Eugene Sustain-a-bull Commission

Commission Retreat Meeting Minutes Wednesday, August 21, 2019 - 5:30 p.m.

Campbell Community Center
155 High St, Eugene, OR 97401

Sustainability Commissioners In Attenance: Chair-Kelsey Zlevor, Vice-Chair Zach Mulholland, Howard Saxion, Ralph McDonald, Art Farley, Greg Ringer, Laura Allen, Louisa de Heer, Julia Johnson, Doug Edwards, Jon Kloor

Staff: Jason Dedrick, Chelsea Clinton, Mark Nystrom Starting time

Chair Zlevor called the meeting to order. She led the Commission in an ice breaker activitiy centered around how climate change effects their lives. Some of the thoughts and themes shared:

Children and family

• Is it safe for my children to go outside and play in the summer because of heat.

• I think about the future world for my children.

• I feel I can’t travel because of ghg emissions.

 

note: perhaps the commissioners will acknowledge that nearly all travel by nearly all modes involves using fossil fuels. Even "electric cars" require substantial fossil fuel and mineral ore inputs to manufacture. They also piggyback on the globalized electronics networks that are completely dependent on fossil fuels and minerals. Electric cars are efficient ways to use finite fossil and mineral inputs, not alternatives to them. They also require roads which are paved with asphalt, the dirtiest part of the oil refining process. Concrete and steel for roads and bridges also require concentrated fossil fuels. Sorry there is no free lunch.

 

 

• I am concerned when I go grocery shopping.

  Nature

• I see stessed trees in the city parks.

• I worry about forest fire danger.
• I am concerned about the lack of snowpack and the smokey air

 

note: it would be nice for the City of Eugene to cease giving permission to private groups to sell tons of fireworks at the start of fire season. Privately local fire departments are angry about this irresponsibility but the City has not dared cease this practice. My guess is the City will only prevent this after fireworks cause a fire storm, but it would be too late.

 

 

 

News

I worry when I watch the news

I am concerned when I read what the science is telling us

Working Agreements

Chelsea Clinton quickly lead the group through a discussion of the working agreements. These agreements are available on the Sustainability Commission Website.

Chair Zlevor offered a couple of “parking lot items” for the Commission to consider in the future:

Roses, Thorns, Buds

Jason led the commission through a discussion of their “roses, thorns, and buds.” Roses represent the celebrations or victories, thorns represent those items that act as limitations, barriers, things that aren’t working, and buds are new ideas, opportunities, and new ways of thinkings. Each Commissioner had an opportunity to put any thoughts on a sticky note and posted on the wall. Then Chelsea and Jason organized the three areas into themes.

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Roses

• Outrach/public Input

• Updated working agreements

• Policy Input on Natural gas, CAP2.0, plastics, and food waste.

• Efficient meetings

• Connections with City Council

• Each area broke into themes

  Thorns

• Cap

• Turst/value/Progress

• Getting stuff done

• Process

  Buds

• CAP2.0

• Outreach

• Emergency preparedness

• Process

• TBL

  Jason then led the commission through a discussion regarding outreach. He asked each Commission to list both their worst outcomes and best outcomes for continuing public outreach. He started asking them to share their worst outcomes.

  Worst Outcomes

  • Public storms city hall (increased awareness leads to a yellow vest style uprising)

 

note: this "riot" scenario is more likely from economic disruptions of energy rationing, not because the City isn't doing anything serious about mitigating climate chaos

 

Talking supplements doing

Miscommunication

Overcommittment

Spending time to get the same answers (nothing useful)

Time burn

Open up to critisim that we did not “do outreach right”

No one responds

City finds out no one cares about sustainability and the Sustainability Commission dissolves

 

note: or the citizens figure out that most of what is marketed as "sustainability" is efficiency at best and greenwashing at worst.

 

Miss under represented people

Fails to

Usual suspects

Opinions do not help with solutions

No unity in the community

Delay in action

Can’t satisfy all opinions

 

note: some opinions are more grounded in facts than others. Nowhere in this report is there even a hint that there are physical limits to growth. The decline of concentrated fossil fuels is a taboo topic for the sustainability industry.

