Late notice, I know, but the Climate Reality Project is hosting an event on Building Electrification tonight - join if you can:

https://www.climaterealitybayarea.org/chapter-events/2021/1/14/2021-building-the-momentum-for-building-electrification
​

As many of you know, the Fairfax Climate Action Committee conducted a survey last year of Town Residents for ways we can work together to get us to zero emissions by 2030. 

One thing we did NOT ask about is the idea of electrifying ride-sharing programs. There is a growing movement among jurisdictions to require this. Uber is moving towards this goal already, as you can see HERE. 

Transportation experts are all over the place about how transportation will evolve in the next decade - we have ride-sharing, electrification, autonomous vehicles. We have carpooling, we have public transport, we have bicycles. 

As we try to de-carbonize, and to do it in ways that support all sectors of society, this idea of requiring all commercial ride-share services to be fully electric is interesting. Since we didn't ask in our survey - What do you think?? 

​Thank you!

This morning, I got an email from an organization called the American Council for Energy Efficiency. This group has a system for ranking cities and towns on their actions to approach carbon neutrality. The gist of this article was that a town does not need to be a behemoth like San Francisco to be effective. Even small towns, like us, can be leaders. 

​Check it out HERE. 

Indeed, they note that some of the most effective cities in the country at moving the zero emissions needle are San Luis Obispo, Goleta, Manhattan Beach, and West Hollywood. 

On the CAC, we are going to try to learn from these early leaders, and see how we can build upon their successes. And, lets unleash the creativity of this community, and see if we can get onto that list in months to come!

The Climate Action Committee for the Town of Fairfax is pleased to announce the appointment of our newest member, Beth Verdekal. 

Beth is a former resident of Fairfax, and, like the Prodigal Child, has returned to us, bringing much needed new energy and excitement. 

The CAC is a group of volunteers, doing our best to help our Town navigate the wicked problem of how to bring us all together to build the kind of environmentally sound, zero-emission community the world needs us to be. 

Welcome Beth! and thank you!

The Survey of the Residents of Fairfax [HERE] that was conducted by the Town's Climate Action Committee showed a strong support for the idea of requiring all-electric buildings for new construction. This is in line with the trend in the Bay Area and across the state. 

The Business Section of the San Francisco Chronicle covered this topic well, this morning [HERE]. 

On Monday night, the Climate Action Committee will host an Open Forum with the Town Residents to talk through ways we can work together to bend the climate curve. 

We hope you can join us. 

Monday, January 11 - 6:30pm-7:30pm

Zoom Meeting:

• https://mazzetti.zoom.us/j/97358122565?pwd=TEEyeFM4YmdLQTQwekJBbTVIelVDQT09&from=addo#success
• Meeting ID: 973 5812 2565
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Phone one-tap:

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​2020 was the hottest year ever. 

Climate Change is turning cities into ovens. (and bonfires). 

Star fish are drowning because the oceans are warming. 

But, we can fix the problem. 

0 by 30. Let's get it done. Join us Monday night to brainstorm. 

Join Zoom Meeting

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Meeting URL:
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Meeting ID:
973 5812 2565

Passcode:
086983

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Next Monday, January 11, from 6:30 - 7:30, the Fairfax Climate Action Committee will once again be hosting a conversation about our upcoming climate action plan. This is your opportunity to be heard. Our focus will be our buildings; our homes, our businesses, our places of education and gathering. 

Join us next Monday here: 

Join Zoom Meeting
Phone one-tap:
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Meeting URL:
https://mazzetti.zoom.us/j/97358122565?pwd=TEEyeFM4YmdLQTQwekJBbTVIelVDQT09&from=addo
Meeting ID:
973 5812 2565
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086983

One thing we will need to talk about is emergency generators. Today, there is great concern about power outages, and how we will supply electricity to our buildings during power outages. This issue has recently come up in several contexts at the Planning Commission. 

Some of us are old enough to remember the rolling blackouts that happened during the early days of electricity deregulation here, and the backlash against Governor Davis that resulted. Around that time, the California Energy Commission studied the emissions impacts of BUGS (backup generators). That study found significant health impacts from these emissions. (REPORT HERE)

More and more of us are thinking about this problem in our newest era of blackouts. This is especially important in an era where we are thinking about how to eliminate the use of natural gas in our buildings. As we move towards electrification, we need to be sure that we have access to electricity when we need it. 

There are some alternatives available now, and more that are being rapidly developed. (SEE HERE). 

