Climate Action Blog Series: New Ad Hoc Committee Advances Council’s Sustainability & Climate Action Planning

Learn more about the City’s plans to enhance community engagement on proposed sustainability goals and actions and ways to join the conversation

In early 2020, the City of Palo Alto launched an update to the Sustainability and Climate Action Plan (S/CAP) to develop the strategies needed to meet our goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 80% by 2030 and other community-wide sustainability goals. On April 19, 2021, a Sustainability and Climate Action Plan Ad Hoc Committee was formed by the City Council to engage with community stakeholders, domain experts, and activists and complement existing efforts on this important priority. The new ad hoc committee, which meets monthly on the second Thursday at 9 a.m., will help guide the development, implementation, communication, and future community engagement of the S/CAP process. This work will support finalizing the development of the S/CAP update, which is slated for Council adoption in early 2022. Read on to learn more about the Ad Hoc kickoff meeting, their workplan over the next several months, and ways to share input on this important community priority.

INAUGURAL AD HOC MEETING

The City Council established the Ad Hoc in April to engage with community stakeholders, domain experts, and community activists. Other Council actions at the same meeting that related to the S/CAP update included supporting the policy framework as presented (go here) and asking staff to pursue the actions that are listed from 2021–2024. Council direction also included further developing other related changes as noted in the specific motion here.

On August 12, 2021, 86 participants joined the inaugural meeting of the S/CAP Ad Hoc Committee meeting, which includes members Vice Mayor Burt and Council Member Cormack. During the public comment period, 40 participants discussed various themes to help further the sustainability planning work that is underway including:

• taking action on climate change without delay
• devoting resources and developing a financing plan for S/CAP implementation
• focusing on key issues such as renewable energy, resilience, electrification, sea level rise, and housing
• having a California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) review of the S/CAP update
• increasing outreach, partnerships, and collaboration

Two main themes discussed by community members attending the meeting include the S/CAP adoption timeline and the necessary environmental review. Both of these topics are expanded on below.

S/CAP Timeline: Several community members commented on the need to expedite the S/CAP adoption. The S/CAP update seeks to provide a roadmap to meet the City’s aggressive sustainability goals, including reducing GHG emissions 80 percent below 1990 levels by 2030 (the “80 x 30” goal). It’s important to note that while development of the S/CAP update is underway, implementation and financing planning have begun on certain items already approved by the City Council.

In addition, several items are in development or about to be launched, such as: residential program services and incentives to promote voluntary electrification of water heating; space heating; cooking; clothes drying and other appliances that use natural gas; expanding bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure; promoting incentives for electric vehicles (EVs) and EV chargers; developing a “One Water” portfolio for Palo Alto; completing a Sea Level Rise Vulnerability Assessment; developing programs to increase Palo Alto’s tree canopy; and expanding the Disposable Foodware Ordinance to eliminate single-use disposable cups and containers.

California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Review Requirements: Several community members provided input about the required California Environmental Quality Act process. CEQA is a California statute that requires state and local agencies to analyze the potential environmental impacts of their actions, determine and disclose if those impacts are significant, and avoid or minimize impacts, as applicable and feasible. CEQA review of the S/CAP will establish it as a CEQA-reviewed GHG emissions reduction plan, on which future priority projects considered by the City can rely. This will help streamline the environmental analysis and ensure cost savings and more rapid implementation of future S/CAP-related projects.

It should be noted that the CEQA review of the S/CAP update does not necessarily delay early S/CAP implementation. There are several S/CAP update-related programs, projects and initiatives that were planned as part of the 2018–2020 Sustainability Implementation Plan, and as such have components already in progress, with Council approval. Those select early implementation steps can proceed in parallel with CEQA review.

The recording of the meeting can be found here and the PowerPoint presentation can be found here. All Ad Hoc meeting materials will be posted here.

HARNESSING THE POWER OF THE COMMUNITY TO REACH SUSTAINABILITY GOALS

The City recognizes the urgency and importance of strong action on climate change and is committed to reaching our goal of reducing GHG emissions 80 percent below 1990 levels by 2030 (the “80 x 30” goal). To do that, we need the community’s help from stakeholders, domain experts and activists. The City is seeking community members to participate actively in the S/CAP update process. Read more in this section and sign-up for a topic you are passionate about.

Volunteering with the City

An important aspect of the work underway is engaging the community and offering ways for them to volunteer to help move the plan forward.

