REPORT TO COUNCIL
SUBJECT
Title
Approve the Fiscal Year 2021/22 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 (hereafter “Series”). The Supplement provided $25,000 annually for five years, from FY 2016/17 through FY 2020/21, for a total amount of $130,855 (adjusted for inflation each year after the first approved budget). The funding supported the implementation of two to four events each year. Funding for the FY 2021/22 Series was included with the adoption of the Climate Action Playbook implementation budget.
The Series is led by a Subcommittee of the Sustainability Commission consisting of Chair Wickham, Vice Chair Kunz, and Commissioner Padgett, which proposes the topics and identifies potential speakers. City Council approves the Series topics. Staff provides logistical support for implementing the events.
The FY 2020/21 Sustainability Speaker Series was approved by Council on February 4, 2020 (RTC No. 20-0180) and included four topics:
1. California’s Equitable Carbon Neutral Future (Jared Blumenfeld, California Secretary of the Environmental Protection Agency), December 2020
2. Carbon Neutral Portfolio: From Vision to Strategy (Nik Kaestner, Former Director of Sustainability at San Francisco Unified School District), January 2021
3. Decarbonizing Transportation: From Policy to Progress (Terra Curtis and Meghan Weir of Nelson/Nygaard), March 2021
4. Talkin’ Trash: Myths and Realities of Recycling and Materials Management (Mark Bowers and Karen Gissibl, Sunnyvale Environmental Services Department), May 2021
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, all events in FY 2020/21 have been scheduled to be online webinars (via Zoom). All events will be streamed live online via YouTube, and video recordings will be publicly accessible on the City’s Sustainability Speaker Series webpage following each event.
The one event completed to date had 71 participants via Zoom and YouTube. The feedback received in follow-up surveys from attendees has been overwhelmingly positive.
EXISTING POLICY
Implementing the Sustainability Speaker Series is Move 5.D of the 46 “Next Moves” (specific actions) in the City’s Climate Action Playbook (CAP), adopted in August 2019.
This Series is also aligned with the Sustainability Commission’s duties, which include advising the Council on ways to drive community awareness, education and participation in best practices.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
The action being considered does not constitute a “project” within the meaning of the California Environmental Quality Act (“CEQA”) pursuant to CEQA Guidelines section 15378(a) as it has no potential for resulting in either a direct physical change in the environment, or a reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment.
DISCUSSION
At the November 16, 2020, Sustainability Commission meeting, the Subcommittee presented a proposal for the FY 2021/22 Sustainability Speaker Series. The Commission prioritized the six proposed topics with the understanding that up to four events will be implemented.
The Commission prioritized the topics in the following order (Attachment 2):
1. Home Electrification
2. Health and Adaptation
3. Consumption Emissions
4. Sea Level Rise
5. Water Resiliency (tie)
5. Healthy Community (tie)
The Commission voted unanimously to forward the FY 2021/22 Sustainability Speaker Series Proposal to Council for review and approval (Attachment 3).
FISCAL IMPACT
The Sustainability Speaker Series budget typically covers speaker fees and travel costs, refreshments, video recording, advertising, and staff time for event planning and promotion. All four events of the FY 2020/21 Series; however, were held online and did not accrue these typical costs. It remains to be seen whether the events in FY 2021/22 will be held virtually or in person.
Budget Supplement No. 7 (Attachment 1) funded the first five years of this program through Project 832360. Starting with FY 2021/22, the Series will be funded with Operating Budget funds through the Sustainability Implementation Program (SDP 368.02). The Sustainability Implementation Program budget allocates $25,000 to cover up to four Series events. Staff will continue to monitor the budget and will work with the Sustainability Commission to ensure that the proposed Series is conducted within the approved budget.
PUBLIC CONTACT
Public contact was made by posting the Council agenda on the City's official-notice bulletin board outside City Hall, Sunnyvale Public Library and Department of Public Safety. In addition, the agenda and report are available at the Office of the City Clerk and on the City's website.
RECOMMENDATION
Recommendation
Approve the FY 2021/22 Sustainability Speaker Series topics as proposed by the Sustainability Commission, with the provision that the implementation of up to four events will be contingent on speaker availability, staffing resources, and available budget. Staff has collaborated with the Subcommittee during the development of the proposed Series and generally supports the topics selected.
Staff
Prepared by: Nupur Hiremath, Environmental Programs Manager
Reviewed by: Melody Tovar, Regulatory Programs Division Manager
Reviewed by: Ramana Chinnakotla, Director, Environmental Services Department
Reviewed by: Teri Silva, Assistant City Manager
Approved by: Kent Steffens, City Manager
ATTACHMENTS
1. Budget Supplement No. 7
2. FY 2021/22 Sustainability Speaker Series Proposal Report from the Sustainability Commission
3. Excerpt from final November 16, 2020 Sustainability Commission Meeting Minutes