As a part of the Climate Action Plan Update (CAP Update), the County is holding a series of virtual public workshops throughout the summer to present project updates and solicit feedback.

In July, the County facilitated a virtual workshop that presented vision statements and conceptual measures for the Agriculture and Conservation emissions reduction sector.

The meeting was organized to accomplish the following:

• Create a comfortable, engaging environment where all participants have an opportunity to provide meaningful input and share concerns.
• Obtain input to help develop the CAP Update greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction measures and the vision statement for each sector.
• Explore opportunities and challenges related to GHG reduction measures that may be considered for the CAP Update.
• Provide an overview of the CAP Update in a clear and easy to understand manner, including the purpose, process, outcomes, timeline, and future opportunities to provide input.  

At the virtual meetings, community members participated in a staff-led presentation and polling questions. Each workshop covered three topics: 1) Emission sources evaluated under each sector; 2) Draft equitable, net-zero vision statement for the sector; and 3) Strategies and measures to reach the draft vision. Throughout the workshops, community members were invited to share their perspectives through the chat, polls, and open discussion. Each workshop and prompts were designed so that staff could learn more about community members’ perspectives about climate change and potential actions to reduce GHGs. An interpreter was in attendance for community members whose primary language is Spanish, and meeting materials were offered in Spanish. In advance of each meeting, staff promoted the event through e-blasts, social media posts, and direct emails to relevant and interested stakeholders. Participants in each workshop represented environmental, economic, and community organizations as well as individuals from the public.

You can find a quick summary of what we learned during the workshop below where we have listed major themes from the input we received in no particular order of importance or frequency.

You can also find recordings and additional information from all of our previous CAP Update workshops here.

Agriculture and Conservation Emissions Reduction Measures Workshop – July 19

During the event, 36 participants joined representing the agriculture community, unincorporated residents, and local resource conservation organizations and provided input that included:

• Agriculture and agricultural lands have a tremendous potential to address climate change and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
• Participants were particularly interested in a regional carbon farming program and how that could improve soil health among other benefits.
• Education is a key component of success in this emission sector, especially as it relates to native foods, plants, and seasonal eating.
• Wildlife habitats and open spaces also need to be considered, not just land for human access.
• It is also important to be cognizant of the nexus between agriculture and water use.

What's next?

The County invites you to participate in our continuing online CAP Update conceptual measure workshop series. Our next virtual workshop is August 24, 2022, and will focus on the Built Environment & Transportation emissions reduction sector. Find more details here.

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