Backup_ JSC_Climate Equity Plan Status Update_20210324 — original pdf

Backup

Aust in Climat e Equit y Plan St at us Updat e March 24, 2021 Recent Event s & Response Events • City Manager directed moving forward with implementation planning in anticipation of Council adoption in late Spring/early Summer • Negative letters from several organizations regarding Natural Gas concerns (equity and affordability) • Winter Storm Uri Response • Collecting Implementation Baseline data from departments • Planning more business engagement • Re-engaged members of Sustainable Buildings Advisory Group on Extreme Weather Resilience • Developing an Equity Lessons-Learned White-Paper • Finalizing a new Draft Final version of the Plan 2 Plan Summary (reminder) 4 Cross-Cut t ing St rat egies – Big picture themes 17 Goals - Accomplishments by 2030 to keep on track 74 St rat egies - Implemented in next 5 years Centered on Equity Throughout, particularly in Strategy details ● Prioritize incentives and target communications towards low-income communities / communities of color ● Anti-displacement ● Just transition (training and jobs) for new industries/ technology ● Prioritize Eastern Crescent health + other benefits ● Center communities of color in ongoing learning /studies 3 Priorit izat ion ● 15+ conversations: proposed strategy status + next steps ● Sorted 74 Strategies into 3 categories: ○ Ready Now if addit ional funding or resources were available ■ Ease of direct implementation if more funding/focus ■ Immediate + direct Equity Benefits (from Equity Tool and Ambassador Priorities) ○ Capit al Int ensive Project s requiring sust ained commit ment ○ Complex project s needing det ailed Implement at ion Plan ● No detailed $ estimates Breakdow n Implementation Status 37 21 16 Ready Now with Extra Funding Capital Intensive More Complex - Further Out 5 Sust ainable Buildings – Ready Now ● Goal 1 St rat egy 1 - Pursue a comprehensive energy povert y mit igat ion st rat egy by partnering with trusted community organizations, affordable housing developers and schools in equitable outreach and program development. This will ensure that the benefits of repair, energy conservation and renewable energy incentives and programs flow to low-income communities and communities of color. ● Goal 1 St rat egy 2 –Enhance resident and building owner underst anding of energy savings opport unit ies, benefits and climate impacts of energy consumption. This will be done through direct outreach, culturally relevant communications, expanding benchmarking requirements for all existing buildings and better access to energy and water data. ● Goal 1 St rat egy 4 - Priorit ize invest ment in local emissions reduct ion and creat e equit able workforce development and t raining opport unit ies for emerging t echnologies by partnering with local unions, education and advocacy organizations that serve low- income communities and communities of color. Increasing these opportunities can have a positive economic impact on families, aid in relationship building and support community capacity to drive decision-making in future projects and programs. ● Goal 2 St rat egy 4 - Creat e an awareness, educat ion and t raining campaign for local HVAC service providers, building owners, operators, inspectors and maintenance leads on the importance of refrigerant management and strategies for leak detection, prevention and repair. ● Goal 3 St rat egy 1 – In part nership wit h ot her cit ies and st at es, develop Cit y of Aust in design and const ruct ion specificat ions and purchasing agreements to result in healthy, low-carbon buildings. Transport at ion and Land Use – Ready Now ● Goal 2 St rat egy 3 - Include low-income communit ies, communit ies of color and people wit h disabilit ies who are direct ly affect ed by syst emic inequalit ies in t he Cit y’s Housing Invest ment Review Commit t ee act ivit ies and when creat ing ant i-displacement programs. Enhance direct outreach of Housing and Planning Department -subsidized affordable units in gentrifying areas with culturally relevant communication strategies. ● Goal 3 St rat egy 2 - Creat e comprehensive, user-friendly resources connect ing communit y members wit h free t ransport at ion opt ions. ● Goal 3 St rat egy 5 - Provide access t o free or reduced-priced bicycles and basic bicycle t raining for communit ies of color and train police officers on bicycle laws and racial profiling to improve comfort and safety of people of color riding bicycles. Transport at ion Elect rificat ion – Ready Now ● Goal 1 St rat egy 1 - Complet e an Elect ric Vehicle Communit y Needs Assessment to identify the intersections of mobility challenges, transportation electrification and racial and economic justice. The assessment will inform an EV adoption growth plan that will be supported by enhanced communications efforts and incentives. ● Goal 2 St rat egy 4 - Expand out reach t o communit y groups, professional organizat ions, unions and propert y managers wit h cult urally compet ent informat ion on EV charging incent ives and inst allat ion. Collaborate with and learn from existing community and City partnerships. ● Goal 3 St rat egy 3 - Austin will be a leader in the just transition to an electrified regional transportation system by collaborat ing wit h communit y and workforce leadership groups like labor unions, grassroot s organizat ions and businesses. We will ensure that low-income communities and communities of color are positioned to benefit from the switch to electric transportation. Nat ural Syst ems – Ready Now ● Goal 1 St rat egy 3 - Ensure t hat nat ural lands are accessible t o and perceived posit ively by t he communit y. When more people use and feel a connection to natural areas, they provide more community value. In return, communities are more likely to support conservation and stewardship. ● Goal 2 St rat egy 4 - Support farmers who want t o st art regenerat ive agricult ural pract ices by providing access to land and other necessary resources, specifically prioritizing farmers of color. ● Goal 2 St rat egy 6 - Encourage a fundament al change in t he next generat ion of farmers by creating and supporting agriculture- specific jobs creation programs and working lands-specific youth programs — especially for aspiring farmers of color. ● Goal 3 St rat egy 3 - Increase Cit y funding for communit y t ree plant ing programs focused on low-income communit ies and communit ies of color. ● Goal 4 St rat egy 2 - Ident ify and reclaim mono-use, underused and unconvent ional public spaces t o increase communit y access and ecological funct ion — such as utility easements, road rights-of-way, stormwater wet ponds and cemeteries — with a focus on green infrastructure. ● Goal 4 St rat egy 3 - Promot e communit y st ewardship and management of neighborhood public lands t o ensure higher levels of care and maint enance. Consumpt ion – Ready Now ● Goal 1 St rat egy 3 - Develop a variet y of communit y-driven programs and t ools t o equit ably engage and empower t he full spect rum of Aust in’s communit ies t o make affordable and cult urally relevant pro-climat e, pro-healt h food choices. ● Goal 2 St rat egy 4 - Expand t he Cit y of Aust in’s Circular Economy Program to support City Departments reduce consumption, use available City-owned space and/or leverage partnerships to create rent-subsidized incubation spaces, grants, loans and technical assistance for qualifying circular organizations and engage Austin youth in real-life problem-solving opportunities ● Goal 3 St rat egy 1 - Implement consumer awareness campaigns, such as communit y reuse challenges, promot ion and expansion of Fix-It clinics and t he Aust in Reuse Direct ory, educational campaigns that promote the community benefits of reuse and repair and the waste management hierarchy, which places recycling as a last resort before disposal. ● Goal 3 St rat egy 3 - Offer a workforce development program t hat includes t raining for repair and reuse skills, job placement and entrepreneurship in local circular businesses, such as those found in the Austin Circular Economy Storymap. Prioritize the needs and strengths of low-income communities, youth and communities of color. Next St eps ● Business Engagement ● Re-engage with Council Members, including 2 new members ● Draft Final Plan Release planned for May, pending State legislative issues ○ Council Committee Presentations ○ RCA to adopt the Plan