Thursday, May 15, 2008

Ojai Pledges Sustainability Support

Ojai goes green on city plans

By Daryl Kelley
The greening of Ojai is about to become official city policy, as this bucolic village begins to embrace the principals of a growing worldwide movement aimed at creating a planet that is healthy and sustainable.
In discussing the “Roadmap to a Sustainable Ojai” this week, the City Council pledged to support an array of new strategies to make the Ojai Valley a model “green community” that laces economic, social and ecological needs into the fabric of everyday life.
The broad new plan goes far beyond “green” building guidelines that typically call for energy-efficient structures made of recycled materials, officials said. It’s about considering the mantra of “use, reuse and recycle” in everything we do.
“It’s really about changing the way we live our lives,” city manager Jere Kersnar told the council.”There’s a lot of attention paid to green building. But in order to achieve the goals of sustainability, we’re going to have to change our lifestyles.”
The sustainability concept is that a society should plan its activities so they meet its needs while preserving the natural way of life, and to maintain this balance indefinitely.
In Ojai, it’s already happening a bit, Kersnar said, with some residents switching from traditional light bulbs to more efficient flourescent tubes and using recycled grocery bags.
But the big question, he said, is “how can we get that kind of thinking in all of our citizens’ minds? That’s the issue we all should address collectively.”
Planner Katrina Rice Schmidt, the city point person in the sustainability effort, added: “This is the start of a very long discussion we’re going to have in the future.”
Schmidt emphasized that there are things the city can do right now as it plans a broader effort to incorporate green concepts in city policies to save water, energy and the natural environment while promoting public trans-portation, waste recycling and a community design that takes conservation into account.
Right away, she said, the city can adopt a checklist of “green methods of construction” builders should use and reward them with “I Am a Green Builder” window placard for responsive businesses.
“It’s a carrot instead of the stick right now,” she said.
As a start, green principals should be adopted throughout city government, Mayor Sue Horgan said.
“I almost think we should all have this posted on our walls,” she said.
Councilwoman Carol Smith said one way Ojai could implement a green policy is not to automatically accept the lowest bid from contractors seeking work from the city.
“Right now,” she said, “we’re doing the lowest possible bid and we’re not taking into account how far away that product is coming and is it (green).”
The council also discussed eliminating the 50-cent charge for people to ride the Ojai Trolley, and establishing a trolley route that cycles continuously from the “Y” intersection of the 33 and 150 highways to the downtown area.
Green policies should reach the most basic levels of government, such as the purchase of recycled paper for office use, officials said.
The council’s focus of such issues is partly the result of efforts of an emerging Ojai Valley Green Coalition, which in the last year has enlisted 125 volunteers to work on committees to recommend policy changes at governmental, educational, utility and nonprofit organizations that would lead to a more sustainable community.
Deborah Pendrey, executive coordinator of the Green Coalition, applauded the council’s efforts to begin getting local organizations to embrace such goals. How the community responds to the challenge will affect how our children live for generations to come, she said.
“We can no longer draw a line in the sand between city and county,” she said. “There can no longer be business as usual because nothing is usual anymore. ... And, quite frankly, we have some catching up to do. ... So we ask you what’s next, and how can we help you.”
Joan Roberts, a coalition committee chairwoman, praised the city’s initial efforts. And she urged officials to keep up the momentum by grading themselves on progress.
The city of Santa Monica, for example, has had an annual checkup for seven years, she said. That bay-front city near Los Angeles hands out “green business certificates” that verifies a shop is “a nontoxic work place” and is meeting strict standards for recycling, she said.
Santa Monica “is so green the ocean is practically green,” Roberts said. “And we look forward to working with the city (of Ojai) in the greening of the Ojai Valley.”
Planner Schmidt said that while Santa Monica and Santa Cruz in northern California are pace-setters, the sustainability movement is advancing across the state. When she surveyed California cities a year ago, she said, 25 had some sort of green policy.
Reggie Wood of Meiners Oaks, a member of the United States Green Building Council, said that Ojai could play a significant role in advancing the green movement locally.
“I’m noticing something like a leapfrog (effect),” he said. “The state of California is far ahead of the other states ... and our cities have jumped on board. Santa Barbara is a little ahead and the city of Ventura has a very nice program. ... And if the city of Ojai would step up, the county would be encouraged to go on ...”
Others attending the Tuesday evening council meeting also praised the effort and offered to help. Kenley Neufeld, chair of the Green Coalition’s Transportation Committee, offered to assist the city with a plan for enhanced public transit, bike lanes and pedestrian walkways. He backed the idea of making the city trolley free and noted that a new bio-diesel fuel cooperative has just been formed at Help of Ojai.
But he also warned that the Ojai Valley has a long way to go. For instance, carpooling and bus use is low in the valley.
“About 150 people go to Santa Barbara Community College (from here),” he said. “And we have four riders (on commuter buses to the campus).”
That prompted Mayor Horgan to note the importance of getting the word out about the importance being a green community.
“It’s all about education,” she said, “and we’re making a start here.”
Indeed, each council member voiced support for the city’s continued partnership with the Green Coalition in pursuing conservation goals, starting with the “low-hanging fruit,” as Councilman Steve Olsen said.
“People come to Ojai because it’s a little bit different,” he said. “And this contributes to that.”
Smith recommended that merchants be encouraged to offer incentives to those who carpool to do their shopping. And Councilwoman Rae Hanstad endorsed the idea of a short-run trolley between the “Y” and the downtown Skate Park.
“We’re going in a great direction,” she said. “Many (such) efforts have lacked direction, but suddenly we have it. I’m glad we’re finally taking ideas and putting them into an action plan.”
Horgan thanked the Green Coalition, in particular.
“This really feels like it’s solid and real,” she said.

