REPORT TO COUNCIL
SUBJECT
Title
Approve the Fiscal Year 2020/21 Sustainability Speaker Series
Report
BACKGROUND
In June 2016, City Council approved Budget Supplement No. 7 (Attachment 1) to create and conduct a Sustainability Speaker Series. The Supplement provided $25,000 annually for five years for a total amount of $130,855 (adjusted for inflation each year after the first approved budget) to hold two to four events each year.
The Series is led by a Subcommittee of the Sustainability Commission consisting of Vice Chair Wickham, and Commissioners Zornetzer and Kunz, which proposes the topics and identifies speakers. City Council approves the Series topics. Staff provides logistical support for implementing the events.
The FY 2019/20 Sustainability Speaker Series was approved by the City Council on April 9, 2019 (RTC No. 19-0386) and included four events:
1. Climate, Energy & Food: A Recipe for Action (Eugene Cordero, San Jose State University, and youth speakers from Sunnyvale), May 2019
2. Electric Cars Demystified (EVucation LLC), November 2019
3. California's Rise to Water Resilience: What Will It Take? (Felicia Marcus, former State Water Resources Control Board), January 2020
4. Less Traffic, Better Places: How Do We Get There? (Patrick Siegman, founder of Siegman & Associates), March 2020
Some have included hands-on educational opportunities, such as an electric vehicle expo and ride event, which preceded the lecture for topic 2. Events have been broadcasted live on K-SUN TV, streamed live online, and audio or video recordings have been made publicly accessible on the City's website.
The two FY 2019/20 events completed to date were attended by 97 and 120 participants, respectively. The feedback received in follow-up surveys from attendees, Councilmembers and Sustainability Commissioners in attendance has been overwhelmingly positive.
EXISTING POLICY
Implementing the Sustainability Speaker Series is included as Move 5.D of the 46 "Next Moves" (...
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