Austin Travis County Food Policy Board - June 12, 2020
Austin Travis County Food Policy Board Special Called Meeting of the Austin Travis County Food Policy Board - Meeting will be held via video conference
Special Meeting of the Austin-Travis County Food Policy Board June 12, 2020 8:00 am Austin-Travis County Food Policy Board to be held June 12, 2020 with Social Distancing Modifications Public comment will be allowed via telephone; no in-person input will be allowed. All speakers must register in advance (June 11th at NOON). All public comment will occur at the beginning of the meeting. To speak remotely at the June 12th Austin-Travis County Food Policy Board Meeting, residents must: •Call or email the board liaison at Samantha.Night@austintexas.gov no later than noon, Thursday June 11th. The information required is the speaker name, item number(s) they wish to speak on, whether they are for/against/neutral, and a telephone number or email address. •Once a request to speak has been called in or emailed to the board liaison, residents will receive either an email or phone call providing the telephone number to call on the day of the scheduled meeting. •Speakers must call in at least 15 minutes prior to meeting start in order to speak, late callers will not be accepted and will not be able to speak. •Speakers will be placed in a queue until their time to speak. •Handouts or other information may be emailed to Samantha.Night@austintexas.gov by Noon the day before the scheduled meeting. This information will be provided to Board and Commission members in advance of the meeting. AUSTIN-TRAVIS COUNTY FOOD POLICY BOARD FRIDAY, JUNE 12TH FROM 8:00 TO 9:30 AM VIA VIDEOCONFERENCING CURRENT BOARD MEMBERS: Karen Magid, Chair Andrea Abel Ellen Sweets Roman Gonzalez Emily Nicola Kara Prior CALL TO ORDER Kara Prior, Vice Chair Felipe Camacho Kacey Hanson Sharon Mays Joi Chevalier Ryan Rosshirt AGENDA 1. APPROVAL OF MINUTES FROM MAY MEETING 2. STAFF BRIEFINGS a. Office of Sustainability, update on food access response to COVID-19 b. New staff introductions – Carol Fraser (Economic Development Department), Sari Albornoz (Watershed Protection), Jennifer Steverson (PARD) 3. OLD BUSINESS a. Board Infrastructure & Protocol i. Review Board Members’ meetings with City and County Officials b. Board vacancies and appointments 4. NEW BUSINESS a. Board Annual Report and responsibilities b. Community Climate Plan – food working group recommendations c. Working Group Briefings and Recommendation i. Build Opportunities for Food Entrepreneurs ii. Support Farms & Farmers iii. Food and Climate iv. Healthy Food Access to All Communities i. Discuss and take possible action on recommendations v. COVID-19 Food System Response i. Discuss and …
Equity Tool Our Climate Equity Commitment Racial equity is the condition when race no longer predicts a person’s quality of life outcomes in our community. The City of Austin Climate Plan Revision Process recognizes that racial inequity is wrong and solving climate change is impossible without racial equity. In Austin, this means our Climate Plan Revision Process will only succeed if we center racial equity in the goals, strategies, and plans developed through the Revision Process. We realize that City of Austin infrastructure, policies, and investment have historically and systemically neglected and harmed low-income communities and communities of color. The City acknowledges these injustices and the need to right these wrongs by changing its institutions and creating a culture of equity. We recognize: ● Low-income communities and communities of color are the most impacted by extreme weather, and climate change will worsen existing harms and challenges. ● Low-income communities and communities of color must be prioritized to receive the disproportionate benefits of the transition to a pollution-free society. ● If we design and implement programs to serve low- income communities and communities of color, we will positively impact all residents in the Austin area. Because of this, we have created the following themes and associated Equity Tool with Screening Questions to ensure our climate plan will increase racial equity: Health, Affordability, Accessibility, Just Transition, Community Capacity, Cultural Preservation & Accountability. Objectives Health - Strategy improves health (physical and mental) outcomes for low-income communities and communities of color. The strategy upholds the fundamental human right to clean, healthy and adequate air, water, land, food, education, transportation, safety, and housing. Affordability - Strategy lowers and stabilizes costs related to basic living needs (housing, food, utilities, healthcare, transportation, etc.) for low-income communities and communities of color. Accessibility - Strategy increases access to jobs, housing, transportation, funding, education, healthy foods, and a clean environment for low-income communities and communities of color. Strategy removes barriers through city infrastructure, policy, and investments. Just Transition - Strategy ensures economic justice so that low-income communities and communities of color are prioritized in the benefits of the strategy and are protected from any potential negative consequences. Community Capacity- Strategy elevates the voices of low-income communities and communities of color by developing and strengthening the skills, abilities, and resources that a community needs to survive, adapt, and thrive. Cultural Preservation - Strategy deliberately and respectfully honors cultural relevance and history …
