On August 15, 2025, ECOS submitted a letter to the City of Elk Grove regarding their Climate Action Plan, also called the Climate Compass.
Click here to read the letter.
Click here for the attachment to the letter.
Tag Archives: Climate Solutions
A Conversation with SMUD — The 2030 Zero Carbon Plan 10/16/2025
ECOS Climate Change Committee – October Monthly Meeting
Join us for a conversation with Obadiah Bartholomy, Manager of SMUD’s Distributed Energy Strategy, to discuss the efforts that SMUD is making to reach carbon neutrality by 2030.
Speaker: Obadiah Bartholomy, Manager, Distributed Energy Strategy, SMUD
Date: Thursday, October 16, 2025
Time: Social Hour at 5:30 pm, Presentation at 6:00 pm
HYBRID meeting: In-person at Mogavero Architects, 1322 T. St.
And online via Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/6656164155
To phone in: 669-900-6833, Meeting ID: 665 616 4155
“Climate Compass”: Elk Grove’s Plan to Implement Climate, Sustainability, & Resilience Goals – Presentation 8/21/2024
Environmental Council of Sacramento (ECOS) Climate Change Committee Meeting: Thursday, August 21, 2025
Featuring a special presentation on the “Climate Compass”: Elk Grove’s Plan to Implement Climate, Sustainability, & Resilience Goals
Zoom Link to join: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/6656164155 | To phone in: 669-900-6833, Meeting ID: 665 616 4155
And in-person, at Mogavero Architects, 1322 T St., Sacramento, CA
The City of Elk Grove is updating its draft climate action plan, titled the “Climate Compass”.
Intended as a roadmap for climate mitigation and adaptation, it also addresses broader sustainability and resilience efforts.
New measures are proposed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, mainly from transportation and buildings – through policies such as compact development, electric vehicle infrastructure, and building energy efficiency.
City efforts have been led by Carrie Whitlock, Elk Grove’s Long Range Planning Program Manager. She has been working on climate, sustainability, and resilience in Elk Grove since 2019. Previously, Carrie worked on climate change at Oak Ridge National Laboratory; and 20 years for the U.S. State Department and U.S. Agency for International Development, serving in Rwanda and Cambodia.
5:30 PM: Social period (join us for snacks and drinks!)
6:00 PM: Welcome and Introductions
6:10 PM: Carrie Whitlock will overview the Climate Compass and the Climate Compass Dashboard which lists the Compass actions and impacts. Compass comments are due August 15; ECOS and others have submitted comments. Carrie will share her thoughts on how the Compass may be revised in light of the comments received. State legislation calls for carbon neutrality by 2045, a goal that has been made more difficult by federal actions this year.
ECOS Letter
On August 15, 2025, ECOS submitted a letter to the City of Elk Grove regarding their Climate Action Plan, also called the Climate Compass. Click here to read the letter. Click here for the attachment to the letter.
Join the discussion and learn more about the City of Elk Grove climate plans!
After Q&A, we’ll have updates and announcements (open to all).
Updates to include recent Sacramento City & County actions on Natomas development projects.
Decarbonizing California’s Transportation – Is It Working? 7/17/2025
The transportation sector is the largest contributor of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and threatens healthy air quality in communities. What is working and not working in California? Join us for an update of strategies to improve it, and examples of local transportation decarbonization efforts.
Environmental Council of Sacramento Climate Change Committee Meeting: July 17, 2025
Decarbonizing California’s Transportation – Is It Working?
Hybrid meeting: On Zoom and at Mogavero Architects, 1322 T St., Sacramento
Link to join: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/6656164155 | To phone in: 669-900-6833, Meeting ID: 665 616 4155
6:30 PM: Social period (for those in-person) / 7:00 PM: Welcome and Introductions, Zoom start
7:10 PM: California’s Climate Goals Are in Jeopardy! Neil Matouka, Net-Zero California
California’s ambitious decarbonization goals rely on several federal, state, and local implementation policies. This makes our goals vulnerable, given the change in federal administration, and the unpopularity of certain necessary actions at the regional and local levels. Neil Matouka will show us an indicators dashboard for statewide tracking of our climate goals (ZEVs, Renewable Portfolio Standard, land conservation, etc.), and show climate impact resources available to support decision makers and community members.
At Net-Zero California, Neil manages its Clean Power program, developing and implementing data-driven policies to address climate change challenges. Neil launched California’s Fifth Climate Change Assessment at the Office of Planning and Research, and served as the Air Resources Board’s Local Government Climate Action Planning Liaison, working with communities to develop climate solutions and transition to an equitable, low-carbon future.
7:30 PM: Communities Matter! – Environmental imperative, safety imperative, socioeconomic imperative. Larry Rillera, California Air Resources Board
Larry Rillera will present key clean transportation regulations and incentives, and give examples – such as Sacramento’s Green Technical Education and Employment. Larry will also discuss outreach and engagement, and how we can get ready for an upturn.
At the Air Resources Board, Larry serves on interagency teams and public-private-partnership ventures, engaging with communities, tribes, and businesses to decarbonize the transportation sector, including heavy-duty vehicles. At the California Energy Commission, Larry developed financing solutions for solar panel manufacturers, electric vehicle charging stations, and ZEV manufacturing. He has also developed career pathway programs at schools and with community-based organizations.
7:50 PM: Join the discussion!
Questions will include:
- What are opportunities and barriers to decarbonize the transportation sector?
- What is the state of environmental justice in this work?
- How can we at ECOS (and others) get involved?
After Q&A, we’ll have updates and announcements (open to all).
Click here to view the agenda (in PDF).
Make Polluters Pay Rally in Sacramento 5/27/2025
The fossil fuel industry has enjoyed some of the best profit margins in history, while externalizing the costs of their operations onto our health, communities, and our planet. They have known for decades the impacts of their industry pollution on the climate, and they continue to obstruct the energy transition. Big Oil has used these profits to corrupt our government at all levels, and Trump said the quiet part out loud during his campaign, promising big tax cuts and deregulation in exchange for millions in contributions. Now the administration is gutting agencies and programs that protect people and planet, and pursuing the “drill baby drill” agenda.
In California, the word “unprecedented” has started to lose its meaning as wildfires, floods, droughts, sea level rise, and even fire tornados hammer the golden state regularly. And as a potential Trump recession looms, social programs, environmental protection and disaster relief, among others, may face major face cuts as the state budget faces shortfalls. California is on the verge of joining Vermont and New York in creating a Climate Superfund, but we need your support!
It is past time that we hold polluters accountable for the damage they have caused, and make the major investments that our communities desperately need. It is time to Make Polluters Pay! Join us at a peaceful rally in Sacramento at the West Steps of the Capitol from 5 – 7pm on May 27th.
New! Streets for People Draft Plan – Comments due 4/6/2025
New! Sacramento’s Streets for People Draft Plan is out! We want to make it easier for everyone to choose walking, rolling, or biking for the short trips they take every day.
Sacramento’s Streets for People Draft Plan is available for review through April 6. You can comment on the Plan in the link below or by sending staff a comment.
Part two will include completing the Streets for People Active Transportation Plan, with the public review of the Draft Plan available March 5 through April 6, and Plan adoption in summer 2025.
Comment on the draft plan at sacstreetsforpeople.org.
