Young Activist Takes a Stand

...In May 2005, the Climate Protection Campaign convened a workshop to agree upon a greenhouse gas reduction target for Sonoma County, where 32 community members came to consensus that Sonoma County should reduce its greenhouse gas emissions 25% below 1990 levels by 2015, the boldest emission reduction target set by any community in the United States to date. The recommended target has now been adopted by all nine of Sonoma’s city governments, and the Board of Supervisors will vote on the target on September 27th, 2005.

Eight youth under 18 participated in the workshop, alongside city councilmembers, civic leaders, and business members. Below is the experience of Katie Arnold, the youth representative for Cotati...

"Katie Takes a Stand"
Written by Katie Arnold, Age 17
September 6, 2005

In May 2005, Cotati councilwoman Janet Orchard invited me to join her as the youth representative for my town, Cotati, in a countywide workshop to address climate change. I’ve been very interested in environmental change for a long time, and I was excited to be involved.

The "Community Target Setting Workshop," as it was called, lasted all day, and it was spent hammering out a greenhouse gas emissions reduction target that we would recommend to the county at large for adoption. We worked in small groups composed of different kinds of people – business members, youth, civic leaders, and elected officials – from different cities in Sonoma County. We were asked to decide upon a base year for measuring our greenhouse gas emissions, a target year for achieving our goal, and a percentage amount to reduce our emissions below the base year by the target year. It was easily decided that 1990 would be our base year because it’s the same base year as that of the international Kyoto Protocol to reduce emissions, involving over 154 nations. The small groups then chose a target year, and the group agreed upon 2015. Our group thought 2015 was favorable because it allowed our community a ten-year window of time to meet our goal. Our next decision was what percent reduction this community could achieve. The group that I was in was one of the few that thought that 30% reduction below 1990 levels by 2015 was ideal. Most other groups wanted either a 20 or 25% reduction in that timeframe because it was easier to achieve and it aligns with the targets within the Kyoto Protocol. While the community workshop attendees consented on a 25% reduction in emissions below 1990 levels by 2015, I still held in my heart that 5% more would demonstrate leadership and help us to meet the scientific imperative.

While it is slightly harder to achieve 30%, it’s for our own benefit. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the leading scientific authority on the need for reducing emissions calls for a 60 to 80% reduction immediately to ease the environmental harm that is present to human health, climate cycles, and our planet’s ecosystems. While we weren’t reaching the scientific imperative with any of the goals presented at the workshop, 30% is the most positive because it is completely achievable with the innovations and technology currently available to reduce emissions.

I then went to the Cotati City Council meeting in late August when the resolution to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by our targeted times and percentages was on the agenda. I didn’t plan to speak to the council, but at the advice of Ann Hancock, the director of the Climate Protection Campaign, I went before the podium, coming out in full support of the resolution. I then presented some reasons for not only passing the resolution but also to amend the resolution to a 30% reduction. To my surprise, councilwoman Pat Gilardi supported my recommendation, and the other councilmembers followed suit, affirming the resolution unanimously with the addition of a 30 percent target.

As a young person, this was a really amazing experience for me. Although I’ve been involved in politics and activism, being taken seriously is harder to come by than would be expected. I imagine that this experience can be the same for adults. Being told that my ideas are worthwhile and that I’m being listened to was affirming for me, and I learned something wonderful from this experience. At the beginning of the workshop, I felt hesitant that the adult participants would not take me seriously. Given the opportunity to spend an entire day voicing my opinions on an equal playing field with city councilmembers and business leaders and helping to shape the future of our community for the benefit of the entire planet, I felt like my opinions, and also the opinions the other young people there, are more acknowledged than I or my peers often assume.

"Katie Takes a Stand"
Written by Katie Arnold, Age 17
September 6, 2005

In May 2005, Cotati councilwoman Janet Orchard invited me to join her as the youth representative for my town, Cotati, in a countywide workshop to address climate change. I’ve been very interested in environmental change for a long time, and I was excited to be involved.

The "Community Target Setting Workshop," as it was called, lasted all day, and it was spent hammering out a greenhouse gas emissions reduction target that we would recommend to the county at large for adoption. We worked in small groups composed of different kinds of people – business members, youth, civic leaders, and elected officials – from different cities in Sonoma County. We were asked to decide upon a base year for measuring our greenhouse gas emissions, a target year for achieving our goal, and a percentage amount to reduce our emissions below the base year by the target year. It was easily decided that 1990 would be our base year because it’s the same base year as that of the international Kyoto Protocol to reduce emissions, involving over 154 nations. The small groups then chose a target year, and the group agreed upon 2015. Our group thought 2015 was favorable because it allowed our community a ten-year window of time to meet our goal. Our next decision was what percent reduction this community could achieve. The group that I was in was one of the few that thought that 30% reduction below 1990 levels by 2015 was ideal. Most other groups wanted either a 20 or 25% reduction in that timeframe because it was easier to achieve and it aligns with the targets within the Kyoto Protocol. While the community workshop attendees consented on a 25% reduction in emissions below 1990 levels by 2015, I still held in my heart that 5% more would demonstrate leadership and help us to meet the scientific imperative.

While it is slightly harder to achieve 30%, it’s for our own benefit. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the leading scientific authority on the need for reducing emissions calls for a 60 to 80% reduction immediately to ease the environmental harm that is present to human health, climate cycles, and our planet’s ecosystems. While we weren’t reaching the scientific imperative with any of the goals presented at the workshop, 30% is the most positive because it is completely achievable with the innovations and technology currently available to reduce emissions.

