Font ResizeEl Cerrito is gearing up to fight climate change both short- and long-term.
Activities run the gamut from volunteers planting trees on Saturday to identifying shovel-ready projects to spend at least $123,000 in stimulus money to forming a climate coalition of residents and businesses to advise life-style changes that will do the most good.
It's doing so in a context of cities around the world that aren't waiting for national governments to cooperate against global warming, the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives. Its slogan: "Local Governments for Sustainability."
In that spirit, "we measured our [climate change] footprint recently," explained council member Janet Abelson, "and very little is due to government itself. Two percent is from the city, 45 percent from transportation, and the rest from residences and businesses."
So, while taking advantage of immediate outside funding to improve the public sector, the city is planning a year of forums and focus groups to forge a Climate Action and Resiliency Plan, identifying everyday practices that can be changed to greatly reduce human impact on the environment.
Saturday's Green Team tree-planting effort calls on residents to find appropriate public spaces and organize friends to plant trees provided free by the public works department 9 a.m.-noon. A party follows at city hall until 2 p.m., hosted by the Environmental Quality Committee.
Volunteers
The division represents a broadening of the city's scope in 2007 from recycling only to a range of environmental challenges, with new personnel filling redefined positions.
The division reports to assistant city manager Karen Pinkos, who noted, "We really try hard to get as much public input as we can. It's really gratifying. A lot of towns in this county don't have as much focus on this as we do."
Environmental analyst Maria Sanders was hired in June to organize the yearlong climate action planning process. But with federal American Recovery & Reinvestment Act stimulus funds coming to localities through the California Energy Commission, her immediate task is to identify shovel-ready energy-saving projects.
El Cerrito is slated to get as much as $123,000 of federal stimulus money to use for municipal facilities retrofits. The money may be spent on retrofitting energy-efficient lighting in city parks and possibly the Ohlone Green- way, depending on federal approval, Abelson said.
Sanders is applying to get even more of the $276 million in federal funds allotted to the California Energy Commission by qualifying for energy efficiency conservation block grants.
Meantime, she is soliciting residents and leaders to attend workshops and meetings beginning in late October and early November so the community can identify how everyone can reduce their environmental impact.
"We'll probably start with a couple focus groups for residents and a couple for businesses," she said. "We'll have meetings with different community groups: faith-based, environmental and civic." No events have been scheduled yet. Interested parties can sign up to participate by contacting Sanders at 215-4351 or msanders@ci.el-cerrito.ca.us.
Council member Ann Cheng is confident the forums will attract a lot of participants, based on response to the Environmental Quality Committee composed of volunteers.
"It's been meeting for a year and a half," she said. "It has been a galvanizing effort, with more participation than any other committee.
"Developing a climate action plan fits the general consciousness of the whole Bay Area; it's something people can glom onto ... a good fit for El Cerritans. The key to making it successful is getting their recommendations on how to use our lands and plan around transit, beyond automobiles."
