Kara Odegard, Manager of Sustainability Initiatives, No Phone Number Available
Friday, May 14, 2021 at 12:08 p.m.
The draft Sustainability Action Plan is now available for public review and feedback!
For the past two years, more than 40 community members of the Sustainability Action Subcommittee (SAS), including local and regional experts, have worked under the guidance of Kara Odegard, Manager of Sustainability Initiatives for Spokane City Council, to produce this strategic plan. Tasked to research solutions the City of Spokane and its residents can take to both mitigate our contribution to climate change and help make our community more resilient, SAS members formed eight workgroups to operate under Buildings & Energy, Transportation, Planning & Land Use, Waste & Recycling, Natural Resources, Equity, Climate Action Planning, and Communications. A recently formed workgroup will focus on a just transition for workers.
“Climate change is a global issue that needs local action, and cities are a necessary part of the solution,” says Odegard. “The Sustainability Action Plan does address climate, but it really aims to make the community more resilient in the face of future challenges and economic downturns.”
The draft Sustainability Action Plan creates a framework for how the City and the Spokane community can move forward to achieve our environmental and climate related goals while investing in strong neighborhoods and the local economy. Over 100 strategies and actions have been identified for the purpose of creating more resiliency to better prepare Spokane in the face of future challenges.
A top priority for the SAS is to engage communities disproportionately impacted by climate change in the final draft of the Sustainability Action Plan. With grant funding from the National League of Cities, the SAS has established a task force to focus on environmental equity within the Spokane region. “Climate change will impact everyone in Spokane, but because some people will be hit harder than others,” says Alex Gibilisco, Manager of Equity and Inclusion, “the City must prioritize action and invest resources to address existing disparities to ensure all residents can adapt to a changing climate.”
Low-income, Black, Indigenous, and people of color have paid the price for climate change more than any other community. The SAS acknowledges this fact and has incorporated an equity framework throughout the Sustainability Action Plan’s proposed actions and strategies.
City Council needs your feedback! The public review period is a critical piece of the Sustainability Action Plan’s development. Public feedback is necessary to finalize revisions and provide City Council Members guidance on prioritizing action within the city.
There are several ways to participate and provide input on the Sustainability Action Plan.
