| Dear Friends of F3,
Flagstaff has an ambitious mission: reach net carbon neutrality by the year 2030. City Council declared a climate change emergency last year, spurred by a citizen’s petition and recent scientific findings. Flagstaff’s Carbon Neutrality Plan updates our award-winning Climate Action and Adaption Plan (2018) by significantly reducing the timeline in which we must work to reach net carbon neutrality. The new target of 100% net carbon neutrality by 2030 is in line with urgent international recommendations that a sharp decline in greenhouse gas emissions is needed in the next nine years in order to avoid exceeding 1.5°C of global warming above pre-industrial levels. Exceeding 1.5°C will lead to irreversible loss of fragile ecosystems and extreme crisis for the most vulnerable people.
Flagstaff’s Carbon Neutrality Plan contains six components:
- Renewable Electricity
- Fuel Switching
- Energy Efficiency
- Reducing Vehicle Miles
- Electric Mobility
- Waste Reduction
F3 understands that reaching carbon neutrality (net zero emissions) by 2030 will require a big shift on the part of the entire Flagstaff community. Reaching this goal will require changes throughout Flagstaff, in how we build, how we design neighborhoods, how we get around, and what we buy and throw away. We’ll need to reduce energy use, electrify everything we can, retrofit new and older homes to do away with use of natural gas, divert material from our landfill, build “15-minute neighborhoods,” and an active transportation network, and sequester carbon.
What you can do now is become familiar with the components of the in-progress Carbon Neutrality Plan and provide your comments and ideas to the City Sustainability Program. The city has made this easy to do by creating a Virtual Open House with 22 short videos featuring local leaders in our community and links to live Q & A sessions. The videos explain everything from climate change basics, Flagstaff’s current greenhouse gas emissions, equity, energy efficiency, transportation, fuel-switching, sequestration, carbon offsets, and funding sources. An online survey is also available (until March 7th) at the end of the Virtual Open House and is the best way to provide your thoughts and ideas. In addition, presentations (PDFs) made by the Sustainability Program to City Council in December and January provide great information as well.
The City of Flagstaff is expected to finalize the Climate Neutrality Plan in April. The decisions we make in this Plan will dictate how close we can get to carbon neutrality in the next nine years. I urge you to get involved now in the Climate Neutrality Plan and provide your input and ideas!
Michele James
Executive Director, Friends of Flagstaff’s Future
Local Efforts: Good Information to Have and to Share:
• Flagstaff Sustainability Program’s Climate Emergency Virtual Open House Online platform and Q&A Session Wednesday, February 17, 6:00-7:00 p.m. View and register here.
• Home Energy Efficiency Workshop. Flagstaff Sustainability Program. Thursday, February 18, 6-7:15 pm. Information and registration here.
• Eagle Workshop. An exciting virtual workshop all about eagles. Willow Bend Environmental Education Center. Saturday, February 27, 10:00-11:00 am via Zoom. Register here.
• Want to learn more about Flagstaff’s affordable housing needs and creating policies to reduce Flagstaff’s Housing Emergency? If so, sign up to be on the City’s Housing Section “stakeholders” list to receive public participation opportunities and updates.
• Snow Play Clean Up: Drop off broken plastic sleds at AZ Custom Plastics, 2113 N. Main St. in Flagstaff. Broken sleds will be recycled into new plastic products! Contact programs@azulita.org to borrow reusable 35-gallon plastic bags to use in collection.
• The City of Flagstaff has teamed up with Solar United Neighbors to bring the Northern Arizona Solar Co-op. By joining, you’ll learn how solar works and have the opportunity to go solar at a group rate! The co-op is free to join. Join an info session on Feb. 25 and March 24 to find out more.
• AZ KidsWind Challenge 2020: Hands-on design competition for grades 4-12. offered through Willow Bend Environmental Education Center. Engages students in STEM through the lens of wind energy. Click here for details.
General Contact Information:
• To attend City Council meetings virtually: https://www.flagstaff.az.gov/1461/Streaming-City-Council-Meetings
• To attend Coconino County Board of Supervisor’s meetings virtually: https://www.coconino.az.gov or call 928-679-7144.
• To access City Commissions including Open Space, Sustainability, Planning and Zoning, and others: https://www.flagstaff.az.gov/994/Boards-Commissions
F3 2021 Member Campaign
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