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Links to past forum info: |
Community Forum Series
”THE FUTURE IS NOW” NOVATO’S OPTIONS FOR COMMERCIAL & CIVIC GREEN BUILDINGS THURSDAY, APRIL 3, 2008 3:30-6 pm.
Free and open to the public
Keynote "Big picture" speaker: Panama Bartholomy, California Energy Commission and US Green Building Council. Presentation available upon request. Guest panelists:
Forum outcome: A take-away check list of best ideas, practices and persuasive data sets to use in putting together any commercial or civic green building project or enterprise. Moderator, Donn Davy, Vice President and Green Building Chair, Sustainable Novato, and building efficiency consultant, More info from Donn Davy, 415-883-4433. See also www.sustainablenovato.org, CO - SPONSORED BY CITY OF NOVATO AND SUSTAINABLE NOVATO
Link to printable PDF of the Green Schools Forum Flyer
Contact Marie Chan 415-457-0557
October 4, 2007: City Council Candidate Forum, Co-Sponsor with Novato Housing Coalition
"ALL HANDS ON DECK" AT SUSTAINABLE NOVATO'S TRANSPORTATION FORUM Global warming impacts are already serious, fossil-fueled transportation bears much of the blame, and mobility solutions need "all hands on deck", Novatans were told by Bruce Riordan at Sustainable Novato's Community Forum "Transportation and Global Warming" September 20 at NUSD, Novato. Moderator Annan Paterson, President of Sustainable Novato, introduced the evening and outlined goals of the Forum, seeking answers to questions such as "What is the impact of transportation on our climate?" and "What steps can we take now in Novato?" Riordan, a consultant for Metropolitan Transport Commission and Bay Area Air Quality Management District, said 50-60 percent of Marin's carbon emissions come from cars and trucks. "Working together on a range of solutions is key," Riordan said, "There is no single magic bullet." He advised thinking about the whole system. Talking from compelling slides and charts with latest scientific findings, Riordan said unprecedented heat waves, ice cap melting, dwindling Sierra snow packs, rising seas, hotter forest fires, harsher droughts, intensive hurricanes and unusual rainfall were indicators of coming severe climate disruption worldwide if action isn't taken at once. Novatans in the audience offered plenty of ideas how to fix congestion and reduce carbon emissions. Wendi Kallins hailed success of "Safe Routes to Schools" which aims at getting kids to school by bike or foot. "Bikes Belong" enthusiasts called for City of Novato to be more aggressive in getting available money for bike paths to implement the city's bike plan, especially bike lanes over Hwy 101 overpasses to connect boxed-in Hamilton to the rest of Novato, Riordan believes school busing, more flexible school hours and the "green schools" movement should be high-priority solutions. He said non-work trips in Marin account for 76 percent of emissions, against 24 percent for work trips, so a practical shuttle network and overall trip reduction are vital. During the Forum's question-answer period, participants also talked about roadway "repricing", the "London solution" of fees to enter the city's "congestion zone", and a range of economic and financial incentives to reduce trips and fund alternative modes of mobility in Marin. Audience members also discussed mass transit options such as shuttle, rail and bus, as well as plug-in hybrids and electric cars. Andre Angelantoni saw peaking of world oil and gas production as a spur to ways to stretch existing supplies of conventional oil and reduce gasoline consumption and emissions as long as polluting coal or tar do not "recarbonize" transportation. Riordan underscored urgency of action in this decade to get carbon emssions capped and turning downward. So far, U.S. vehicle miles traveled (VMT) are still going up along with population growth, while auto efficiency is actually slightly declining, He outlined a combination of clean fuels, new car "fee-bates", better emissions standards for cars and trucks, improved transit, better bicycle facilities, schools buses, less air travel and more high-speed trains, expanded car sharing and car pooling, smarter growth and land use, "walkable" communities, telework, and transportation planners being impelled to make carbon reduction a central concern. Commenting after the event, Paterson added, "We know what many solutions are, we know what the CO2 reductions have to be, so as climate disruption worsens, we hope politicians take bold action at all levels of government. Sustainable Novato stands ready to work with our community and elected officials to do our part with transportation solutions." Sustainable Novato is making climate protection a priority for their work in the next year. For more information, see www.sustainablenovato.org A tape of the Forum was made and is occasionally re-broadcast on Novato Public Access Television Cable Channel 26. --- Ed Mainland, Secretary, Sustainable Novato, 415-902-6365. Update: Fall 2007 Sustainable Novato co-founds the Novato Independent Business Alliance (NiBA) Contact info on www.amiba.net. June 2007 How do the principles of sustainability apply to Novato and Home Depot?
