November 2, 2021 Agenda & Meeting Notes PSAC

November 2, 2021 Minutes

President’s Sustainability Advisory Council
Agenda & Meeting Notes
November 2, 2021  2-3:30 p. m. 

Presidents' Climate Leadership Commitment (PCLC) Deadlines

• April 5, 2022 Climate Action Plan
• Implementation Plan

Important Links:

• Resilience Assessment Summary
• Sustainable SSU Website
• PSAC Folder
• PSAC Charter
• PSAC Membership
• PCLC Introduction
• PCLC Time Line
• Fall 2020 Snapshot
• Listserve: Sign up here
• Something to Share? / Sustainable SSU (sonoma.edu)

Members Present

Claudia Luke, Megan Varnadore, Cody Smith, Michael Dominguez, Kirsten Tellez, Kindra Kautz, Jenifer Barnett, Mark Perri, Julia Gonzalez, Nancy Keller, Mary Gomes, Annie Greaney, Molly Clemons, Madison Hayes, Claudia Mayo, David Chun (sent sub), Madison Annala

Members Absent

Merith Weisman, Barbara Frohlech, Justine Law

Additional Attendees

Christopher Halle, Alicia Hodenfield, Jestina Casas (for David Chun), Jordan Daniels (EcoShift), Sydney Kale, (studentprigs), Olivia Hughes

2:00-2:05 Introductions & Announcements

• Second Nature’s Climate Action Pursuit - 10 seats for faculty and staff; 20 seats for students. Second Nature is replacing their annual in-person meeting with four virtual conferences. Last one: December 9-10 (Alicia)

2:05-2:30 Guest Presentation (Dr. Chris Halle, Center for Environmental Inquiry)

• Rising Waters: Engaging Students and Faculty in Sustainability Challenges Center for Environmental Inquiry - NGO’s and Faculty link Connections between the students and real world challenges. Flooding, Invasive Aquatics. Rising Waters initiative – Study complex high priority issues – involve students Steering committee – made up of external partners – Sonoma Water, RRWA, City of RP, more Kick off 2018 -- First year workshop – Sept 2021 Homelessness and watersheds 1. Where are services needed to reduce water quality impacts? a. Resource mapping instead of Impact / Location mapping b. Resource mapping next steps? i. In field data collection ii. Protecting privacy of people/location iii. Water quality sampling/data collection 2. What are the economic, social and political barriers to providing sanitation services a. Shower bus/restroom trailer b. Portable toilets c. Portland Loo d. Expand hours at existing facilities e. Do nothing – significant costs i. Hazardous waste clean up $60k per encampment ii. Law suits – violation of Clean Water Act - up to $100M f. Identify all the costs can cities or counties receive credits from water quality regulators to install 3. How can we better align investments across all sectors? a. Develop an inventory of organizations and individuals that work on homeless/water quality issues in So. Co. b. Knowledge mapping – connecting to what organizations do 4. Not in my back yard (NIMBY) issues a. Misconceptions and frustration by Student teams, public and homeless advocates b. Education / public media / story campaign 5. Water quality sampling – to start this year Molly Clemons would like to connect Christopher Halle and GEP club Mark Perri suggested Christopher connect with Laura Watt for mapping Featuring profiles of Sonoma County homeless… connect organizations – local newsletters Creek week connection – Julia Gonzalez What can we do to help our leaders make changes? How can academic resources be applied to these projects? Students having an impact.

2:30-2:40 Climate Action Plan & Implementation Update (Jordan Daniels, EcoShift)

Update on Climate Action Plan, carbon neutrality road map completed earlier this year. Quantitative goals to get to carbon neutrality by 2043. Working on qualitative plan now…gathering policies now. STARS reporting. Working Groups communications, resilience, academics to incorporate into climate action plan. North Bay forward group and resilience planning. Working with individuals / phone calls Nancy Keller, Kat Marian, Jenifer Barnett. Synthesize into goals, actions leading into climate action plan. Goals, Recommendations, Actions. From EcoShift, From Planning Documents, from Carbon Neutrality Roadmap

2:45-3:00 – Molly Clemons update – Sustainability Senator

Student activities - Claudia would like to invite student groups – could Molly connect us? Molly will reach out to AS Jump what initiatives are going on on campus

2:40-3:00 Working Group Highlights

• Zero-Impact (Megan)
  • Solar Project: contract with SunPower; construction starts summer 2022; hopefully online by Jan 2023 – subject to application is with PG&E
  • Recology - 3 stream bins: waste, recycling, compost – on campus outside buildings – interior distribution will start in spring
  • Commuter Survey – due Friday Nov. 5 https://sonoma.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_dfX94Xtnu4WyHSl
  • Bike share program - moving forward with discussions
  • Stevenson LEED Silver Equivalent - daylight harvesting, motion sensor, energy efficient equipment; flagship building (Title 24)
• Regional Resilience Highlights (Claudia)
  • North Bay Forward Events
    • Working on community connection
  • Drought and Flood in the Russian River Watershed - Oct 13 recorded presentation
    • Mary Grace Pawson, Director of Development Services/City Engineer, City of Rohnert Park - Copeland Creek Riparian Enhancement Project (starts at 10:12) – habitat enhancement, riparian enhancement allowing water to pool and seep into the ground, and a recreational component $6M grant to do the project in permitting stages
    • Don Seymour, Principal Engineer, Sonoma Water - Forecast Informed Reservoir Operations (starts at 24:39)
  • November 10: Local Food Systems & Disasters Local food systems are more resilient to the kinds of climate disasters that affect transportation and can reduce energy costs, transportation and CO2 emissions. At this event, we focus on how local food initiatives are building community resilience. This is the second event in the 2020-21 North Bay Forward "Building Resilience" monthly speaker series, a year-long conversation to increase community collaboration on resilience to climate change.*Register here
• Academic & Student Life Highlights (Mark)
  • Sustainability Minor
    • Taking to departments, GEP, main concerns, Capstone class. Who will pay for it?
• Strategy, Advancement and Communication Highlights (Kirsten, Julia)
  • Growing Visibility of SSU Projects
    • Noma News - theme each month – resiliency coming up/Gratitude
    • Press Democrat – invited editor and reporter and newsroom editor, to come to campus and get to know us a bit better.
    • County Supervisors and Rohnert Park Meetings, City Santa Rosa – Rob Eyler (ours Governmental affairs representative) is planning on attending these meetings on a regular basis
  • Social Media: Follow #sustainablessu on Instagram, FB What else do you want to know? When and if going to funding needs to Cabinet? This fall? Bring presentation to this group before going to Cabinet – next meeting.