointing to his support for programs like the nation’s highest minimum wage, a robust family and medical leave policy, gender pay equity, and education pay raises.

“Climate change is a priority, but my experience is a value,” he added.

But while four of the country’s past seven presidents have been governors, the three in this year’s mix — Inslee, Steve Bullock of Montana and former Gov. John Hickenlooper of Colorado — are all struggling to break the 1% mark in the RealClearPolitics polling average.

Unlike senators, governors don’t have a national profile, Inslee said, noting that former governors-turned-presidents Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton also lagged in the early polls.

Inslee is confident that will change as voters learn more about him.

Despite spending 16 years in Congress, serving a stint as a state legislator and working in the Clinton administration, “I’m one hell of a lot better potential president than I was six years ago, before I served as a chief executive.”

John Wildermuth is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jwildermuth@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @jfwildermuth