 

 

 

Best Outcomes

Hear the public

More time to address community concerns

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• Greater acceptance

• Inclusion of broader community values

• Get new ideas/proposals

• Public awareness of Sustainability Commission goals

• Building support for Sustainability/City efforts

• Diverse community members

• More involvent in future

• Sustainability commission has something

• Broad community supportbased on timely action by council

• Public awerness

• Get the community pulse

• More community

• Sustainability Commission trusts the Sustainability Commission more

• Eugene leads

• Fresh insights/new perspectives

• Represent all of Eugene

• Batter serving councilors

• Building relationships

• Undeniable policy agenda

• Addresses Sustainability blind spots (representation)

• Strong sense of purpose

• Community buy in

• New ideas grounded in community

• Getting good ideas to take to the City Council

• Turn ideas into solutions

• Build public pressure for action through education

• Council and sustainability Commission responds to public demand for change on key issues

• Better awareness and appreciation of the Sustainability Council

• Help us to fine toune role

  The Commission then pivoted to a discussion of what they intended by “public outreach?”

  Break

  FY2020 Work Plan Development

  Chelsea asked the Commission to write down three ideas for the FY2020 Work Plan. The Commissioners then shared those ideas: (each * indicate an additional supporting opinion)

  • **Outreach/engagement pilot Kelsey, Julia, Laura

  • ******CAP2.0—Collaboration with Lane County Howard

  • **Waste reduction (food waste) Ralph, Art

  • **Business relations (outreach) Doug

  • **Transportation policy (active transit/EV) Howard, Zach

 

note: I guess I should not be surprised that the "Sustainability" Commission declined to include a focus on the planned oversized widening of Beltline highway (options include an 11 lane expansion across the river). Hoping that well to do citizens will buy electric cars and the addition of a couple more MX buses is a distraction from highway expansions and more practical steps that could be done. In 2005, the International Energy Agency sponsored "Saving Oil in a Hurry," an international conference on practical things that could be done to rapidly lower energy consumption in transportation. I later forwarded their summary to Matt McRae, then climate staffperson for the City of Eugene. He said it was a great list. I asked him what he planned to do with this information. He replied he did not plan to do anything with it, but would save it until such time as it might be seen as useful. The start of fracking delayed the arrival of energy rationing, but now fracking is near or at its peak and the downslope looms in our collective future, unacknowledged but on the horizon.

 

Energy used in buildings policy Zach, Howard, Laura

Air quality Louisa, Howard

Disaster preparedness (water, enrgy) (within climate resiliency)

5G (tabled for now)

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• Urban forestry/HB2001 ???

• *Climate resiliency (chronic problem) Art

• Research around other cities’ CAPs

• Outreach around consumption

• Follow up on last year

• EEurban reserve

• Track event policies

• Aerial spraying

• Dietary choices to potentially impact climate change

  There was a discussion about if there are any items on the list that could be tabled or taken off. Then a discussion followed who would be interested in participating in each committee. The list above includes those who were interested. The first person listed will be the chair of that committee.

  The Commission decided to organize the proposed ideas into five categories:

  1. CAP/Climate Mitigation Policy

  2. Outreach

  3. Climate Resiliency Policy

  4. Follow-up from last year

  5. Areas for further research

  6. Emerging issues.

  At this point the Commission agreed it was time to adjourn.

  Adjournment

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Work Plan-Fiscal Year 2020

Overview

The Commission serves as an advisory body to the City Council and City Manager in the development or initiation of programs or actions that will enhance and create sustainable practices within the City and the community. The Commission focuses on the Triple Bottom Line aspects of sustainability - social equity, environmental health and economic prosperity, and advises on policy matters related to:

1. a)  sustainable practices
2. b)  businesses that produce sustainable products and services
3. c)  City building design and infrastructure
4. d)  related issues that directly affect sustainability efforts considered by the council

Core Priorities/Work Items

This Fiscal Year 2020 (FY20) work plan emphasizes core priorities, flexibility, and engagement. The core priorities guide the Commissions focal areas for on-going policy discussion, analysis, and ultimately recommendations to the City Council.