Food Working Group Goals and Strategies Consumption Advisory Group Austin Community Climate Plan 2020 Revision Background City of Austin – Equity Statement Goals of this Revision Mission Statement To protect and improve Austin’s quality of life now and for future generations by leading efforts to achieve: 1. Net-zero community-wide greenhouse gas emissions 2. A healthy & just local food system 3. A climate resilient and adaptive city Process overview and schedule What’s new in the revision Last Time Refresh ● Eye on the prize: community-wide net- zero carbon by 2050 ● Alignment with other plans ● Co-created with staff and community leadership ● Equity focus ● Smaller number of high-impact actions ● Refined topic areas ● New consumption-based emissions lens ● Formal integration of natural systems and carbon sequestration ● Shared responsibility to reach beyond City-controlled activities Process overview and schedule Structure Large Institutions Working Group Steering Committee Transportation Electrification AG Transportation and Land Use AG Sustainable Buildings AG Consumption Natural Systems AG AG Community Climate Ambassadors Going Forward The Next 5 Months July - REVIEWS August - Boards and Commissions Review and Public Comment September - Finalization and take to Council for Approval June - Full 1st Draft of the Plan May 2020 Jun 2020 Jul 2020 Aug 2020 Sep 2020 ID Goals & Strategies Draft Plan Plan Finalization Consumption: Food Advisory Groups Goal Areas for all 5 Sections of the Plan Sustainable Buildings • Building Materials • Energy • Water • Refrigerants Transportation and Land Use • • • • • • Increase Transit Ridership Increase People Powered Transit Right to Stay / Return Affordable Housing Transit Oriented Development Access to Open Space Transportation Electrification Consumption of Goods • • • Vehicle Adoption Charging Infrastructure Emerging Issues • • • Food Consumer Goods Institutional Purchasing Natural Systems • Natural Lands • Private Property • Working Lands • Public Urban Landscapes Advisory Groups Food Working Group Members Lisa Barden • • Molly Costigan • Jennifer Cregar • Ricardo Guerrero • Christine Jovanovic • Kat Lopez • Madison Matteus • • • Ona McGovern • Samantha Night • Amanda Rohlich Karen Magid Cavan Merski Goal GOAL 1 (Pro-climate, Pro-Health Food System) By 2030, ensure 100% of Austinites, with a focus on the food insecure, can access a pro-climate, pro-health food system built for equity and resilience. A pro-climate, pro-health food system is community-driven, prioritizes regenerative agriculture, supports dietary and health …
Please fill out this template for your group topic’s proposed goal and strategies. Completion deadline: May 29 Proposed goal (Example: Achieve X by 2030): Please make the goal as specific as possible, and worded in active voice. It must also be measurable and achievable by 2030. Keep it to 1-2 sentences. By 2030, ensure 100% of Austinites, with a focus on the food insecure, can access a pro-climate, pro-health food system built for equity and resilience. A pro-climate, pro-health food system is community-driven, prioritizes regenerative agriculture, supports dietary and health agency, prefers plant-based over animal-based foods, and minimizes food waste. Community-driven means located in, initiated, led, and evaluated by low-income communities and communities of color, with explicit mechanisms for soliciting community input, developing within-community leaders, and sharing outcomes within and outside the community. Goal translated into GHG impact: (Example: X metric tons CO2e by 2030) TBD with Cavan’s assistance Advisory Group: Consumption Topic Area: Food How will this goal be measured or quantified? The goal needs to be quantifiable, but doesn’t have to be carbon-quantifiable. Metrics for goal and each strategy: Goal measure(s): ● Rate of food insecurity in Austin ● TBD measures of availability and access ● Organic food waste in landfill ● Consumption measures of plant-based foods Strategy 1 measure(s): Strategy 2 measure(s): Strategy 3 measure(s): Strategy 4 measure(s): ● Dollar amount of institutional purchasing of pro-health, pro-climate foods ● Dollar amount and allocation of funding, reported by community and race/ethnicity of fund recipients ● Number of food solutions funded ● Availability and accessibility of pro-climate, pro-health food (measure TBD) ● Proportion of pro-climate, pro-health food choices available at food retail outlets ● Number of programs/tools developed and implemented ● Number of people accessing programs/tools Strategy 5 measure(s): ● Amount of organic food waste as measured by waste management organizations Proposed strategies to meet goal: Please list 3-5 actionable strategies that are achievable by 2025. These need to be as concise as possible, and worded in active voice. 1-3 sentences max per strategy. Strategy 1: Apply a purchasing framework, support supply-chain infrastructure, and build a regional food system network to bolster institutional and corporate food procurement of pro-climate, pro-health options. Strategy 2: Increase the availability and accessibility of pro-climate and pro-health foods through community-driven food solutions by providing and equitably allocating funding sufficient to reach the goal of full access for all. Strategy 3: Implement community-driven programs to …
