Chair: Ralph Propper
Climate Action: Ralph Propper, rpropper47[at]icloud[dot]com
Land Use Natomas: Heather Fargo, h-fargo[at]comcast[dot]net
Transportation: Sam Rice, samhrice[at]gmail[dot]com
Green Building: ____________
Environmental Justice: _____________
The Climate Committee makes climate change a primary focus for ECOS advocacy, and a pivot point for its land use, transportation, green building, and environmental justice teams. This interdisciplinary group will meet monthly to discuss issues and plan education, advocacy, and outreach work. The teams and working groups meet more frequently as needed. The Climate Committee invites people to put their minds and energy to these issues.
The Climate Committee advocates for local jurisdictions to meet their own commitments to carbon neutrality by 2030, and achieve the State of California’s mandate to reach net zero carbon by 2045 (per the California Climate Crisis Act, AB1279). To achieve these reductions in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, jurisdictions need to take actions that were until now inconceivable, such as stopping approvals of sprawl development; and increasing taxes to fund a) infrastructure for dense development around transit and b) the transition to all-electric for buildings and vehicles. The committee and its teams will advocate for consistency across jurisdictions in inventorying emissions, setting targets, evaluating climate action methods, verifying GHG reductions, and meeting climate change related laws, regulations and guidelines.
Repository of documents by the Climate Committee . . .
Transportation: Forty to sixty percent of GHG emissions in the Sacramento region are from the transportation sector. Therefore, areas of focus for the Transportation Team are a) the expansion and filling-in of the transit network so that transit becomes convenient to more people; b) the retrofit of streets to prioritize walking and biking; c) the equitable distribution of electric vehicle charging stations; d) improvement of poor air quality in residential areas near freeways and industrial sites; and e) battling against highway expansions and low density development that produces lots of car trips.
The Land Use – Natomas team is an active group under the Climate Change Committee, working to protect habitat and agricultural land in the Natomas Basin. You can learn more about the Natomas working Group here.
Land Use: Development patterns have a huge impact on GHG emissions production, so the Land Use Team advocates for denser mid-rise development around transit through upzoning, inclusionary zoning for affordable units in all new developments, elimination of parking minimums, establishment of parking benefit districts, and transference of development rights, among other things. The Land Use Team focuses on the planning and implementation of infill projects near transit and major community assets; walkable neighborhoods with connected streets, pedestrian paths and bicycle routes; insertion of more urban parks and greenways for shade, recreation and habitat; and preservation of rural open space for habitat, agriculture, and ranchlands, to avoid building in fire and flood prone areas.
Trees for Sacramento exists as an arm of the Land Use Team. You can learn more about them here.
Green Building: The building sector is responsible for about forty percent of the emissions in the County and City of Sacramento. The Green Building Team demonstrates and advocates for advanced sustainability standards for materials, construction, and operations to be incorporated into California building codes and jurisdictions’ ordinances. Also, the team bring creative solutions to the difficult problem of retrofitting existing buildings to all-electric.
Environmental Justice (EJ): The EJ Team brings together experts in housing equity and the effects of institutional racism in planning. It advises on advocacy and outreach strategies; helps to ensure vigorous and effective public participation in Sacramento area jurisdictions’ planning; participates in the anti-displacement activities of Sacramento Investment Without Displacement (SIWD) in the Aggie Square community benefits agreement (CBA) and other future CBAs. This team also addresses homelessness, food security, and public health issues as well. It engages young people and, with the Organizational Development Committee, is starting ECOS YOUTH for the next generation of ECOS leaders.