The proposed core priorities and specific policy issues for the Commission in FY20 are the following.

1. Outreach

1. Outreach/Engagement Pilot. Develop a strategy to increase engagement with

   traditionally underrepresented populations in Eugene. The development of the strategy should include planning for meetings outside of the Atrium building and engaging with community partners to develop an effective outreach program.

2. Business Outreach. Search for opportunities to collaborate with Eugene’s business community to facilitate better understanding of sustainable business practices. Help promote and share actions successfully implemented by Eugene businesses.

2. CAP2.0/Climate Mitigation Policy Input. Plan and carry out strategies to educate the community, including neighborhood associations, about the CAP 2.0 Project and solicit community input and involvement around a variety of topics including consumption. Coordinate with Lane County’s emerging sustainability efforts and review other climate action plans. Review the content of the CAP 2.0 process, policies, actions and projected outcomes, and provide feedback to Sustainability staff and/or City Council.

Transportation System Plan (TSP) Implementation (Active Transit and EVs).

Proactively seek opportunities to collaboratively assist City staff as it develops implementation strategies for the TSP that will align proposed projects with the Climate Recovery Ordinance.

 

note: no mention of the massive widening plans for Beltline highway, the largest project the City hopes to have built during the rest of the oil era.

 

Energy Used in Building Policies. Investigate best practices for equitably reducing carbon emissions associated with building energy use in the commercial, industrial, and residential sectors. This work will include natural gas use and the City’s franchise agreement/other avenues. Look for triple bottom-line solutions that are most cost effective.

 

The City continues to permit buildings not oriented for optimum passive solar gain, made from toxic, flimsy materials.

 

 

Waste Reduction Policy. Research policy options to continue to further restrict non- reusable fast food packaging such as straws, cups, clamshell packaging, Styrofoam packaging; prohibit some items or require surcharge, encourage re-usable service ware,

 

note: Most of these ideas were pushed by environmental groups in the late 1980s. A few cities (such as Portland) enacted some of them and then promptly forgot they had done so. The illusion of "plastic recycling" was marketed by the industry and cautions that these claims were lies were ignored.

Good Company, beloved by City of Eugene greenwashers, says on its website they are promoting burning of plastics. It would be helpful for the City to no longer rely on their advice to pretend that pollution is good (as done with their greenwashing of the Seneca incinerator).

 

packaging. Review Eugene’s food waste initiatives and explore ways to extend and

enhance them.
d. Urban Forestry/HB2001. Investigate the interactions between urban forestry and the new

requirements for housing density spelled out in Oregon House Bill 2001 (2019). Research how increasing density can be done in a way that complements increasing canopy cover proposed by the urban forestry program.

 

note: increasing canopy cover and building more buildings are contradictory goals

 

 

3. Climate Resiliency. Review Eugene wildfire and smoke inundation preparedness and mitigation measures. Review City action to foster general neighborhood disaster preparedness, neighborhood organization and communication and collaborate with staff to further these actions.

1. FY19 Follow-Up of Proposals Sent to City Council
   a. Single Use Plastics. Monitor City Council actions to ensure that the polystyrene ban goes

   into effect. Look at other avenues to reduce single use plastics through the Waste

   Reduction Policy Committee.
   b. Northwest Natural Franchise Agreement. Continue to monitor and advise on the

   Northwest Natural Franchise Agreement City Council Discussion. Respond to updates

   through the CAP2.0 Buildings and Energy Committee.
   c. Electric Vehicle Ready Homes. Monitor Action at State Level to ensure appropriate

   progress is made to address the issue.
   d. Home Energy Scoring Requirement for Home Sales and Rentals. Work with staff to

   identify a work session date.

