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Friday, February 10, 2012
Sustainability forums start Aug. 20
by Suzanne Hurt, published on August 12, 2009 at 8:15 PM
Storyline: Sustainability
The move toward a more sustainable city will take a step forward when the Sacramento Sustainability Forum launches next Thursday.
The regular monthly forum has been created to raise awareness about sustainable practices and development among people living and working in Sacramento, including those in business and government, said Rick Noss, who founded the forum with Jacob Griscom.
"For us, it gets the whole topic elevated throughout the community," said Noss, who also owns Green Vision, which helps companies reduce the use of paper and toxic presentation materials. "Awareness fosters growth and a paradigm shift to a more sustainable existence."
Sacramento is home to other groups and business organizations interested in sustainability, including Green Capital Alliance, the Environmental Council of Sacramento (ECOS), Sustainable Sacramento Business, Sustainable Urban Gardens and the Sacramento Area Regional Technology Alliance. One of the forum's goals is to gather people from these niche groups to discuss conservation and how it impacts business.
Another goal is to raise the influence of sustainability in Sacramento's marketplace, which, Noss said, would support businesses like his.
"From an ethical and moral standpoint, (sustainability is) something I believe in," he added.
About 50 people are expected to attend the first forum, which is scheduled for 6 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 20, at the Radisson Hotel, 500 Leisure Lane. They include local residents, environmentally friendly business owners, museum staff, architects, environmental engineers, developers and government employees.
Developer and architect David Mogavero of the sustainable design firm Mogavero Notestine Associates will give the keynote speech. Mogavero is president of ECOS and a board member for The Planning and Conservation League. He has long promoted sustainable building and smart-growth practices and policies.
The forum will include roundtable discussions of key topics related to sustainability in the local community and on a larger scale. The break-out sessions will be led by Angela Shepard of Green Capital Alliance. Someone from each table will make a brief presentation summing up that table's discussion.
Griscom and Noss came up with the idea for the forum at a networking event. Griscom serves as western regional manager for BetterWorld Telecom, a telecommunications company serving only businesses that support sustainability and social justice.
For more information, go to the Sustainability Forum event page.
Suzanne Hurt is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.
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ECOS supports the CURRENT PLAN (which very few know about) by the City of Sacramento to annex tens of thousands of acres of irreplaceable farmland so developers can build more stucco tract houses once the flood designation is lifted in 4-5 years. Yet they talk of "buying local" farm fresh food while they romantically speak of farmers markets....LOL Give me a break!
For those that truly care about sustainability or protecting the environment that you live in, don't think for one second that developers do not use organizations like ECOS as fronts for their agendas.
I would love to debate either Noss or Griscom on the accomplishments of ECOS and their ties to politicians that promote unsustainable and environmentally destructive development.
You want to make some change in Sacramento Noss and Griscom? Tell me what your doing about the rampant NPDES violations in this county and the effects on the Delta???
I swear to God I wish I could find ONE active & involved person in this town that had integrity.
If any one feels like writing an in depth article on this subject...contact me...I just don't have the time right now.
Mr. Knapp - I don't know who you are or where you get your "information" but I think you need to put down the kool aid. Your comments on ECOS are completely inaccurate -- basically one big distortion. I also wish you had the decency to contact me or someone else at ECOS directly instead of taking cheap baseless potshots at ECOS on the Sac Press blog about this upcoming Sustainability Forum.
I'm the Executive Director of ECOS and the fact is that ECOS is strongly opposed to and fighting ALL annexation efforts by cities and counties in our region. We have sued the City of Sacramento for attempting to expand further into the Natomas Basin (the Greenbriar project). We aggressively challenged the City of Sacramento's General Plan update on a range of issues -- including the fact that it calls for annexation and development of new areas to the north, and east of the city. Every time the City or County of Sacramento looks to expand development in Natomas, we fight it. We are challenging Elk Grove's attempt to expand by 10,000 acres into the Cosumnes River flood plain. We are aggressively challenging the County of Sacramento's disastrous Gen'l Plan update which also contemplates vast new acreages of greenfield development. We are working w/ a range of groups from across the region to challenge sprawl proposals from Yolo to Yuba to Sutter to Placer to El Dorado. I mean, ECOS has done more to challenge sprawl than any other group in the region. Have we always been successful? No. Why? Because too many of our electeds are tied to the developers who fund their re-election campaigns.
Oh, and our "ties to politicians"?! Huh? Most politicians around these parts either can't stand us or just suffer us because we're constantly challenging their land use and planning decisions.
