| F3 needs you to tell City Council that you support the draft Carbon Neutrality Plan. This plan has been written with much knowledge and passion by the Flagstaff Sustainability Program to address our Climate Emergency and outline our strategy to reach carbon neutrality by 2030.
Flagstaff needs to reignite the energy and support shown in January 2020 when 300 people and three hours of comments were provided in support of declaring a Climate Emergency. We need your voice! If you are able, comment at the meeting by doing the following:
- At least one hour before the meeting on May 25, which begins at 3 pm, send an email to publiccomment@flagstaffaz.gov with the following information. Note that if any of the following is unspecified in your email, you will not be called to provide a public comment: First and Last name, phone number, agenda item number (there is only one agenda item for this work session, so you can specify “the first and only agenda item” in your email).
- Be available beginning at 3 pm. When you are next in the queue for public comments, you will be called one time. If you do not answer, you will not be called again. If you are following the meeting on your computer (which you can do here), be aware of the delay and be sure to mute your computer volume while you are speaking.
- Keep your comments positive! Below are some thoughts that you might consider addressing. You may only speak for 3 minutes maximum, so be brief and to the point.
Ideas for comments:
- Keep it positive! Speak about the importance of Flagstaff’s leadership (Tucson followed Flagstaff’s lead soon after declaring a climate emergency); and focus on the benefits to you, to our community, and to the world.
- Emphasize the importance of Council adopting the Plan, swiftly, and without substantive changes. The Council meeting for plan adoption is tentatively scheduled for June 15 and we do not want this to be delayed.
Any delays in adoption could significantly impact the possibility of having the Plan adopted at all. The state legislature could intervene again in City decisions, as they did when Flagstaff was ready to adopt the plastic bag ban some years ago. It is a real possibility this could happen to our carbon neutrality plan as well. That’s why we need to show overwhelming support at Tuesday’s Council and Community Discussion.
Benefits of reducing carbon that you may want to address:
- healthier forests – less risk of catastrophic wildfire, more opportunities for recreation, sustainable tourism
- environmental justice – protection of our most vulnerable residents
- building electrification – creates high paying jobs, leads to healthier indoor air quality
- active transportation – healthier humans, more connected community
- lowered drought risk – more reliable water supply, less risk of catastrophic wildfire
- lowered post-fire flood risk – safer homes and community
- clean electricity – leads to cleaner air, improved health
- reliable food supply – local farms need a stable climate to grow food
If you are unable to attend the virtual meeting, your letters are welcomed and encouraged. To email in a comment, write to council@flagstaffaz.gov. It’s best to do this on or by May 24 if you can. This is a great way to show your support of the Plan and be involved in an important decision for our community. Thank you for your engagement in our community,
Michele James
F3 Executive Director
www.friendsofflagstaff.org
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