 

note: it would be nice for City code to require passive solar design for new construction, to restore the abolished Solar Access Ordinance, and to require least toxic materials in construction.

e. Tiny and small houses. Monitor Council action to address housing issues including the

need for tiny and small houses.
f. Riverfront Property. Continue to monitor the Riverfront property development and

advocate for adequate greenspace and a robust public process.

 

The Riverside overdevelopments do not need more and more meetings. Rather, the riverfront needs protection as public space not paved over with asphalt and concrete.

 

 

4. Areas for further research

   1. 1 Air Quality. Research factors impacting air quality problems in Eugene. Look for solutions

      that the City can implement and that are sustainable which would improve air quality.

   2. 2 Envision Eugene and Urban Reserves. As the City continues to identify areas for urban

      reserves research how this can be done keeping sustainability in mind.

   3. Track and Field events policy. The City of Eugene will be hosting two major track and field events over the next two years. Research how these events can be sustainable as

      possible and provide input.

Cancellation is the way to incorporate sustainability. Many, if not most, of the out of town attendees will drive long distances or fly on an airplane to watch people run in circles. It has been estimated that eight percent of global greenhouse gas generation is from tourism. Planting a bunch of (non-native) trees is the City's campaign to market the illusion of sustainable aviation for this event. If the City was serious about actual sustainability they would cancel this event ... but that would eliminate the opportunity for the local real estate industry to promote moving to Eugene, the main industry in the region.

 

"Aerial spraying. The impacts of aerial spraying are harmful if not done correctly."

Research if the City has any regulatory authority to make changes.

 

note: it is shocking the "sustainability" commission is claiming that aerial spraying of carcinogens can be done "correctly" But it is even more shocking that the region's foundation funded environmental groups are meakly proposing better regulation, not prevention, of this poisoning.

After complaining to several commissioners about this outrageousness, this sentence was quietly removed from the report. Questions about why this lie was put into the report at all were ignored.

 

Dietary Choices and Climate Change. Investigate the impacts of dietary choices on

climate change and how to best communicate these findings.

1. Emerging Issues. Address unforeseen, but important sustainability-related items presented by the Mayor, City Council, City Manager, Commissioners, or the public, in accordance with the Commission’s adopted operating procedures.

Outcomes

• Provide policy recommendations to Eugene City Council.
• Provide a forum for addressing public concerns related to sustainable policies and practices.
• Provide input to City Council and City Manager on sustainability policies and practices that reflect

community values.

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Proposal to Create Sustainability Commission Committee on Mobile Commission/Commission Outreach Strategy

This proposal suggests the Sustainability Commission creates a committee that will focus on public outreach tactics for the commission, including but not limited to mobile commission meetings, an editorial calendar, and other ideas to be explored.

Need/Purpose

• Provide residents in underserved communities with an understanding of sustainability commission process and their role in it.
• Identify opportunities or concerns residents have regarding sustainability policy in Eugene.
• Identify policies/amenities/services residents would like to see added or improved.
• Bolster Sustainability Commission’s role as “trusted advisor” to council by strengthening

  relationships with residents to inform/adjust work plan.

  In addition, the realization that the commission could do more to engage with the public was a key outcome from the strategic planning retreat in August.

  Committee Charge/Work Product

  The purpose of this proposed committee is to brainstorm and explore public engagement opportunities, both internally (drafting materials for the public) or externally (adjusting meetings to engage with more residents). The committee will seek Commission endorsement of its recommendations/proposed work plan. The recommendations/proposed work plan will be a pilot model of steps the commission can consider for the fiscal year, which can be scaled up or down the following year depending on level of success.

Completion Date and Number of Meetings

In order to begin implementing ideas within a reasonable timeframe, it is suggested that the Committee has a duration of 2 months and a minimum of 2 meetings with the intent to begin implementing approved ideas in 2020.

Meeting Schedule and Agenda Topics

The meeting schedule will be identified as soon as possible after the Commission approves
creation of the committee. Committee members will work with staff to identify meeting times which will likely be during normal business hours. Ideally one committee meeting would be held with City staff so that Commissioners can be informed of logistical barriers or considerations on the part of the city in any public involvement work.

Resources Needed

Additional support or input by other city staff (Human Rights and Neighborhood Involvement) may be needed.

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Proposal to Create Sustainability Commission Committee on CAP Gap Strategies for buildings.

Proposal is to review the Climate Action Plan Gap Strategies for the building sector and help ensure the Gap Strategies document has the information necessary for decision making by Council.

Need/Purpose

The City is working to complete the Climate Action Plan but there is a concern the Gap strategies document lacks sufficient information for informed decision making by Council.

Committee Charge/Work Product

Committee will research and validate cost estimates and make recommendations on ways to improve the document for easy comparison of options.

Completion Date and Number of Meetings

Goal is to hold four meetings over two months and return a work product by the November Commission meeting.

Resources Needed

Staff may want to incorporate Commission research and recommendations into CAP 2.0 documents.

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EUGENE SUSTAINABILITY COMMISSION COMMITTEE PROPOSAL -- FOOD WASTE IMPACTING CLIMATE CHANGE REDUCTION COMMITTEE REV. 2

1. Food waste in the United States is a large component of the release of co2 and methane into the atmosphere—some food items more wasteful than others. American consumers waste 1/3 or more of food purchases.
2. According to the Washington Post, a “Project Drawdown’s team of researchers ranked solutions to global warming; to our surprise, we discovered that cutting down on food waste could have nearly the same impact on reducing emissions over the next three decades as onshore wind turbines. More than 70 billion tons of greenhouse gases could be prevented from being released into the atmosphere. It represents one of the greatest possibilities for individuals, companies and communities to contribute to reversing global warming and at the same time feed more people, increase economic benefits and preserve threatened ecosystems.”

 

Wind turbines have not "reduced emissions." Just because wind farms are installed does not mean that existing fossil fuel combustion facilities are no longer used. The fracking bubble disproves this assertion.

Jeavon's Paradox is an observation that increased efficiency in use of a resource can lead to greater use of that resource. An example is how some people drive more after getting a more efficient car (thinking that this absolves them of their impacts). Most energy uses are cumulative - adding an extra type of consumption does not make the previous practices irrelevant. The main reason coal has been in decline since 1999 in the USA has not been fracking (which started a decade after the peak) but the depletion of the higher quality coal reserves, a topic conveniently ignored by sustainability consultants paid by governments and polluting corporations.

Food waste is a huge problem, but an additional concern not in this report is the availability of food as fossil fuels decline and climate change intensifies.

 

1. The Eugene Sustainability Commission has a unique opportunity to impact community food practices – the city this October will roll out food waste collection citywide, advising residents to recycle food waste in current yard waste recycle bins. This program will not meet full impact potential visa-ve climate change without an effective education program for residents in tandem with curbside pick-up of food waste.
2. Preliminary triple bottom line impact of improved resident diet and food economy: food along with housing is a large cost burden for low income residents – reducing waste saves money for consumer, for government, and reduces impact on climate. Changes to food purchase and food storage practices also may generate new business opportunities – green new deal of food. At the same time Babe O’Sullivan, Sustainability Consumption Specialist at the Oregon Dept. of Environmental quality, reports that higher income Oregonians can improve quality of life by reducing carbon intensive food consumption, a differing profile from low income residents.

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5. However, the proposal is for the Sustainability Commission committee to look at myriad food and food waste issues more narrowly focused on issues greatly impacting climate change – impacting greenhouse gas emissions and carbon sequestration, for example -- with food health and safety, food salvage and composting economies, and other issues noted only as secondary to the climate change issues. Although community sector based greenhouse gas emissions associated with food consumption can be lowered by conservation and composting, resulting in an estimated 6% improvement in overall food consumption emissions (methane capture at landfill, for example), in the life cycle of food embedded energy upstream of food purchase represents a preponderance climate change impact. Oregon Consumption specialist O’Sullivan estimates that acquisition of food, clothing, and building materials in Oregon is a greater impact on climate change than consumption of fossil fuels.