This. is not an easy problem, but it is one that we need to work on together. Every time we put in another natural gas line, or another generator driven by burning fossil fuels, we lock in its use and its emissions and yet more global warming. 

Join us Monday night, and lets talk about solutions, 

One of the things the People of Fairfax told us in our survey was that we need to help people know about financial incentives that are available to help with doing environmental projects. 

We are going to try to do that. I am hoping we can start a new page our CAC Website, and keep it updated, over time, with such opportunities. I am pretty sure the County of Marin has something like this. 

One piece of year-end good news is that Congress passed, and the President signed into law, the new budget and relief package this week, and it includes some provisions for funding renewable energy projects that ALL FAIRFAX PEOPLE can access. 

In particular, the bill included:

1. The bill extended the solar investment tax credit (PV and solar thermal) for two more years - get those panels in while they will be cheap! This program also applies to small wind energy installations. 
2. The bill extended credits for energy efficient homes, up to $2,000 for new energy efficient homes through 2021. 
3. The bill reauthorized the Weatherization Assistance Program for low-income households, and this program now includes renewable energy installations as weatherization measures. 
4. The bill permanently extended the Section 179D Tax deduction for energy-efficient commercial buildings - Fairfax businesses, take note!
5. The bill includes more money for buying energy efficient equipment and water saving measures. 
6. The bill includes an electric vehicle credit for electric scooters and motorcycles for vehicles. 

So, my friends, there is help out there, and we should all do what we can to use these incentives to invest in the health of our community. 

​Happy New Years to everyone. 

As dedicated readers know, we have been conducting a survey over the last couple of months, about the things the people of Fairfax think the Town should be doing with respect to the Climate. 

We are putting the full results of the survey up on the website. CLICK HERE!

We noted a few general themes:

1. People are more interested in getting information online rather than in workshops or events. Maybe information booths at community events (POST virus). 
2. People want Town communications to include more information on our climate activities. And, the Town should hire staff to help with this need. 
3. People want to be encouraged and helped, but not forced to do good things. 
4. Strong interest in finding ways to help people pay for things that help with climate. 
5. BUT, require new buildings to be more efficient than base building code, and require energy audits and retrofits at time of sale.
6. The Town should walk the talk. That is, the Town needs to reduce its own environmental footprint, use renewables, etc. 
6. Enforce the existing food waste composting and recyclables ordinance. 
7. Plant more trees and give away trees. 
8. Develop program of local offsets to fund projects by residents. 

We thank you for your feedback. 

As noted before, we are continuing our Climate Action Plan Conversations. 

Please note; our next one will be Monday, January 11, from 6:30 - 7:30. Be there or be square!

(P.S. I included the photo above because this is the REAL Fairfax Climate Action Committee; in a previous post, I included a photo of a zoom call, but i did not have one of us, so I used some stock photo thing; the above is your team!) 

Monday night, we will have our next Climate Emergency Conversation. We will talk about buildings; how do we work together to reduce our climate impact here. 

Studies by many organizations are showing the health and economic benefits of all-electric homes. 

The Rocky Mountain institute recently issued a report (HERE) based on detailed energy and financial analysis, and found that all-electric homes are more cost-effective in every city studied. In most of the cities, they were less expensive to build, and in all of the cities they were less expensive to operate. 

I know this seems counter-intuitive, but new technologies are making it every more possible. 

The County of Marin has passed an Energy Reach Code, making it easier to build an all-electric house in Marin County easier than building a mixed-fuel house. They did so after completing an exhaustive cost-benefit study that showed that the all-electric homes are more cost-effective in Marin than mixed-fuel homes. 

The County has asked that all jurisdictions in the County follow suit, to make it easier for builders in the County with only one set of rules. So far, Mill Valley and San Anselmo have followed the lead of the County. 

In Fairfax we build very few new homes each year, so this kind of requirement will not impact most people. But, it will be a significant step towards County unity and towards our goal. 

We in Fairfax have set the most aggressive Climate Goal in the County - to become Carbon Neutral by 2030. Doing so will not be easy, but we can do it if we choose to come together and build a better, more cost-effective world. 

Please join us and let's talk about how we can do this. Together, we can. 

ZOOM HERE:
or Here: https://mazzetti.zoom.us/j/96303584336?from=msft
Meeting ID:  963 0358 4336
Phone one-tap:
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or +12532158782,,96303584336#
or HERE: