November 1st General Meeting: Climate Game Plan 2028 and Greenbelt Alliance Hot Spots

When: Wednesday, November 1st, 6:30 pm. On Zoom and In-person.

Location of In-Person Meeting: Sunnyvale Community Services, 1160 Kern Avenue, Sunnyvale, CA

Or Zoom Registration: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZMrcuCopzorHtFaeaQJ-UNE3l4mKX__1WR-

Climate Game Plan 2028

Sunnyvale’s Climate Action Plan was adopted in 2014 and in 2017 the City and community began work to update this plan resulting in the Climate Action Playbook.  This document was designed to identify how Sunnyvale can reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and address climate change.

The next step for the City of Sunnyvale is the Climate Game Plan 2028. At this meeting, we will hear from City Staff members, Madeline Khair, Environmental Programs Manager and Christina Raby, Environmental Engineering Coordinator how Sunnyvale did in meeting our targets, and the City’s plan to achieve the ambitious new targets set by the State of California for 2050.  All of us are experiencing the results of climate change driven by (GHG) emissions and all of us can do something to lower these emissions.  Join us to learn what you can do to be part of the climate change solution. 

Madeline Khair is the Environmental Programs Manager for the City of Sunnyvale, overseeing the Sustainability, Stormwater and Watershed Protection programs. Ms. Khair has been with the City for 3 years, as the Sustainability Coordinator and stepping into the Manger role in 2022. Ms. Khair has nearly 10 years of experience in the environmental field, having worked for consulting firms and school districts prior to joining the City of Sunnyvale and holds a Master’s of Science degree in Environmental Management.

Christina Raby is the Sustainability Coordinator for the City of Sunnyvale, overseeing the City’s Climate Action Playbook implementation and leading the seven member Sustainability Commission. Ms. Raby has been with the City for 4 years as an Environmental Programs Specialist in the Solid Waste Division then in the Regulatory Programs Division before stepping into the Sustainability Coordinator role in early 2023. Ms. Raby has nearly 10 years of experience in the environmental field, having worked for local government and nonprofits prior to joining the City of Sunnyvale. Ms. Raby holds a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology and a Master’s degree in Sustainability Leadership.

Greenbelt Alliance Hot Spots

We will also hear from Jordan Grimes with Greenbelt Alliance who will talk about Gilroy, our neighbor to the south, and why it is considered a hot spot. 

Artificial Turf in Sunnyvale and FUHSD High School Fields

Cortney Jansen, a resident of Lakewood Village assembled a large group of her neighbors to advocate for no artificial turf in refurbished Lakewood Park. The Lakewood group circulated a petition to the Sunnyvale City Council that got more than 200 signatures. At the October 24th meeting the Sunnyvale City Council heard from more than 25 Lakewood neighbors on this issue and voted not to install artificial turf as part of the Lakewood Park Renovation Project. There is currently no artificial turf in Lakewood Park.

Fremont Union High School District is considering replacing the existing artificial turf on 12 athletic fields. Cortney and Gail Rubino will provide a brief update on this issue.

New Equity Pillar for Livable Sunnyvale

As you may know, Livable Sunnyvale was founded in 2016 with the goal of making our city more livable by focusing on three pillars, Housing, Transportation and Sustainability.  Over the years, as our community has grown and changed, so has its needs.  As an organization we have advocated for these changing needs by expanding our reach beyond our original three pillars. 

To acknowledge this expansion, the board has voted to add a fourth pillar, “Equity“, to capture this work.  In recent years, it has become increasingly clear that there are strong equity and social justice components to all of our advocacy issues. Come hear about our proposed Equity pillar, what we are advocating for now, and will be advocating for in the coming months.  During this meeting we will ask eligible voting members to cast their vote to add, or not add this fourth pillar.