COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION Joint Sustainability Committee Recommendation 20210428-2D –PM2.5 Emissions Reduction Recommendation The JSC recognizes the public health problems caused by PM pollution and that communities of color are disproportionately impacted. The Committee recommends that the Austin City Council take action as recommended by the Capital Area Council of Governments (CAPCOG) to reduce PM pollution and that those actions include measures to reduce PM from construction sites, unpaved parking lots and roadways. Record of the vote: Motion to approve by Commissioner White, second by Commissioner Schneider. Motion passes 9 approve, 0 opposed, 0 abstained. Date of approval: April 28, 2021 Attest: __________________________________ Zach Baumer, Liaison
Item 1 JOINT SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES REGULAR MEETING April 28, 2021 The Joint Sustainability Committee convened in a special meeting on April 28, 2021 via videoconferencing. Chair Kaiba White called the Board Meeting to order at 5:33 pm. Board Members in Attendance: Kaiba White Chair, Alberta Phillips, David Carroll, Nhat Ho, Rob Schneider, Fisayo Fadelu, Karen Magid, Diana Wheeler, Melissa Rothrock, Karen Hadden Board Members Absent: Katie Coyne Vice-Chair, Alexis Taylor City Staff in Attendance: Zach Baumer, Phoebe Romero CALL TO ORDER CITIZEN COMMUNICATION The speakers who registered in advance for public comment have three minutes each to address items on the agenda at this time. • None 1. APPROVAL OF MINUTES a) March 24, 2021 meeting of the Joint Sustainability Committee • Motion to approve (Commissioner Hadden), second (Commissioner Ho), 10 approved, 0 opposed, 0 abstained. 2. NEW BUSINESS a) Chair and Vice Chair Elections (Discussion and/or possible action) • Commissioner Ho made the motion to nominate Chair Commissioner White to another term, Commissioner Schneider seconds. Record of the vote: 10 approved, 0 opposed, 0 abstained. • Commissioner White made the motion to nominate Vice Chair Commissioner Coyne to another term, Commissioner Hadden seconds. Record of the vote: 10 approved, 0 opposed, 0 abstained. action) b) Energy Code Update Process – Kurt Stogdill, Austin Energy (Discussion and/or possible • Provided overview of the energy code update process and schedule; code will increase energy efficiency in new construction. • Public comment process was open via Public Input for a month, and group will look to expand outreach in future based on feedback; aiming to get council approval on June 3, 2021 • Will be taking additional steps, such as developing an affordability statement, updating green building system, and finding alternative ways to develop EV-ready and electric-ready construction. c) City of Austin Green Building Policy Update – Lucia Athens, City of Austin Office of Sustainability (Discussion and/or possible action) • Provided overview of proposed update to the City of Austin Green Building Policy, which was an interdepartmental team effort to draft a policy that aims to reflect best practices and market trends, moves to net zero and healthy buildings, and aligns with city goals. • Feasibility analyses and/or guiding documents will be done for electric vehicle integration, electrification, embodied carbon, solar installation, and dual plumbing. d) PM2.5 Emissions Reduction Plan – Andrew Hoekzema, Capital Area Council of Governments (Discussion and/or …
Versión en español a continuación. Meeting of the Joint Sustainability Committee March 24, 2021 Joint Sustainability Committee to be held March 24, 2021 with Social Distancing Modifications Public comment will be allowed via telephone; no in-person input will be allowed. All speakers must register in advance (March 23, 2021 by noon). All public comment will occur at the beginning of the meeting. To speak remotely at the March 24, 2021 Joint Sustainability Committee Meeting, members of the public must: •Call or email the board liaison at 415-694-3111 and zach.baumer@austintexas.gov no later than noon, (March 23, 2021). 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 zach.baumer@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. •If this meeting is broadcast live, residents may watch the meeting here: http://www.austintexas.gov/page/watch-atxn-live Reunión del Comité Conjunto de Sostenibilidad Marzo 24, 2021 La junta se llevará con modificaciones de distanciamiento social Se permitirán comentarios públicos por teléfono; no se permitirá ninguna entrada en persona. Todos los oradores deben registrarse con anticipación (marzo 23, 2021 antes del mediodía). Todos los comentarios públicos se producirán al comienzo de la reunión. Para hablar de forma remota en la reunión, los miembros del público deben: junta al 415-694-3111 o • Llame o envíe un correo electrónico al enlace de zach.baumer@austintexas.gov a más tardar al mediodía (el día antes de la reunión – marzo 23, la 2021). La información requerida es el nombre del orador, los números de artículo sobre los que desean hablar, si están a favor / en contra / neutrales, y un número de teléfono o dirección de correo electrónico. • Una vez que se haya llamado o enviado por correo electrónico una solicitud para hablar al enlace de la junta, …
