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Sustainability Manager and Commission
<br />Begin Work
<br />The City's first Sustainabiliry Manager, Felicity Fahy,
<br />began work in June. The new position was created
<br />to coordinate and advance programs related to
<br />the Ciry Council's sustainabiliry goal. The new 13-
<br />member Sustainability Commission, selected by the
<br />City Council to represent a broad cross section of
<br />the community, held its first meeting in November.
<br />The group will advise the City Council and the City
<br />Manager, and will work with local and regional
<br />partners and the public to enhance practices in the
<br />community that foster social equity, environmental
<br />health and a prosperous economy.
<br />. ~ ~ `"` As the~year;upfrytds we~~±~t~, oe
<br />~"-~~ thirri~ing and talkjng a great deal about ~~
<br />sustainability. Most importantly, through
<br />the City's Sustainability Commission, we
<br />will be laying the groundwork for how.
<br />our community can combine people, profts, and planet
<br />- how it can apply triple bottom line analysis to our
<br />decision-making, so that we take into consideration not
<br />only economics, but the environment and social equity.
<br />I think many people intuitively know that traditional
<br />economics is now insufficient to guide us into the future
<br />where we leave our children a better world than we
<br />inherited. It will be interesting and ground-breaking
<br />work, and we have a great group of people on the
<br />Sustainability Commission to take on this challenge. `
<br />I am looking forward to working with them to make
<br />Eugene a more sustainable community and to take up
<br />where the Mayor's Sustainable Business Initiative (SBI)
<br />left off.
<br />City Increases Support for Green Building
<br />Recognizing the increasing need for green building
<br />education and practical strategies for community
<br />members, designers and contractors, a new staff
<br />position was created that focuses on support for this
<br />growing field. The green building coordinator will
<br />collaborate with community partners on program
<br />development to provide informational materials
<br />and technical assistance, identify procedural and
<br />regulatory barriers, evaluate incentive programs
<br />and other best practices, and recommend policy.
<br />Greenhouse Gas Inventory Completed
<br />The City completed a community-wide inventory
<br />of Eugene's greenhouse gas emissions, providing a
<br />first step toward developing local strategies to help
<br />combat climate change and reduce global warming.
<br />Guided by a consortium of local agencies that are
<br />also pursuing greenhouse gas reduction initiatives,
<br />the study provides baseline data on current and
<br />projected emission levels and points to potential
<br />issues for local action. The Ciry is also updating its
<br />internal greenhouseinventoryto more clearlyidentify
<br />Ciry practices to target for emission reductions.
<br />Ordinance Protects Manufactured Home
<br />Park Residents
<br />Eugene was one of the first cities in the state to
<br />adopt a local manufactured home ordinance to
<br />provide protection and compensation to residents
<br />of manufactured home parks who are vulnerable
<br />to losing their homes if their park closes. During
<br />the 2007 legislative session, the State of Oregon
<br />adopted a new state law which provides less
<br />protection for residents than Eugene's ordinance.
<br />The Ciry successfully lobbied the legislature not to
<br />preempt the ordinance, allowing Eugene's stronger
<br />local provisions to stand.
<br />Challenging the way we live means .. .
<br />The Ciry purchases greenwind power
<br />electricity for 25 percent raf its needs at
<br />t major Ciry buildings.
<br />Eugene Shines as Bike Friendly City
<br />Eugene continues to shine as a
<br />bicycle-friendly city. The $440,000 ,~~ ~ ,"`'
<br />Monroe-Friendly bikeway project ~ ~.~;
<br />was completed in November, '
<br />creating a new north-south bike {~: $ ~ j
<br />route from the Willamette River ~~'~~ ~~~ ~~'
<br />to 28th Avenue. In September, , i
<br />area cyclists were invited to
<br />"lighten up" at the first annual
<br />Bike Lights Parade at the Eugene
<br />Celebration, and the month-long
<br />July-in-Motion campaign included
<br />a People Powered Festival. In the
<br />eighth annual Business Commute r_____~ __
<br />Challenge, 67 businesses competed
<br />for awards, encouraging more than 10,000
<br />"'^~~ commuters to try a transportation option other than
<br />driving alone. And, as part of a year-long pedestrian
<br />and bicycle strategic planning effort, Ciry staff held
<br />a number of community workshops to gather input
<br />on a wide variety of ideas to make Eugene a more
<br />walkable and bikeable community.
<br />Challenging the way we live means .. .
<br />The Cityis currently updating a green
<br />house gas inventory of all Ciry of
<br />Cugene operations before setting
<br />reduction targets and developing
<br />an action plan to help achieve the
<br />` targets.
<br />Grant Encourages Green Events
<br />The Environmental Protection Agency awarded
<br />Eugene's proposal, "Going for the Gold in
<br />Zero Waste Events" a Resource Conservation
<br />Challenge grant of $26,500. The funds will
<br />provide public education and a consistent
<br />recycling and composting collection system at
<br />public events that will culminate at Eugene 08, the
<br />Olympic Track & Field Trials, as part of the effort
<br />to make the event the "greenest" Olympic Trials in
<br />history.
<br />Culverts Improve Flows in Delta Ponds
<br />-- Construction was completed on the
<br />~ ~ '" secondphaseof amulti-yearproject
<br />s' to enhance habitat and recreational
<br />_ `~ opportunities in the Delta Ponds
<br />area. Two sets of culverts now
<br />improve seasonal flows from the
<br />i
<br />` Willamette River into the ponds near
<br />Valley River Center. The project is
<br />--~ a collaboration between the City,
<br />the Army Corps of Engineers
<br />and other resource agencies. Sixry-
<br />five percent of the estimated $6.2
<br />- million multi-year project funding
<br />is provided through the federal
<br />Water Resource Development
<br />Act. The City's share of approximately $2 million
<br />comes from stormwater fees and 1998 parks bond
<br />measure funds.
<br />~ ~ , n....,.,,
<br />`~
<br />~ 'i We entered. 2D07 with lofty goals left
<br />i over from the previous year. We tried to
<br />achieve some, but a few remain elusive
<br />year after year. The road system is still in disrepair, the
<br />police department is till understaffed, and city hall is
<br />still unsafe in a natural disaster: To voters, 2007 may
<br />have seemed like the year the Eugene City Council
<br />"just didn't get it " Whether it was voting for the gasoline
<br />tax or giving permission to spend money on downtown
<br />revitalization -citizens told us to pay closer attention to
<br />what it is they are saying. It remains a pleasure to serve
<br />on the Eugene City Council representing Ward 4 and all
<br />of Eugene. I am listening - I welcome your input as we
<br />refocus our efforts to keep Eugene the best place to live,
<br />work and raise our families.
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