The City of Spokane is seeking applicants for a citizen task force that will help create a strategic action plan to identify and address the impacts of climate change and energy security on the City.
"As a City, we've already started to adopt sustainable practices. Our efforts to save energy, reclaim treated wastewater, conserve water, protect our aquifer, and inventory our greenhouse gas emissions are some obvious examples," says Mayor Mary Verner. "The action plan we create will guide us along in this process, acknowledging what we're doing now and identifying what we should do next.”
A $75,000, one year GMA Planning Grant from the Washington State Dept. of Community, Trade and Economic Development (CTED) will pay for the planning work, which will include many opportunities for citizen involvement. The goal is to determine affordable and sustainable solutions to the economic, environmental, and social challenges that may arise from climate change and energy security needs.
The citizen task force will lead the strategic planning effort, supported by work groups and technical assistance from city staff and other experts. Applications for the task force will be accepted until Feb. 20. A City boards and commission application form is attached for those who are interested in applying. In addition, applicants are asked to complete a short supplemental questionnaire.
This project is consistent with Governor Chris Gregoire's recent climate change challenge that encourages local jurisdictions to develop plans to mitigate the impacts of climate change and also with commitments the City made when it signed on to the U.S. Mayors Climate Protection Agreement last February.
A kickoff event for the year-long planning effort was held in early February and was attended by more than 150 people. The event featured a talk by Daniel Lerch, author of the Post Carbon Institute's new guidebook for local governments called "Post Carbon Cities: Planning for Energy and Climate Uncertainty."
"By aggressively preparing for these challenges now, we'll ensure that our children and grandchildren will continue to enjoy living and working here in the future," the Mayor says. |