Areas of volunteer focus include:

Emissions Reductions

• Buildings (Commercial and Residential): focus areas include Energy Efficiency, Natural Gas Reduction and Electrification, and Sustainable Buildings.
• Transportation: focus areas include Electrification of Vehicles, Transit/Trip Reduction and Micro Mobility
• Land Use (including Urban Design)

Climate Adaptation

• Sea level rise
• Wildland fires mitigation and response
• Resilient electric utility, including microgrids, local generation, and storage

Policy Collaborations (local, state, federal and international levels)

Advocacy and Implementation

Metrics and dashboards, other partners, etc.

If you are interested in volunteering to be an S/CAP Domain Advisor e-mail City staff at sustainability@cityofpaloalto.org and note your area of interest from the list above.

Making An Impact At Home

While the S/CAP update is underway, there are several things you can do to act to further the community’s sustainability goals.

SWITCH TO ELECTRIC APPLIANCES: Do you want to learn more about how to switch to electric appliances in your home? Are you ready to take the next step in efficiency and electrification upgrades in your home? The Home Efficiency Genie can help. To learn more about the Home Efficiency Genie and get information about efficiency and electrification upgrades and programs, visit here.

BIKE AND WALK MORE: Road transportation represents the largest percentage of Palo Alto’s existing carbon footprint — and a congestion headache. Reducing emissions from the transportation sector requires addressing three things: reducing the carbon intensity of fuels, increasing vehicle efficiency, and reducing the number of miles travelled in a vehicle. To learn more about reducing the number of miles you drive by switching to bicycling and walking in Palo Alto, visit here.

OPT FOR AN ELECTRIC VEHICLE: President Biden recently announced a target of 50% of new vehicles sold in the US to be electric by 2030. Our city ranks as one of the top in the nation to embrace this clean technology. Electric Vehicles (EVs) now account for more than 30% of new car sales in Palo Alto — the highest adoption rate in the country. Driving and charging an EV in Palo Alto especially makes sense given the City’s carbon neutral electricity supply and low electric retail rates. To learn more about EVs, EV Chargers, and available rebates, visit here.

SAVE WATER YEAR-ROUND: As of late April 2021, parts of the Bay Area, including Palo Alto, are considered to have entered an extreme drought phase. Fragile local water supplies are stressed by decreased precipitation associated with climate change in some areas of the state. To learn more about actions you can take to save water year-round, visit here.

PREPARE FOR WILDFIRES: Whether you live in the Foothills of Palo Alto or the flatlands closer to the Bay, preparing for wildfires makes a lot of sense. The City of Palo Alto works every year to minimize the risk; we have a multi-functional team that works on our wildfire risk reduction programs. To learn more about steps you can take to prepare for wildfires, visit here.

CARE FOR OUR URBAN FOREST: Sustainability is not only about mitigation, adaptation, and resilience, but also regeneration — identifying opportunities for renewal, restoration, carbon sequestration, and growth of our natural environment. To learn more about Palo Alto’s Urban Forest and available tree care resources, visit here.

REDUCE WASTE: Zero Waste is sustainable materials management — seeking to eliminate waste wherever possible first and foremost, and then managing the discards we do have through reuse and recycling/composting. To learn more about upcoming Zero Waste Events and how you can reduce waste, visit here.

For the City’s sustainability website to learn more, go here.

JOIN THE CONVERSATION AT THE NEXT AD HOC MEETING

The Ad Hoc meetings are open to the public and are ways to hear from the community on specific sustainability related goals and actions. The next Ad Hoc meeting is set for September 9, with a focus on residential building electrification. Join the discussion by registering below and logging in from 9:00–11:30 a.m.

The September meeting topics include:

• Residential building electrification, including electrification retrofits, low-income programs, and financing programs.
• An overview of the third draft of the S/CAP Goals and Key Actions
• A review of the draft 3-Year Implementation Plan
• A summary of the AECOM Impact Analysis Memo

Registration is required in advance of the meeting. Register here.

MORE ONLINE RESOURCES

• For the April 19, 2021 staff report on sustainability, go here and here for the meeting minutes and meeting recording.
• For details on the City’s Sustainability and Climate Action Plan process go here: www.cityofpaloalto.org/climateaction
• For the City’s Sea Level Rise Website: www.cityofpaloalto.org/sealevelrise
• For more on the City’s Electrification programs, go here: www.cityofpaloalto.org/electrification
• For more on programs focused on Electric Vehicles and Chargers: www.cityofpaloalto.org/electricvehicle
• For details related to Home Composting, go here.
• For more on Zero Waste programs, including tools to avoid food waste, go here.
• For more on the City’s Green Building Program including Trainings, go here.
• For the City’s Safe Routes to School programs, go here.