BOARD/COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION Austin Travis County Food Policy Board Recommendation Number: 20200612-4.c.v.i COVID-19 Food System Response Recommendation The COVID-19 pandemic, the related shutdown, and the human toll experienced disproportionately by Black and Indigenous communities, and People of Color (BIPOC) expose the legacy and ongoing entrenchment of racial injustice in our food and economic systems. Austin faces a historical and pivotal moment as we uncover the stark contrasts related to resources and the racialized structures that form what we now call our “food system.” The contrasts begin with the creation of a system of food production on land first taken from Indigenous peoples and later taken from Black farmers. A racialized system has created White wealth through policies, practices, laws and policing, and granted unequal access to capital and profit in the food system through the exploitation, enslavement and death, primarily of Black people. On that same spectrum, throughout our history and today, Latinx workers and immigrants of color who have always performed “essential” food system work are underpaid, exposed to dangerous and unstable working conditions, harassment and economic instability. BIPOC workers in the food system are also disproportionately unable to afford good food. Locally, clear contrasts revealed through COVID-19 include a woefully under-resourced and undeveloped food system in terms of planning, resiliency and coordination. Food workers have either been laid-off and then return to back-of-house low-paid jobs in restaurants and food businesses with insufficient personal protective equipment (PPE), or they have continued to work throughout the pandemic on farms and in grocery stores, risking exposure without paid sick leave, while corporations have prospered from the heightened demand for food-related staples. Statewide, primarily Latinx meatpacking workers experienced a large outbreak of coronavirus infection with little immediate testing or support. Infection, hospitalization, and death rates from COVID-19 in our region have also skewed disproportionately Latinx. This is not an accident, but at least partly is a result of our racialized food system that produces inequitable and devastating impacts for the BIPOC in our region. As significant funding shifts are considered in local budgets, we must invest sufficient resources to understand, dismantle and remake our food system into one that is economically and racially just and puts the workers and small businesses who have been negatively impacted at the center of the process throughout. This includes food access as a right (the end of food insecurity). This is not easy to do. It requires …
MEETING MINUTES June 12, 2020 Austin-Travis County Food Policy Board The Austin-Travis County Food Policy Board (ATCFPB) convened on Friday, June 12, 2020 VIA VIDEOCONFERENCING http://www.austintexas.gov/page/watch-atxn-live Board Members in Attendance: Andrea Abel, Felipe Camacho, Joi Chevalier, Kacey Hanson, Kara Prior (Vice-Chair), Karen Magid (Chair), Ryan Rosshirt, Sharon Mays, Ellen Sweets (joined at 8:27 am) Absent board members: Emily De Maria Staff in Attendance: Edwin Marty, Sam Night, Amanda Rohlich CALL TO ORDER Board Chair Karen Magid called the meeting to order at 8:07 am CITIZEN COMMUNICATION: GENERAL a. Errol Schweizer – speaking to Black Lives Matter and the overfunding of APD and underfunding of food and community services. APD most deadly force in Texas. Recommends 1) Support for RISE fund, housing, Austin Public Health 2) Support for the COVID-19 working group of the food policy board recommendations, 3) b. Paula McDermott -- 42% of ACC students were experiencing food insecurity pre-pandemic. Importance of student meals which drops off after graduations from high school. Calling attention to the racialized food system. Volunteers can’t do this work anymore; the City needs to invest in food systems. c. Mokshika Sharma – program director of Keep Austin Together, an effort to provide prepared meals with private and public (County) funds. By end of June, will have provided over 50,000 meals. This service was developed as a response to the pandemic but highlighted the need for this service to continue. d. Jodi Lane – adopt critical needs of immediate support but also look to fund long term support with Regional Food System Planning and a Food System support office. e. Farah Rivera – CEO of Serafina. Speaking to the permitting requirement for charitable feeding organization. Asking board to help remove requirements. f. Max Elliott – Speaking to the racialized food system that has been highlighted in the recent pandemic. Need for a Department of Food Justice to address the issues of the food system. We need big investments to create a truly just food system. 1. APPROVAL OF MINUTES FROM MAY 11th MEETING Board Member Joi Chevalier motioned to approve the meeting minutes from May 11, 2020, with Board Sharon Mays seconding the motion. Passed on a 8-0 vote. The City of Austin is committed to compliance with the American with Disabilities Act. Reasonable modifications and equal access to communications will be provided upon request. Meeting locations are planned with wheelchair access. If requiring Sign …