I then went to the Cotati City Council meeting in late August when the resolution to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by our targeted times and percentages was on the agenda. I didn’t plan to speak to the council, but at the advice of Ann Hancock, the director of the Climate Protection Campaign, I went before the podium, coming out in full support of the resolution. I then presented some reasons for not only passing the resolution but also to amend the resolution to a 30% reduction. To my surprise, councilwoman Pat Gilardi supported my recommendation, and the other councilmembers followed suit, affirming the resolution unanimously with the addition of a 30 percent target.

As a young person, this was a really amazing experience for me. Although I’ve been involved in politics and activism, being taken seriously is harder to come by than would be expected. I imagine that this experience can be the same for adults. Being told that my ideas are worthwhile and that I’m being listened to was affirming for me, and I learned something wonderful from this experience. At the beginning of the workshop, I felt hesitant that the adult participants would not take me seriously. Given the opportunity to spend an entire day voicing my opinions on an equal playing field with city councilmembers and business leaders and helping to shape the future of our community for the benefit of the entire planet, I felt like my opinions, and also the opinions the other young people there, are more acknowledged than I or my peers often assume.

Comments

[Zeno Swijtink]

Hi Katie,

Great stuff! I read in today's Press Democrat an article about high school students driving to school a lot while they could take the bike or walk.

http://www1.pressdemocrat.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051002/NEWS/510020338/1033/NEWS01

I wonder whether your group has any plans to talk to your peers about GCC and the importance of cutting back on CO2 and other greenhouse gases? We need to take the message from the government folks to the broader community!

-- Zeno

[Jessica Kellett]

Cool Schools--the schools and youth wing of the Climate Protection Campaign--attended the "Reducing Traffic and Creating Greater Students Safety" workshop on Sat, Oct 1. Three students from Analy High School in Sebastopol attended the workshop with me. They are part of an Advanced Placement Statistics class that will perform a survey of vehicle miles traveled (VMT) and greenhouse gas emissions at Analy.

In the Bay Area, only one other high school in Palo Alto has implemented a drive-less program. The program, called GO FAST, has flip-flopped driving patterns to and from school in just 3 years. Today, only 85 students drive alone to school, 250 carpool, and many take the bus or bike. How? The PTA worked with the school district, the city, and neighbors. Through focus groups they aggressively examined incentives and disincentives for driving. By adjusting these incentives and disincentives, the school culture has changed--at the benefit of student health, traffic congestion, and climate change.

Following their survey, students at Analy evaluate and implement their own project to reduce VMT to school. While the students will create the baseline, and generate momentum amongst their peers, for us to make Analy Sonoma County's model school for transporation, we need to generate a parent and community initiative.

Zeno, do you want to help?

If anyone is interested in this, please contact me, Jessica Kellett, at 707-237-2696.

[Zeno Swijtink]

Great goals. I've alerted some parents and community members to your posting.

One idea I have is working with the "Wellness Committee" that your school district should set up according to the Federal Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act of 2004.

This Act draft requires the district to create a Wellness Policy that addresses both student nutrition and physical activity. The nutrition angle opens up the need of locally grown, organic food that requires less GHG to produce!

http://www.ecoliteracy.org/programs/wellness_policy.html

http://www.google.com/search?num=100&hl=en&lr=&newwindow=1&safe=off&client=safari&rls=en&q=Reauthorization+Act+of+2004+%22wellness+Committee%22+physical&btnG=Search

[Alice Tucker]

Dear Jennifer,

I have lived without a car since 1994. I'd love to help out.

Alice Tucker

[Jessica Kellett]

For a pont of clarification, I coordinate Cool Schools, the schools and youth program of the Climate Protection Campaign. I will be working with the Analy students, teachers, parents and community members interested in making Analy High School a Sonoma County model for reducing traffic, improving student safety, and redcuing greenhouse gas emisisons.

[Zeno Swijtink]

Hi Jessica,

I found this info related to your project: "Oct. 3 to 7 is International Walk to School Week. The Transportation Research Board report, A National Perspective and Guidance for Local Community Risk Assessment,

http://trb.org/news/blurb_detail.asp?id=5456

presents a method to estimate on a per-mile and per-trip basis the relative risks of traveling to and from school by walking, bicycling, riding in passenger vehicles with adult drivers, riding in passenger vehicles with teenage drivers, or taking a bus. The report also includes checklists of actions to reduce the risks associated with each mode of school travel."

Even though the week is gone, like so many of these effort, the report may still be of use and the week will probably come up again next year.

Cheers, Zeno

[Zeno Swijtink]

This week the British organization Friends of the Earth has a activity week for schools `Shout about climate change'.

They released results from a survey held among school kids. They look pretty cool, these British kids! 82% make sure they switch the lights off when they leave a room. Even granting them some exaggeration that's high. Conservation go!

http://www.foe.co.uk/resource/press_releases/young_people_take_action_o_07112005.html

In May 2005 Friends of the Earth launched a multi-media climate change campaign, The Big Ask http://www.thebigask.com. The Big Ask cinema ad, which features children aged 3-11 speaking about climate change, is running in dozens of movie houses.

Would Sonoma County movie houses show a locally produced video, I wonder. Analy has a great video program that won a prize in a waste water competition of the Russian River Watershed Association last year.