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. …
Austin Civilian Conservation Corps Program Overview Joint Sustainability Committee | 03/24/2021 1 1 Background & Structure 2 ACCC Background The Austin Civilian Conservation Corps helps Austinites who have been economically impacted by COVID-19 earn income, serve their community, and gain skills that can lead to strong new careers in conservation and sustainability fields. Key points ● Created by Council Resolution 20200507-061 (May 2020) ● COVID-19 recovery workforce development program focused on green jobs, modeled (in spirit) after 1930s CCC program ● Focused on creating equitable access to low-barrier programs that provide support and pathways to additional jobs/careers/training ● Run by a program team with representatives from eight departments (no ACCC staff) ● Authorized to seek $2.5M - $500K from GFR and $2M from departments 2 Where We Are Now 4 Current Programs and Funding Program Area Parks, Preserves, & Wildfire Green Building and Solar Cultural Arts Community Co-creation Green Pathways COA Departments PARD, WPD, DSD, AWD, AFD Sustainability, Innovation EDD Cultural Arts, PARD Innovation PARD, WPD Partner Organizations American Youthworks, GAVA, TOOF Raasin in the Sun, Creative Action MEASURE, Build with Humanity Internal to COA Gulf Coast Carpenters and Millwrights, Community 1st Village Participants 46 Funding Level $2.36M 9 $39K 41 $143K 20+ $40K 4 $200K 100 positions | $2.782M | 2 years 5 Potential Future ACCC Programs Program Funding Partner Depts Begins Participants City positions? Greenspace and Parks Conservation - $1.598M Greenspace and Preserves Crew year two $450K PARD Stream Cleanup and Restoration Crew year two $223K WPD Green infrastructure crew Tree health team $400K WPD, PWD $450K PARD, DSD, APL Forestry/Landscaping individual placements $75K PARD, APL Wildfire Mitigation - $150K Wildfire Crew full funding year two $150K AFD, AWD FY22 Green Building and Renewable Energy - $570K Green Building & Solar Installation (2 cohorts) $70k Sustainability Residential green building and repair crew $500K HPD, DSD Circular Economy and Resource Recovery - $2.08M Circular economy apprenticeship program $550K ARR, EDD Community PC Repair Program expansion $670K Digital Inclusion COA office and equipment repair team $750K ARR (possibly BSD) FY21 Scale the Building Services Surplus Program $110K BSD Community Engagement and Preparedness - $700K Climate emergency and mutual aid corps $500K EDD, Sustainability Environmental project info community outreach $200K WPD FY22 FY22 FY21 Fy21 FY22 FY21 FY21 FY21 FY21 FY21 FY21 FY21 8-10 8-10 8-10 7 3 8-10 18 8-10 50 40 5 1 100 15 Y (1) Y (3) …
Climate Adaptation Joint Sustainability Committee Update March 2021 Climate Adaptation Activities Timeline CAMPO Extreme Weather vulnerability assessment of regional transportation Resolution 20131121-060 passed by Council, directs staff to identify climate change impacts. Austin Community Climate Plan adopted by Council Global Covenant of Mayors signed by Mayor Adler City Council Policy Workshop on Resilience Rockefeller Foundation holds Climate Adaptation Workshop Climate Resilience Action Plan for City assets and operations Resolution 20190509-019 passed by Council, directs staff for climate resilience recommendations Climate Resilience -1 Response to council resolution 20190509-019 Community Climate Navigators Initiate the program with GAVA w/ GTOP grant + UT Smoke Map Prototype Worked with USDN, Alameda County CA & CTM to create a real-time smoke map pilot 2014 2016 2018 2020 2013 2015 2017 2019 Austin-specific climate projections by Dr. Katharine Hayhoe Toward a Climate-Resilient Austin response to Council Resolution Community Planning Assistance for Wildfire review of city codes for wildfire Utility Vulnerability Worked with Austin Energy and Austin Water to assess their larger assets Red= council interaction Open Government Partnership Community Climate Resilience Pilot with GAVA USDN Equity, Diversity, & Inclusion Fellow Celine Rendon joined the team to help with Dove Springs Wildfire & Vulnerable Populations Map grass fire & asthma in Eastern Crescent NSF Grant - Resilience Navigators Work with community in 78744 on flooding Climate Resilience - 2 Response to council resolution 20190509-019 Heat Mapping Grant funding to measure heat in Eastern Crescent JHU Food