Fresh Air at the Capitola Commission on Environment

Had a chance to attend a meeting of Capitola's Commission on the Environment (COE) on August 25, 2009.   The first surprise was the informality.   Chairwoman Kristin Jensen Sullivan invited all the visitors to sit at the table with the Commissions.   (Ok, it was a pretty big table and not enough visitors, but I was still impressd by this gesture.)

As the meeting progressed, however, I continued to pleased by the openness and ease of discussion, clear communication, and visible desire to make Capitola a better place.  A city council member attended, but you wouldn't know who was who unless told.  Everyone spoke.

Here are few of the specifics, and I looking forward to going.   They put 10x10 on the agenda, as well as sustainability.  They know much more must be done, urgently, on GHG.  But I appreciated th transparency.

Lisa Murphy, assistant to city manager, not a Commissioner, spoke at length about the polystrene ban (2006), the sucesses and now the need to crack down on the coolers being sold.  Sounded like she actually checked some of the stores.

She also spoke about diverting waste to landfill (was 46%, now 59% - but law is 50%) and her plans to go further.   There was discuss about green waste in Capitola Village, where room is limited.

Elizabeth Russell, one of Commissioners described working on GHG with ICLEI, Monterey Institue and a grant from AMBAG that covered 18 districts in San Cruz, Montery, and San Benito counties.   (SCC,city of Santa Cruz apparently opted out.  Reason?)    Because of the grant, Capitola is getting professional help and an intern to do the heaving lifting - free (grant provided  the $12K or so to do the inventory).  It will be done by November, though won't be public yet. 

Of course, they allowed me to complain that it should have been done 2 years ago, but I am beginning to learn about how governments work.   All individuals did agree of need for urgency and what can be done now.

Capitola even has a pesticide free park, and will have a community project to pull the weeds.   Melisa Van Ness organized this.  

That day SJ passed the plastic bag ban and planned to do EIR - a cost - which has frightened many cities away from passing similar bans.  Apparently Capitola banned polystrene before the industry realized it - since Capitola was the first.  

There was discussion about plastic ban and the general question about how green are 'green' products anyway. (Here is one website trying to do this.  It is not easy to follow the lifecycle and supply chain of a product - see Ecological Intelligence)

The Commission also has a student slot, a new UCSC student with experience at the Seymour Lab was nominated and seemed very qualified.

The final presentation was by Chair Sullivan, who teaches at De Anza College and has done a good deal of sustainability work there over the years.  The college had the first LEED Platnium building at a Community College.  There are also a variety of majors for students ('green jobs'?).  

She was asking if this expertise can be brought to Capitola?  I think she can.