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

How long are people going to buy into this scientific nonsense of global warming?

If we were in the natural cycle phase of Ice Age, would we call it global cooling and then blame it on the rapid rise in world population and overdevelopment?

Let's face, global warming is a bunch of hot air.

Anonymous said...

If global warming = hot air, and james hatch produces hot air, then james hatch = global warming.

Anonymous said...

I agree global warming is bs. It is another way for the government to raise money. Can we all say carbon tax.
http://www.infowars.com/?p=2204

Anonymous said...

krappozappo Says:


For more than a thousand years, the world accepted Aristotle’s word that the sun moved around the Earth, that the Earth was the center of the universe. Then Galileo, in the sixteenth century, used the newly invented telescope to learn the Earth rotated around the sun.

Today, we have the same opportunity to see whether the evidence fits a popular theory, this time on global warming but we risk media house arrest if we do.

It seems strange since in the ’60s and ’70s they
were forecasting global cooling, and they had a
good reason to do that. The globe was actually
cooling.

The Earth could be warming due to either natural or man made causes, or both at the same time. But, the facts strongly suggest human CO2 has been only a small factor in our small recent warming (a net 0.2 degrees C since 1940). That isn’t denial; it’s reality

Anonymous said...

I'll leave it to smarter people than I to decide whether or not global warming is anthropogenic, but even a 5 year old is smart enough to know that if your house is on fire you don't throw gasoline on the flames.

Anonymous said...

Booby Hatch,

Your circular logical leaps of faith are eerily similar to those of the global warming scientists:

Your logic: If apples(global warming) = Fruit (hot air), and trees (James Hatch) produces fruit (hot air), then trees (James Hatch) = Apples (global warming).

If global warming = temperatures increasing over the last 50 years, and mankind's habits produces temperatures increasing over the last 50 years, then mankind causes global warming.

There are a lot of if's and assumptions.

Let's face it, we've only been taking temperature readings for the last 100 years.

I am sick and tired of a bunch of conspiracy theory yahoo scientists telling me what to think about the overpopulation and overdevelopment of Earth.

Anonymous said...

jim,
tell us. do you think about overpopulation and overdevelopment of Earth?
always yours in spirit....otto

Anonymous said...

I am sick and tired of a bunch of conspiracy theory yahoo scientists telling me what to think about the overpopulation and overdevelopment of Earth

I'm sick and tired of you and people who think the way you do. Are you all going to shut up and go away? No? Well, neither are we.

Next.

Anonymous said...

Let's face it, James Hatch is the voice of reason on this topic. Issues only appear to be complicated. When you understnad that basic premise, you are able to cut through the smoke and mirrors and identify what is really at the core.

James Hatch identifies the problem and creates the solution, much like a skilled surgeon with a patient on the operating table.

When James Hatch speaks, scientists listen.