Resilience Resolution 20200507-022 passed by Council, directs staff to create Resilient Austin: A Comprehensive Community Resilience Plan Pilot Draft community engagement framework in increase food resilience Climate Resilience Action Plan - City Assets & Operations 01 02 03 04 Emergency Response Emergency Procedures Safe Emergency & Evacuation Routes Disaster Response Resources Staff Safety Field Staff & Workplace Safety Hazard Training Existing Facilities & Infrastructure Critical Infrastructure Building Efficiency & Redundancy Telecommunications New Facilities & Infrastructure Design for Adaptation Plan for Resilient Infrastructure ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● Resolution No. 20190509-019 Resilience Planning ● ● ● equitable…” “perform a literature review of climate resilience plans of peer cities…” “explore available, potential partnerships (such as the 100 Resilient Cities model)…” “recommendations for creating a comprehensive, community-wide climate resilience plan that is fair, just, and Chief Resilience Officer Recommendations should include funding options, such as grants or other revenue sources, to … 1) fund a position for a Chief …
COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION Joint Sustainability Committee Recommendation 20210324-2D –Joint Sustainability Committee Budget Recommendation The Joint Sustainability Committee recommends funding for the following items: • • • • • • Procuring emergency management equipment for winter storms, including plows and deicing equipment Workforce development with an equity focus Advance community resilience work, through the Resilient Austin plan Pursuing a comprehensive energy poverty mitigation strategy, as written in the draft Austin Climate Equity Plan Sustainable Buildings section (goal 1, strategy 1) Implementation of resilience hubs, distributed in neighborhoods across Austin Expand Climate Ambassadors Program to include more ambassadors and be year-round Record of the vote: Motion to approve by Commissioner White, second by Commissioner Coyne. Motion passes 8 approve, 0 opposed, 0 abstained. Date of approval: March 24, 2021 Attest: __________________________________ Zach Baumer, Liaison
Item 1 JOINT SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES REGULAR MEETING March 24, 2021 The Joint Sustainability Committee convened in a special meeting on March 24, 2021 via videoconferencing. Chair Kaiba White called the Board Meeting to order at 5:33 pm. Board Members in Attendance: Kaiba White Chair, Katie Coyne Vice-Chair, Alberta Phillips, David Carroll, Nhat Ho, Rob Schneider, Fisayo Fadelu, Alexis Taylor, Karen Magid Board Members Absent: Melissa Rothrock, Kelly Davis, Karen Hadden City Staff in Attendance: Zach Baumer, Phoebe Romero CALL TO ORDER CITIZEN COMMUNICATION The speakers who registered in advance for public comment have three minutes each to address items on the agenda at this time. • None 1. APPROVAL OF MINUTES a) March 12, 2021 meeting of the Joint Sustainability Committee • Commission Schneider requested an amendment to remove a duplication error: Remove Rob Schneider from Board Members Absent section, keep in Board Members in Attendance • Motion to approve (Commissioner Coyne), second (Commissioner Schneider), 7 approved, 0 opposed, 1 abstained. 2. NEW BUSINESS a) Update on Climate Resilience (Discussion and/or possible action) • Provided an overview of the Climate Resilience Action Plan for City Assets and Operations and ongoing existing and proposed efforts in response to the 2019 Climate Resilience Resolution 20190509-019 • Discussed resilience hubs concept and key points from the draft council resolution on this topic • Commissioners discussed the importance of addressing food supply and opportunities for the farming community, the extensive outreach needed for resilience hub planning—including using models like GAVA’s Climate Resilience Navigators, determining geographic areas of need based on where calls from assistance came from, and ensuring equipment inventory for events. b) Update on Austin Climate Equity Plan Implementation (Discussion and/or possible action) • Reviewed recent events and next steps on the plan process • Evaluated climate plan strategies based on their equity impact and feasibility to develop a categorized list, including ready now, capital intensive or otherwise complex; provided an overview of “ready now” strategies across the different sections of the plan to provide commissioners perspective on near-term actions • Commissioners discussed importance of keeping process transparent regarding discussions on the gas, energy, and code portions of the plan, discussed deadline for energy code public comment on April 15th, how federal actions may affect this work and ongoing business engagement c) Austin Civilian Conservation Corps Briefing— Daniel Culotta, Innovation Office (Discussion and/or possible action) • Overview of how ACCC program …
Versión en español a continuación. Special Called Meeting of the Joint Sustainability Committee March 12, 2021 Special Called Meeting of the Joint Sustainability Committee to be held March 12, 2021 with Social Distancing Modifications Public comment will be allowed via telephone; no in-person input will be allowed. All speakers must register in advance (March 11, 2021 by noon). All public comment will occur at the beginning of the meeting. To speak remotely at the March 12, 2021 Joint Sustainability Committee Meeting, members of the public must: •Call or email the board liaison at 415-694-3111 and zach.baumer@austintexas.gov no later than noon, (March 11, 2021). 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 zach.baumer@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. •If this meeting is broadcast live, residents may watch the meeting here: http://www.austintexas.gov/page/watch-atxn-live Reunión Especial del Comité Conjunto de Sostenibilidad 12 de marzo de 2021 La junta se llevará con modificaciones de distanciamiento social. Se permitirán comentarios públicos por teléfono; no se permitirá ninguna entrada en persona. Todos los oradores deben registrarse con anticipación (11 de marzo de 2021 antes del mediodía). Todos los comentarios públicos se producirán al comienzo de la reunión. Para hablar de forma remota en la reunión, los miembros del público deben: la • Llame o envíe un correo electrónico al enlace de junta al 415-694-3111 o zach.baumer@austintexas.gov a más tardar al mediodía (el día antes de la reunión – 11 de marzo de 2021). La información requerida es el nombre del orador, los números de artículo sobre los que desean hablar, si están a favor / en contra / neutrales, y un número de teléfono o dirección de correo electrónico. • Una vez que se haya llamado …
Item 1 JOINT SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES SPECIAL MEETING March 12, 2021 The Joint Sustainability Committee convened in a special meeting on March 12, 2021 via videoconferencing. Chair Kaiba White called the Board Meeting to order at 1:35 pm. Board Members in Attendance: Kaiba White Chair, Alberta Phillips, David Carroll, Karen Magid, Nhat Ho, Alexis Taylor, Rob Schneider, Fisayo Fadelu Board Members Absent: Katie Coyne Vice-Chair, Melissa Rothrock, Kelly Davis, Holt Lackey, Karen Hadden City Staff in Attendance: Zach Baumer, Phoebe Romero, Sidney Jackson CALL TO ORDER CITIZEN COMMUNICATION The speakers who registered in advance for public comment have three minutes each to address items on the agenda at this time. • Bob Hendricks – Discussed experience with Winter Storm Uri and expressed importance of the city to follow up with its climate resilience resolution and having a resilience office and Chief Resilience Officer. 1. APPROVAL OF MINUTES a) January 28, 2021 meeting of the Joint Sustainability Committee • Motion to approve (Commissioner Magid), second (Commissioner Schneider), 7 approved, 0 opposed, 1 abstained. Commissioner Taylor abstained. 2. NEW BUSINESS a) City's response to recent freeze event, including actions related to power outage, boil water, roadway clearing of snow and ice, and emergency messaging (Discussion and/or possible action) • Debrief from Sidney Jackson, Deputy General Manager at Austin Energy • Austin Energy (AE) has committed to looking at forecasting climate conditions for planning purposes and exploring new technologies within their climate protection plan, and Winter Storm Uri has presented an opportunity to support and advance that work • AE will partner with Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) for an after-action review and report, and will be looking at smarter distribution as part of this • Commissioners discussed the Climate Resilience Action Plan, and how AE would be thinking about an additional hazard like an extreme freeze, developing a baseline for resilience and centering equity; AE Resource, Generation and Climate Protection Plan is meant to be iterative and will be updated over time in response to these issues • Presentation was made to Resource Management Commission and Electric Utilities Commission and has been shared with commissioners • Additional briefings from various departments will be planned for future meetings b) Discussion on climate resilience plan baseline in the context of Winter Storm Uri from energy production, water reserve, redundancy, emergency routes and availability of decentralized community emergency centers (Discussion and/or possible action) • …