 

note: "acquisition of food, clothing, and building materials" all consume fossil fuels.

 

 

She further states that 25% to 40% of purchased food is never eaten. The committee would look at identifying education opportunities to reduce the carbon footprint of food and food waste in Eugene in the complete life cycle, both sector based and consumption based, toward recommending to City Council specific steps, educational and policy steps, toward mitigation.

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Committee Formation Proposal Eugene Sustainability Commission 2019-2020.

Name: Air Quality Review Committee Background:

Eugene suffers from frequent poor air quality caused by pollen, woodsmoke and wildfires, as well as from heavy industry and other point sources. Where can the city council support the efforts of our regional agency, LRAPA, and where might there be opportunities to take measureable steps that will improve air quality for our community’s health?

Cleaner Air Oregon is a new law passed in the 2018 legislative session and rulemaking and implementation strategies are ongoing. The committee will explore opportunities for the City of Eugene to give support to LRAPA and other agencies as they implement the new state rules. Other opportunities may be found in extending wood smoke programs, and identifying gaps in monitoring and reporting of air hazards, among other opportunities.

Charge:

To offer staff and city council creative ideas and opportunities to improve Eugene’s air quality, address environmental justice issues within our airshed, and implement the Cleaner Air Oregon program in Eugene.

Intended Product:

TBD, but opportunities could be a letter of support for programs in development, and recommendations for budget allocations to strengthen our monitoring and reporting of air quality protections for citizens of Eugene.

Timeline: 4 months. Schedule will be developed by the committee.
Resources needed: Access to data from LRAPA, City of Eugene Toxics Board. Budget, data

collection information, and frequent polluter citations history among other things.

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Resolution In Support of Youth Led Climate Strike Eugene, Oregon on Sept. 20 Beginning a Week of Climate Awareness Actions Through Sept. 27, 2019, Declaring a Climate Emergency, and calling for full implementation of the Eugene, Oregon Climate Recovery Ordinance (CRO) and other immediate measures to restore a safe climate. (DRAFT ONLY REV. 3 09/02/19)

Whereas, On April 22, 2016, world leaders from 174 countries and the European Union recognized the threat of climate change and the urgent need to combat it by signing the Paris Agreement, agreeing to keep global warming well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels and to pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5°C; and

Whereas, On October 8, 2018, the United Nations International Panel on Climate Change (“IPCC”) released a special report, which projected that limiting warming to the 1.5°C target this century will require an unprecedented transformation of every sector of the global economy over the next 12 years; and

Whereas, On November 23, 2018, the United States Fourth National Climate Assessment (“NCA4”) was released and details the massive threat that climate change poses to the American economy, our environment and climate stability, and underscores the need for immediate action to address a climate emergency at all levels of government; and

Whereas, According to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS), global temperatures in 2018 were .83°C (1.5°F) warmer than the 1951 to 1980 mean, and the past five years are collectively the warmest in modern history; and

Whereas, The increased and intensifying wildfires, floods, rising seas, diseases, droughts and extreme weather brought on by global warming demonstrates that the Earth is too hot to be a safe environment; and

Whereas, World Wildlife Fund’s 2018 Living Planet report finds that there has been a 60% decline in global wildlife populations between 1970 and 2014, with causes including overfishing, pollution and climate change; and

Whereas, According to the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services, human activity has already severely altered 40% of the marine environment, 50% of inland waterways, and 75% of the planet’s land, and it is projected that half-to-one million species are threatened with extinction, many within the next few decades; and

Whereas, The United States of America has disproportionately contributed to the climate emergency and has repeatedly obstructed global efforts to transition toward a green economy, and thus bears an extraordinary responsibility to rapidly address these existential threats; and

Whereas, Restoring a safe and stable climate requires accelerated actions to reach net zero greenhouse gas emissions across all sectors to end the 6th mass extinction of species, and to

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protect all people and species from the increasingly severe consequences of climate change; and

