Flurry of news today, and wanted to update everyone. 

Most important, maybe, for us in Marin is the upcoming Zero Carbon Retreat, free to all, and sign up HERE. 

Second, a new study published today in the Scientific Journal Nature Climate Science. The article details which policies available for decarbonization have the least negative impacts for small businesses and average households These are obvious concerns we are thinking about as we try to design solutions for Fairfax. You can access a SUMMARY of this report HERE (unfortunately, they do charge for this report, but the summary is free).

Finally, on the eve of the Biden inauguration, the DC Circuit Court of Appeals has rejected the Trump administration so called "Affordable Clean Energy Plan" which essentially rolled back the Obama regulations pushing to decarbonize the electricity generation in this country. (Learn more HERE). The effect of this decision is going to be to continue greening the electricity sector, which will  help make it easier for normal people to green their lives without extensive changes OTHER than moving slowly and steadily towards electrification of our homes and transportation. 

With a new administration will come new opportunities, no doubt, for accelerating needed change, the the Town's Climate Action Committee is watching closely to see how we, HERE, in our Town, can take advantage. 

Thank you all for being part of this Town and part of the solution. Please go HERE (for MCE Deep Green) or HERE (for PG&E 100% Solar) to make the biggest difference you can now, AND save money. 

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
• Passcode: 086983

Phone one-tap:

• US: +16699006833,,97358122565#,,,,*086983# 
• or +13462487799,,97358122565#,,,,*086983# 

​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

Phone one-tap:
US: +16699006833,,97358122565#,,,,*086983# or +13462487799,,97358122565#,,,,*086983#

Meeting URL:
https://mazzetti.zoom.us/j/97358122565?pwd=TEEyeFM4YmdLQTQwekJBbTVIelVDQT09&from=addon

Meeting ID:
973 5812 2565

Passcode:
086983

Join by Telephone

For higher quality, dial a number based on your current location.

Dial:

US: +1 669 900 6833 or +1 346 248 7799 or +1 253 215 8782 or +1 312 626 6799 or +1 929 436 2866 or +1 301 715 8592

Meeting ID:
973 5812 2565

Passcode:
086983

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:
US: +16699006833,,97358122565#,,,,*086983# or +13462487799,,97358122565#,,,,*086983#
Meeting URL:
https://mazzetti.zoom.us/j/97358122565?pwd=TEEyeFM4YmdLQTQwekJBbTVIelVDQT09&from=addo
Meeting ID:
973 5812 2565
Passcode:
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!)