Versión en español a continuación. Special Meeting of the Joint Sustainability Committee January 28, 2021 Joint Sustainability Committee to be held January 28, 2021 with Social Distancing Modifications Public comment will be allowed via telephone; no in-person input will be allowed. All speakers must register in advance (January 27, 2021 by noon). All public comment will occur at the beginning of the meeting. To speak remotely at the January 28, 2021 Joint Sustainability Committee Meeting, members of the public must: •Call or email the board liaison at 415-694-3111 and zach.baumer@austintexas.gov no later than noon, (January 27, 2021). 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 zach.baumer@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. •If this meeting is broadcast live, residents may watch the meeting here: http://www.austintexas.gov/page/watch-atxn-live Reunión Especial del Comité Conjunto de Sostenibilidad Enero 28, 2021 La junta se llevará con modificaciones de distanciamiento social Se permitirán comentarios públicos por teléfono; no se permitirá ninguna entrada en persona. Todos los oradores deben registrarse con anticipación (enero 27, 2021 antes del mediodía). Todos los comentarios públicos se producirán al comienzo de la reunión. Para hablar de forma remota en la reunión, los miembros del público deben: • Llame o envíe un correo electrónico al enlace de junta al 415-694-3111 o zach.baumer@austintexas.gov a más tardar al mediodía (el día antes de la reunión – enero 27, la 2021). La información requerida es el nombre del orador, los números de artículo sobre los que desean hablar, si están a favor / en contra / neutrales, y un número de teléfono o dirección de correo electrónico. • Una vez que se haya llamado o enviado por correo electrónico una solicitud para hablar al enlace de …
COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION Joint Sustainability Committee Recommendation 20210128-2B – Resolution in Support of COA State Legislative Agenda WHEREAS, the City of Austin’s greatest asset is its people who are passionate about their city, committed to its improvement, and determined to see its vision become a reality; and WHEREAS, the percent of registered voters who voted in the past 4 years of city elections exceeded 60 percent; and WHEREAS, an overwhelming majority of registered voters who live in Austin voted for the current Austin City Council representation; and WHEREAS, over 700 Austinites participate and serve on over 60 Boards and Commissions to help shape, and continually improve upon the policies of the City and the lives of its Residents; and WHEREAS, the input provided to the Austin City Council through the City’s Boards and Commissions reflects the will of the community; and WHEREAS, it is the intent of the City of Austin that the legislative agenda guide City staff, in coordination with the City’s strategic partners, in their efforts to advocate on behalf of the City of Austin and its residents; and WHEREAS, each year, the Texas Legislature increasingly attempts to pass legislation that negatively impacts the City through preemption or limiting the ability to advocate; and WHEREAS, the 2019 Legislature strongly considered and almost passed S.B. 29 which would have limited the ability of the City to utilize community advocates to effectively advocate on behalf of the policies created and supported by its residents; and WHEREAS, taxpayers and City residents benefit from and need community advocates as a tool that amplifies their voices before the Legislature, Congress, and regulatory bodies; and WHEREAS, a prohibition on community advocacy equates to censorship of Residents’ voices and is detrimental to a representative democracy where all Austinites and Texans have equal opportunities to voice their opinions. NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED THAT THE JOINT SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE OF THE CITY OF AUSTIN HEREBY ADOPTS THE FOLLOWING RESOLUTION THAT: • The Joint Sustainability Committee endorses the City of Austin’s 2020 Legislative Agenda adopted by the Austin City Council on September 17th, 2020. • The Joint Sustainability Committee believes the general principals of the policy and position statements contained in the City of Austin’s state legislative agenda capture the positions of its membership and the community it represents. • The Joint Sustainability Committee urges all Austin delegation members of the Texas Legislature to protect the City’s right to …
COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION Joint Sustainability Committee Recommendation 20210128-2C –Support for the Glasgow Food & Climate Declaration The Joint Sustainability Committee voted to recommend that the City of Austin support the Glasgow Food & Climate Declaration, outlined below. Glasgow Food & Climate Declaration A commitment by subnational governments to tackle the climate emergency through integrated food policies and a call on national governments to act. This Declaration brings together all types and sizes of local authorities – from small and medium sized towns to mega-cities, districts and regions, territories, federal states and provinces – to speak with a unified voice in renewing their commitments to develop sustainable food policies, promote mechanisms for joined-up action and call on national governments to put food and farming at the heart of the global response to the climate emergency. 1. Concerned that the COVID-19 crisis has exposed the fragility of our food systems, the vulnerabilities of large parts of urban and rural populations and the critical need for preparedness and resilience in the face of shocks; 2. Acknowledging that food systems currently account for 21-37%1 of total GHGs, and are at the heart of many of the world’s major challenges today including biodiversity loss, enduring hunger and malnutrition, and an escalating public health crisis; 3. Recognizing that unsustainable dynamics are locked in along the whole food chain, primarily stemming from industrial food and farming systems; 4. Recognizing that extreme inequalities are pervasive throughout the food system, and are disproportionately affecting communities including people living in poverty, people experiencing racism, people displaced due to climate change or conflict, people with precarious legal status, and many others; and furthermore that many of these same groups are exploited for their labour globally; 1 IPCC (2019). Summary for Policymakers. In: Climate Change and Land: an IPCC special report on climate change, desertification, land degradation, sustainable land management, food security, and greenhouse gas fluxes in terrestrial ecosystems [P.R. Shukla, J. Skea, E. Calvo Buendia, V. Masson-Delmotte, H.- O. Pörtner, D. C. Roberts, P. Zhai, R. Slade, S. Connors, R. van Diemen, M. Ferrat, E. Haughey, S. Luz, S. Neogi, M. Pathak, J. Petzold, J. Portugal Pereira, P. Vyas, E. Huntley, K. Kissick, M. Belkacemi, J. Malley, (eds.)]. 5. Convinced, therefore, that only a food systems approach targeting all the Sustainable Development Goals can identify effective intervention points to accelerate climate action while delivering many co-benefits, including the promotion of biodiversity, ecosystem …
COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION Joint Sustainability Committee Recommendation 20210128-2D –Support for the Austin Climate Equity Plan The Joint Sustainability Committee recommends that the Austin City Council direct the City Manager to: 1. Support the Office of Sustainability in working with all city department to assess actions already initiated and new actions to propose for the FY 2021/2022 budget to implement the Austin Climate Equity Plan; and 2. Support the Office of Sustainability in making a budget assessment for additional staff and resources for the Office of Sustainability and Equity Office to assist all departments in conducting equitable and inclusive community outreach to implement the strategies in the Austin Climate Equity Plan, in addition to sustained funding for the Community Climate Ambassadors program. Record of the vote: Motion to approve by Commissioner White, second by Commissioner Coyne. Motion passes 10 approve, 0 opposed, 0 abstained. Date of approval: January 28, 2021 Attest: __________________________________ Zach Baumer, Liaison
(Continua en español) RESILIENCE IN COMMUNITY IS Background: Building up resilience for our community means helping Austin become stronger together in the face of challenges, whether those are big shock events, or ongoing challenges, especially for those most vulnerable and most affected by those challenges within our community. In 2020 the Austin City Council passed a resolution calling for resolution building activities, including a comprehensive resilience planning process. The goal of the planning process is to identify and move forward strategies that create a more resilient Austin. Building up our resilience is more important now than ever! To do so we aim to work hand in hand with residents. LA RESILIENCIA EN COMUNIDAD ES Contexto: Avanzar la resilencia para nuestra comunidad significa ayudar a Austin a ser más fuerte juntos frente a los desafíos, ya sea que se trate de grandes eventos de choque, o los desafíos constantes, con un enfoque especial en las personas más vulnerables y más afectadas por esos desafíos. En 2020 el Consejo de la Ciudad de Austin aprobó una resolución pidiendo el inicio de actividades para avanzar la resiliencia, incluyendo un proceso comprehensivo de planificación de la resiliencia. El objetivo del proceso de planificación es identificar y avanzar estrategias que creen un Austin más resiliente. Avanzar nuestra resilencia es más importante ahora que nunca! Para ello, nos proponemos trabajar mano a mano con los residentes.
Glasgow Food & Climate Declaration A commitment by subnational governments to tackle the climate emergency through integrated food policies and a call on national governments to act This Declaration brings together all types and sizes of local authorities – from small and medium sized towns to mega-cities, districts and regions, territories, federal states and provinces – to speak with a unified voice in renewing their commitments to develop sustainable food policies, promote mechanisms for joined-up action and call on national governments to put food and farming at the heart of the global response to the climate emergency. 1. Concerned that the COVID-19 crisis has exposed the fragility of our food systems, the vulnerabilities of large parts of urban and rural populations and the critical need for preparedness and resilience in the face of shocks; 2. Acknowledging that food systems currently account for 21-37%1 of total GHGs, and are at the heart of many of the world’s major challenges today including biodiversity loss, enduring hunger and malnutrition, and an escalating public health crisis; 3. Recognizing that unsustainable dynamics are locked in along the whole food chain, primarily stemming from industrial food and farming systems; 4. Recognizing that extreme inequalities are pervasive throughout the food system, and are disproportionately affecting communities including people living in poverty, people experiencing racism, people displaced due to climate change or conflict, people with precarious legal status, and many others; and furthermore that many of these same groups are exploited for their labour globally; 5. Convinced, therefore, that only a food systems approach targeting all the Sustainable Development Goals can identify effective intervention points to accelerate climate action while delivering many co-benefits, including the promotion of biodiversity, ecosystem regeneration and resilience, circularity, equity, access to healthy and sustainable diets for all, and the creation of resilient livelihoods for farm and food workers; 6. Recognizing the need to involve all food system stakeholders in decision-making for a sustainable and just transition – including food and farm workers, civil society groups, researchers, indigenous communities, women, and especially youth whose future are the most at risk from the effects of climate change and biodiversity loss; 7. Recalling that cities and regions are leading the way in pioneering integrated food policies and strategies at the local level to reduce their environmental footprint, drive positive food system change and ensure greater resilience to shocks; 1 IPCC (2019). Summary for Policymakers. In: Climate …
Accompanying Document to the Glasgow Food & Climate Declaration The Glasgow Declaration pledges to accelerate the development of integrated food policies as a key tool in the fight against climate change, commits local authorities to reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from urban and regional food systems in accordance with the Paris Agreement and the Sustainable Development Goals, and calls on national governments and international institutions to act. Why take a food system approach to climate? Today’s food systems account for 21-37% of total GHGs, are a primary cause of environmental degradation and significantly contribute to socio-economic and health inequalities. In turn, food systems are also being affected by the climate and nature crisis, which has already begun to affect the predictability of yields and food prices and the reliability of distribution, as well as food quality, food safety and food security for all. As such, sustainable food systems worldwide must be founded in access to healthy diets and nutrition for all, agroecology and regenerative agriculture, circular economy and the provisioning of just livelihoods. Achieving these systems and meeting current challenges requires taking a food systems approach that addresses the range and complexity of interactions within food systems. A food systems approach provides a crucial framework to identify, analyze and address synergies and tradeoffs between various climate change responses. It does so by considering the range of actors and interactions involved in producing, manufacturing, supplying, consuming and disposing of food, while also recognizing their profound interconnections with public health and the underlying socio- cultural, economic, biophysical and institutional factors that shape our food systems. A food system approach, therefore, considers that different problems in food systems are deeply interconnected and mutually reinforcing. In the design and implementation of integrated policy frameworks, this approach recognizes food systems for their potential to generate positive impacts, playing an integral part in embedding health, prosperity and sustainability into everyday life and practice. Unless all food systems’ impacts are considered together, climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies associated with food production and consumption are likely to be inefficient. Why policy integration across levels & sectors? The multiple policies affecting food systems must be urgently reformed to address climate change, biodiversity loss, the rise of diet-related diseases, ensure food security and access for all and guarantee sustainable livelihoods for farm- and food-workers. To do so, actions must be aligned across policy areas and between different levels of …
