The Seattle City Council voted earlier this year to become a carbon neutral city. As part of this effort, they are gathering information from eight different sectors – land use, schools, transportation, green jobs, energy, food systems, zero waste and neighborhoods.
On Tuesday evening, Sustainable Ballard is hosting a community meeting on Tuesday, July 20th at 6 p.m. at the Ballard Library (5614 22nd Ave NW) to discuss ways the city can achieve carbon neutrality by 2030. Some of the talking points at the meeting will be:
Document great models of existing projects. What are neighborhood groups doing already to be more carbon neutral that could use City support?
New ideas with old money. Does your group have new ideas for using City land, buildings, staff and other assets to make neighborhoods more carbon neutral? Can you suggest pilot projects using existing City assets with multiple positive benefits that exemplify systems thinking?
New ideas with new money. Offset credits for food gardens, fruit trees, and non-motorized transit; Green local business networks and small business mentoring; Shared business spaces and community businesses; Local currency stimulus money and other wild funding ideas to build carbon neutral neighborhoods.
Your neighborhood/my neighborhood. One size seldom fits all. Density, geography, historic land uses, all shape what a neighborhood is and what it can become. What are some of distinguishing characteristics of your neighborhood and how can they be used advantageously to get us closer to carbon neutrality? How does carbon neutral fit into how we address on-going neighborhood planning?
What City policies can work towards carbon neutrality? What policies encourage local jobs, local agriculture, less consumption (zero waste), more shared resources (libraries, tool banks, childcare), more local social networks (clubs, religious, cultural, community kitchens), good public and non-motorized transit, good local schools, density, what else? Who will we invite from departments and elected officials to inform our next discussions?
What are the “lowest hanging fruits” in our future carbon neutral neighborhoods? What policies move neighborhoods away from carbon neutrality? What encourages more travel, more private consumption, less local community, fewer local jobs?
What are our goals, milestones, and benchmarks of a carbon neutral neighborhood? What is OUR definition of success?
Recommendations for action will be presented to the city council in September. If you can’t make Tuesday’s meeting, Sustainable Ballard has set up an online survey.