Community Climate Action Advisory Panels
During the spring of 2011 the Department of Environment Climate Team convened five community advisory panels to provide feedback and help shape the update to our Community Climate Action Strategy (CCAS). Each of the five panels addressed key sectors, challenges and opportunities presented by the CCAS as well as the connection between climate policy, green jobs and underserved communities. Below is a description of each of the panels. To read their recommendations please see their Letters to the Mayor. Many of the recommendations have been incorporated into the CCAS and the San Francisco Carbon Fund.
Gray to Green, Urban Greening and Climate Change
The Gray to Green Panel was chaired by Superintendent Ana Alvarez from the Recreation and Parks Department and brought together community and neighborhood organizations and partners in urban greening to look at the role trees, gardens and green spaces play in supporting our climate action goals and community climate resiliency and offer ideas for how the City could better support the activities of organizations dedicated to furthering this work. Members of this panel included Dan Flanagan and Doug Wildman of Friends of the Urban Forest, Arden Bucklin-Sporer of the Green Schoolyard Alliance, Jeffrey Betcher of Quesada Gardens Initiative, Emma Pickering of ICLEI USA, Peter Brastow of Nature in the City, Laura Tam of SPUR, Julia Brashares of SF Parks Trust, Casey Allen of SFUAA and Mei Ling Hui SF Environment Urban Forest, Calla Rose Ostrander SFEnvironment Climate Team.
New Century Transportation, Moving the Future Forward
The second panel, New Century Transportation, focused on shifting modes of transportation from single occupant vehicles to shuttles, car shares, walking, biking and public transportation. New Century Transportation advisors reviewed and provided comment to the SFMTA's Community Transportation Climate Action Strategy. Members of this panel were as follows: Marc Caswell of San Francisco Bike Coalition, Angelique Mahan Coalition for San Francisco Neighborhoods, Rick Hutchinson of CityCarShare, Beth Thomas of Caltrans District 4, Gary Bauer of Bauer Transportation, Marc Geller Plug-in America, Elizabeth Stampe WalkSF, Dan Bowermaster of PG&E, Laura Schewel of StreetLight Data, Timothy Papandreou and Peter Brown of San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, Liz Brisson of San Francisco County Transportation Authority, Bill Zeller and Mari Hunter of SF Environment Clean Air Team, and Janelle Fitzpatrick Environment Now , Calla Rose Ostrander SFEnvironment Climate Team.
Energy Independence, Global Technologies and Local Solutions
The panel convened to look at the energy sector, Energy Independence, focused on the role of natural gas in our buildings carbon footprint as renewable electricity options were simultaneously being addressed by the Mayors 100% Renewable Energy Task Force. This panel was co chaired by Zachary Brown of BOMA and Jeanine Cotter of Luminalt and included Cal Broomhead and Danielle Murray of SFEnvironment, Kristen Parrish of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Pauli Ojea Environment Now Jobs Coordinator, Friday Werner Home Energy Improvement Program, Jonathan Kevles of Kevles Consulting, and Chris Chappelle from SunWater Solar, Calla Rose Ostrander SFEnvironment Climate Team.
The Business Council
While negative pressure from some big businesses has been a sticking point for climate policy at the Federal level, several distinguished and innovative members of the San Francisco business community participated in the business advisory panel and fully endorse the City’s aggressive emission reduction goals. The Business panel was convened by the Business Council on Climate Change, and included representatives from Arup, Bentley Prince Street, Blue Shield of California, Cole Hardware, Gap in., Google, Hilton, New Resource Bank, PG&E, Safeway, True Market Solutions, Wells Fargo, and Yahoo! Inc. Calla Rose Ostrander SFEnvironment Climate Team.
Economic Prosperity, Jobs, & Environmental Justice
Historically environmental policy has been presented as an either or choice with economic development. At the same time many of our communities which are most in need of economic development and opportunities are those that are most negatively impacted by pollution and poor environmental conditions. This panel looked at the potential impacts that local climate policy could have on economic development and how to link green policies with local job creation while keeping our values of environmental justice at the table. The panel was chaired by Anne Eng Environmental Justice Program Manager at the Department of Environment and included Ingrid Brostrom of Center on Race, Poverty & The Environment, Laurie Bernstein of Goodwill Green Academy, Ian Fernando of the Mayor's Office of Economic and Workforce Development, Theresa from People Organizing to Demand Environmental & Economic Rights (PODER), Rachel Medema of California Interfaith Power & Light: Steve Suzuki of Asian Neighborhood Design, Ken Kloc of Environmental Law & Justice Clinic at Golden Gate School of Law, Helen Kang Golden Gate University, Kevin Danaher of Global Exchange, Neal Hatten of BVHP YMCP and Donald Oliveira, Green Jobs Coordinator, Calla Rose Ostrander SFEnvironment Climate Team.