Whereas, prompt transition to sustainable economic practice rather than growth for maximal profit is critical for providing a healthy biosphere and watersheds, and for sustaining ecosystems for human populations as well as for Earth’s other complexly interrelated species; and

Whereas, A sweeping transition to clean energy systems that centers on equity and justice in their solutions is vital to our future and must include the following goals: dramatically expand existing renewable power sources and deploy new production capacity with the goal of meeting 100% of national power demand through renewable sources; build a national, energy-efficient, “smart” grid; upgrade every residential and industrial building for state-of-the-art energy efficiency, comfort and safety; eliminate greenhouse gas emissions from manufacturing, agricultural and other industries, including by investing in local-scale agriculture in communities across the country; repair and improve transportation and other infrastructure, and upgrade water infrastructure to ensure universal access to clean water; fund massive investment in the decrease of greenhouse gases; make “green” technology, industry, expertise, products and services a major export of the United States, with the aim of becoming the international leader in helping other countries become greenhouse gas neutral economies and bringing about a global transition from fossil fuels; and

Whereas, Marginalized populations in Eugene, Oregon and worldwide, including people of color, immigrants, indigenous communities, low-income individuals, people with disabilities, and the unhoused are already disproportionately affected by climate change, and will continue to bear an excess burden as temperatures increase, oceans rise, and disasters worsen; and

Whereas, Addressing climate change fairly requires transitioning from fossil fuels to clean, renewable energy that is ecologically sustainable and equitable for all people, especially those most impacted by climate change already and those who will be most impacted in the future; and

Whereas, People around the world have a fundamental human right to clean, healthy and adequate air, water, land, food, education, healthcare, and shelter; and

Whereas, The economy must shift from dirty energy that benefits fossil fuel companies to energy democracy that benefits our people, environment and a clean, renewable energy economy, from funding new highways to expanding public transit, from incinerators and landfills to zero waste products, from industrial food systems to food sovereignty, from car-dependent sprawl and destructive unbridled growth to smart urban development without displacement, and from destructive over-development to habitat and ecosystem restoration; and

Whereas, Building a society that is resilient to the current, expected, and potential effects of climate change will protect health, lives, ecosystems, and economies, and such resilience efforts will have the greatest positive impact if the most dramatic potential consequences of climate change are taken into account; and

Whereas, Climate justice calls for climate resilience planning that addresses the specific experiences, vulnerabilities, and needs of marginalized communities within the City of Eugene who must be included and supported in actively engaging in climate resilience planning, policy, and actions; and

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Whereas, Actions to eliminate greenhouse gas emissions and/or decrease greenhouse gases may be taken in ways that also improve resilience to the effects of climate change, and vice versa; and

Whereas, Climate justice requires that frontline communities that have historically borne the brunt of the extractive fossil-fuel economy, participate actively in the planning and implementation of this mobilization effort to address climate change at all levels of government and that they benefit first from the transition to a renewable energy economy; and

Whereas, Nearly 400 cities, districts and counties across the world representing over 34 million people collectively have recently declared or officially acknowledged the existence of a global climate emergency, including Hoboken, San Francisco, Berkeley, Los Angeles, Montgomery County, Oakland, Richmond, and Santa Cruz in the United States, Bristol and London in the United Kingdom and many cities in Australia, Canada, and Switzerland; and

Whereas, Eugene, Oregon, the home of a major research university and a trailblazer municipality by enacting a Climate Recovery Ordinance into city policy, can hereby support this local youth lead climate emergency mobilization as endorsed by numerous local environmental and civic groups including Sunrise Movement Eugene, 350 Eugene, Extinction Rebellion Eugene, and others; therefore be it

Resolved, The Sustainability Commission of the City of Eugene declares this Resolution of Support for the city-wide emergency Climate Strike Sept. 20 to Sept. 27, 2019; and also the Sustainability Commission, as trusted advisor to the Eugene City Council, urges Council to declare support for these actions toward restoration of a safe and sustainable climate.

THE EUGENE SUSTAINABILITY COMMISSION