But there is at least one thing on which we agree -- that the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) violations occurring across our region are extreme and entirely unacceptable.
So Jim - where are you getting your information? Or do you just like making stuff up?
Why don't you actually contact me at ECOS - execdirector@ecosacramento.net or 444-0022 - and we can have a one-on-one chat. Or come to the Forum next Monday and we can meet in person.
Graham Brownstein
Executive Director, ECOS
Pop Quiz: Who on the City Council was the past President of ECOS? What is his position on annexation?
Where was ECOS when the City Council was debating the disposition of $32 million dollars in federal stimulus funds to rehab homes, and Councilwoman Hammond said "If building Green is going to raise the cost of rehabbing these homes, then I am against it..." (verifiable and on tape) The rest of the Council agreed with her BTW...
I also see your featured speaker, David Mogavero works with DR Horton...a developer who epitomizes unsustainable urban sprawl building stucco crap boxes on irreplaceable farm land. I suggest replacing him by playing the documentary "Subdivide & Conquer" Then having a round table discussion on starting a campaign to REALLY halt urban sprawl in Sacramento.
ECOS needs to stop saying one thing than doing another; stop supporting candidates that are harming our environment, until they do this, they have NO CREDIBILITY WHATSOEVER.
You need to stop indirectly supporting fake mitigation measures that "move" wildlife habitat into Sutter County so developers can "comply" with CEQA in order to make BILLIONS of dollars.
If your SERIOUS about sustainability, then circulate a petition to put on the June or November 2010 ballot a measure to halt all annexations of land and urban sprawl without a public vote. Go ahead...and see how fast those you support, and those that donate to ECOS turn on you.
BTW, many of those that "support" your efforts or give money to your organization, do so in order to appear environmentally conscious, while they make BILLIONS off our community supporting unsustainable urban sprawl.
ECOS does not support any Sac City councilmembers or have ties to any of them. We have no involvement in electoral politics or election campaigns. Several councilmembers have donated to ECOS and to Sac Earth Day over the years but there's never any quid pro quo.
Ray Tretheway ran for and was elected president of the ECOS board of directors back in the 1980s or early 90s. He resigned almost immediately when he started to feel some heat because ECOS was too aggressively opposed to new development. Longtime Sierra Club activist Vicki Lee took over the presidency after Ray jumped ship and Vicki stayed put for several years. Ray's support for more sprawl in Natomas has been opposed by ECOS every single step of the way.
We can't be at every council hearing. Apologies to Mr. Knapp for missing the opportunity to set the City straight on their allocation of federal stimulus dollars. I'm sure if ECOS had shown up, everything would have turned out just fine because, gosh, those councilmembers sure always listen to us!
David Mogavero has been doing green and affordable infill development in Sac longer than anybody. For Mr. Knapp to take potshots at Mogavero because he has "worked with" a big sprawl developer like Horton is just silly. Uh, Jim, I guess you're perfect and never associate with anybody who isn't pure as the driven snow?
In terms of habitat protection, ECOS strongly opposes any mitigation proposal that involves land banks in areas separated from the development and the development impacts. We have never supported habitat banks in Sutter, for example, to mitigate impacts of development in Sac County. Precisely the opposite in fact. We have steadfastly opposed such proposals! If Jim had bothered to read any of our comment letters, he would know this.
Oh, and that petition drive and ballot measure. Great idea. We'll get right on it. Any chance Mr. Knapp wants to lead the effort? We'd love the help. You see, we're a bit stretched thin. These days we're down to one full-time paid staff and we can barely afford that.
I find it humorous that you are trying to distance ECOS from Tretheway...nice does he know this?
As for the petition drive, I will happily donate to the cause If. If ECOS were to accomplish one thing and one thing only, an initiative to halt urban sprawl in Sacramento would be the most important thing you could ever do. Name one environmental issue that is more important to Sacramento than urban sprawl right now...It effects EVERYTHING...the Delta, the Bay, wildlife habitat, traffic, carbon emissions, mass transit, destruction of farm land and on and on...As you stated, you don't believe that the Council listens to environmental concerns from the public...I agree wholeheartedly..it happens to be YOUR JOB to change that...They never will listen as long as developers control the council and they wrap themselves in Green cloaks to use organizations like ECOS, the Sierra Club and other so called environmental groups as a stepping stone to get elected, once in office, they forget who you are...unless of course they are up for re-election.