As always, Sustainable Novato stands ready with our team of expert volunteers to assist the City of Novato in generating local revenue for our vital services and in sensible development and long-term planning to benefit our residents and economy. May 2007, Sustainable Novato joined the Campaign for a Healthy and Prosperous Novato: Stop Home Depot. The coalition includes Marin Audobon, Sierra Club, Novato Democratic Club and many local small businesses. There are many reasons why a Home Depot at Hannah Ranch was a poor idea. It fails every test of sustainabilty: it would havel adversely affected our environment, our local businesses, and our long term community vitality including our sales tax base that supports community services.This big box store will have little investment in our community. They are in business to drain economic resources out of Novato and promote the sale of enviromentally harmful products. Hannah Ranch is an environmentally sensitive watershed and habitat area. It is not currently zoned for retail commercial use. Send letters to the editor to: April 25, 2007 Alternatives to Redwood Landfill Forum “Rethinking Waste: Alternatives to Redwood Landfill” –Sustainable Novato Community Forum April 25 No Wetlands Landfill’s Chair Christopher Gilkerson, David Haskell, and Bruce Baum participated in a conversation with a panel of leading experts about how proposed expansion of Redwood Landfill could impact Novato and Marin; dialogue about promising safer and healthier alternatives, including Marin County’s goals for Zero Waste, prolonging the Landfill’s useful life by shrinking the volume of our waste stream, returning composted greenwaste to the land not the dump. This full event is now being shown on Comcast Cable on Novato’s and Central/Southern Marin Public Access TV (channel 26) check your listings for time and dates. See the website for the Green Coalition for Responsible Waste/Resource Management for excerpts. http://www.novatoadvance.com/articles/2007/03/14/news/news08.txt You Can Make a Difference: Cleaner Energy On March 7 a dynamic group of local representatives and environmental experts convened at Sustainable Novato's “Town Clean Energy Forum” to discuss the opportunities available to us through CCA. Annan Paterson, president of Sustainable Novato, served as panel moderator. Ed Mainland, secretary for Sustainable Novato, was instrumental in bringing the panel of experts together.) By Annan Paterson and Ed Mainland, Special to the Advance Televised on Novato Cable Channel 26 at the Board Room of Novato Unified School District, State Senator Carol Migden, Sixth District Assemblyman Jared Huffman, Marin Supervisors Judy Arnold and Charles McGlashan, and other regional experts in energy took turns discussing how green energy was crucial and that CCA offered outstanding potential to scale up renewables, efficiency and conservation. The forum and interest it received is another sign that Novato can be a leader and “get ahead of the curve” in coping with the new challenges of energy, climate and water that coming years are sure to bring.” The event drew an audience of 60 people, and also included Novato City Manager Dan Keen, Mayor Jeanne MacLeamy, City Council Members Jim Leland and Carole Dillon- Knutson, NUSD School Board President Jennifer Treppa, NUSD Board Member Debbie Butler, and College of Marin Board Chairman Greg Brockbank. Sen. Migden, co-author and sponsor of Assembly Bill 117 which gives California towns authority to purchase bundled clean energy independent of monopoly utilities, celebrated the forum's goals of bringing the public and experts into discussion of CCA. Assemblyman Jared Huffman cited new legislation he was introducing in Sacramento that would move the state ahead on alternative fuels, carbon sequestration and lighting efficiency in the wake of the state's precedent-setting AB32 capping carbon emissions. Huffman said he was particularly enthused about the potential of solar thermal, concentrating the sun's rays to heat steam and power turbines. Supervisor Arnold emphasized how Marin businesses are increasingly “saving green by going green.” She cited recent examples of economic success in growth areas of green building, green power, green financing and green business operation. Arnold served on the Community Choice Aggregation committee on behalf of the City of Novato. “CCA's benefits are looking better and better as we study it further,” reported Supervisor McGlashan, who said the County is devising a CCA business plan with cooperation from all 12 Marin cities. He said that Novato, with San Rafael, are important to make aggregated local bulk purchase of energy and locally produced renewable power feasible while assuring better management of volatility and risk and much faster growth of renewable sources, jobs, skills, and local business opportunities for installers, tradespeople and entrepreneurs. Dawn Weisz from the County of Marin Sustainability Team outlined and discussed the County's study of Community Choice Aggregation, which is now in Phase 2 (see www.co. marin.ca.us/depts/CD /main/pdf/BEST_pdf/CCA/Overview_Marin_Feb22.pdf). Sen. Migden and Paul Fenn, CEO Local Power Inc.and co-author of AB 117, pointed out other CCA advantages: tax-free municipal bonding authority fueled by a revenue stream from electricity bills, lowered risk by diversifying energy sources to include solar, wind, geothermal in a mix that, in Chula Vista's plan, for example, promises to reach 90-percent clean renewable power while still maintain electrical baseload stability. Barbara George, CEO, Women's Energy Matters discussed how stepped-up energy efficiency and conservation would get a boost from CCA. George said CCAs will be able to lodge requests for full efficiency funding with California's Public Utilities Commission. Energy efficiency funds, spent directly in Marin. John Schlag, Vice President of Sustainable Novato and a member and Novato's Strategic Planning Oversight Committee, pointed to a new generation of electric vehicles and hybrid cars, plugged into an increasingly “clean” electrical grid, that could accelerate further reduction of carbon emissions in transportation. Plug-ins could be charged at night when electricity demand is slack then serve to help generate daytime peak grid power when plugged in while parked at work or while shopping. Ken Smokoska of the Sierra Club finished the evening with a call for local response to the “urgency” of global warming. Novato residents will get a chance to see rebroadcasts of the Clean Energy Forum in coming weeks on Novato Public Access Television or through www. sustainablenovato.org. October 2, 2006 Look for us on occasional Tuesdays at the Novato Farmer's Market on Grant Ave. during the summer. We were assisted in Summer 2006 by Annan Paterson, Veronica Valero (Novato Live Well), Sandy Wollenberg, Mischa Buchholz (Suburban Habitat) and Jarman Massie (ZAP Cars). Thank you! We gave out ladybugs, information on less-toxic pest management, and planted seeds both literally and figuratively. Thank you Tyler Thayer, Market Manager www.marincountyfarmersmarkets.org Farmer's Market booth 2006: L. photo: Maggie Rufo, Hungry Owl Project, talks with Ed Mainland, SN Secretary. Rt. photo: Jeanne Santangelo, The Lazy Gardener, wears the hat in the photo on the right. |
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More than 150 people attended a Global Warming Event at Unity in Marin co-sponsored by Sustainable Novato that included a screening of An Inconvenient Truth followed by a moderated panel discussion with question and answer from the audience.
Panel L. to R. John Schlag, Sustainable Marin and Novato; Ken Moskoska, California Sierra Club; Rev. Jeanne Sutter. At the podium: Tamra Peters, Moderater.
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