Business owners, members of various organizations and political representatives attended the seventh Sacramento Sustainability Forum on Thursday at the Sacramento News & Review offices at 1124 Del Paso Blvd. Since August 2009 the SSF has been holding these meetings to discuss local solutions to environmental, economic and political problems.

The discussion focused on Senate Bill 375, which calls for lowering greenhouse gas emissions by curbing urban sprawl. The bill would have city and transportation planners achieve this by placing housing, industry, schools and retail in close proximity to each other.

The bill is complex and would pertain to many segments of population and organizations in Sacramento. For more information and to read the bill, visit www.arb.ca.gov/cc/sb375/sb375.htm.

The speakers Thursday were Shamus Roller, executive director of the Sacramento Housing Alliance; Mike McKeever, executive director of the Sacramento Area Council of Governments; and Bill Yeates, a partner in the Kenyon Yeates law firm. Each speaker discussed the bill from his perspective and explained how it related to the audience.

Before presentations, audience members were given time to network and discuss current issues. After, a short question and answer session was provided. Several members of the audience brought up questions on how the bill would directly affect their organization or neighborhood.

The forum's roots lie in Green Drinks, another Sacramento public assembly focused on sustainability. Two of the founders of SSF are Jacob Griscom and Rick Noss. Noss had been involved in the creation of Green Drinks and met Griscom there. The two men decided to form their own sustainability gathering with the help of additional co-founders Ben Phillips and Jon Haas. Griscom said attendance at the conference has grown steadily since its beginning.

"We need to stick together to share our political and business strategies for our city's future. Networking is the key to anyone's future ...," said Michael DuBose, co-proprietor of Green Scene Solutions who was attending the forum. His Sacramento company specializes in green construction and destruction and waste diversion.

SSF's next forum will be held in collaboration with the Green California Summit and Exposition. It will be at the Convention Center, at 1400 J Street, from 2-4 p.m. March 15