Perhaps Mark Twain’s most famous aphorism is that “Everybody talks about the weather, but nobody does anything about it.”
Turns out that’s not strictly true. Since the mid 19th-century, if not before, everybody has been doing something about the weather, but not in a good way. The greenhouse gas emissions that most of the industrial world creates through internal combustion engines, factory farms and other fossil fuel uses have been “doing something” about the weather by creating atmospheric pollutants, which accumulate as greenhouse gasses that have raised the temperature of the Earth—and continue to do so.
The City of Healdsburg, like other jurisdictions in Sonoma County, California and elsewhere, has made it a civic policy to mitigate against greenhouse gasses, to the extent a city can. The county’s Regional Climate Protection Authority (RCPA) was formed in 2009 to coordinate climate protection efforts among Sonoma County’s nine cities. Their 2016 target was to achieve county-wide reductions in greenhouse gasses (GHG) by 40% from 1990 levels by 2030, and 80% by 2050.
These goals were updated in 2021, when their Climate Mobilization Strategy (CMS) called for more aggressive goals, including carbon neutrality by 2030 (GHG reductions at 80% below 1990 levels by 2030, and carbon sequestration for the remaining 20% of emissions).
That’s quite a bit to take on, but there’s a role for every segment of the population, including community and regional action, state and federal. It starts at the local level. At their Oct. 17 meeting, the Healdsburg City Council approved a Climate Mobilization Strategy to implement projects, programs and operations that contribute to GHG reduction.
Kickoff Meeting
Monday, Dec. 12, the city is launching the public phase of their Climate Mobilization Strategy with a 6pm town hall at the Healdsburg Community Center. The event will include a project overview and an interactive feedback session for participants.
“We’ll also soon be launching a community survey to gather ideas from community members,” according to Andrew Sturmfels, the assistant city manager who is overseeing the project.
“Post-kickoff, we’ll be working with community groups, and conducting additional public outreach (meetings, surveys, etc.) to gain feedback throughout the process. The final plan will be presented to council for feedback and eventual adoption,” said Sturmfels.
The kick-off event will be managed by Rincon Consultants, which in November was contracted to develop a CMS for Healdsburg. Rincon is an environmental consultancy firm based in Ventura with offices throughout the state, experienced in helping communities develop climate strategies in dozens of California cities.
“The ultimate deliverable is a living, strategic document that lays out actions both the city and community can take to reduce GHGs and be more resilient in adapting to climate change to support meeting RCPA’s GHG reduction goals,” Sturmfels told the Tribune. He hopes for a final adoption by the city in June, 2023.
Earth Day
Between Monday’s kickoff meeting and that June deliverable, several other opportunities for public engagement in the process are planned, including surveys, public meetings and stakeholder meetings, and a final public workshop in May to review the draft CMS and collect community feedback.
Also in that time frame is Earth Day, the spontaneous yet global holiday generally celebrated on April 22. Healdsburg Climate Action, a group of engaged residents interested in doing what they can to support community GHG reduction, is planning an event in the Plaza on Earth Day, to be called “Climate Fest.”
Members of the climate action group include Healdsburg 2040, Indivisible Healdsburg’s Climate Action Team, the Healdsburg Chapter of American Association of University Women (AAUW), AV Film Fest, Healdsburg Noon Rotary and several other local organizations, as well as Healdsburg’s two appointed representatives on the Climate Action Advisory Committee for the Regional Climate Protection Authority, Stephanie Turk and Tyra Benoit.
In addition to offering words of support for the Dec. 12 meeting, Benoit said, “We are also very encouraged that the city will be co-sponsoring the Earth Day Climate Fest with us on April 22… This will be an opportunity to educate and inspire the community about what we can do individually and collectively to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.”
“The timing of the event is ideal in the development of the strategy and will be one of many ways in which the city works to engage the community on the Climate Mobilization Strategy development,” said Sturmfels.
At the Dec. 12 kick-off meeting, several city staff will participate, including Sturmfels, utility conservation analyst Terra Sampson, and several city departments, including public works, planning and community services. An online survey will soon be available for those who cannot attend the event.
Healdsburg Community Center is at 1557 Healdsburg Ave. Snacks and childcare will be provided, and Spanish interpretation will also be available.
