Provide Your Input: Washtenaw County’s Climate Planning

Be a part of the County’s process for developing its Resilient Washtenaw climate action plan! Join the Interfaith Council for Peace and Justice (www.icpj.org) in a zoom “listening” session with Washtenaw County’s Climate Plan developers on Wednesday, March 9 from 3:00-4:00 pm. (See description below). 

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87480741091?pwd=WHpmUFB5Z0Fkcld4YkdkbXdwdFlLZz09

Meeting ID: 874 8074 1091
Passcode: 703389
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The meeting facilitators are Matt Naud (consultant for the project, mnaud@recycle.com) and Andrew DeLeeuw (Dir of Strategic Planning and staff to the county’s Environmental Council, deleeuwa@washtenaw.org). 

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Climate Plan Listening Session Format:
1.    The county facilitators will provide a brief overview of Washtenaw County’s climate challenges, the 2022 initial Climate Plan timeline and how the public and ICPJ can participate in the process.*
Questions for participants:
2.Do you have existing recommendations that should be considered as part of the Resilient Washtenaw plan process?
a.    This is a rapid brainstorm to list basic areas for improvements such as: 
                                               i.     Environmental Justice for BIPOC 
                                             ii.     Offer a Zero Waste Challenge program to the whole County
                                            iii.     Make a Solarize program available to all County residents
                                            iv.     Promote urban farming efforts with permitting and access to intercity plots 
 and community gardens
                                             v.     Support and advocate regenerative agricultural practices
                                            vi.     Etc.

b.    After everyone has a chance to contribute topic areas, people with more in-depth experiences and suggestions can briefly summarize their projects and send/email longer descriptions to the facilitators in writing. (**See MAJIC example: https://www.majicnow.org/our-platform) 

3.As this work continues, do you have suggestions for ways the county government might continue to partner with ICPJ and/or congregations and other organizationsas the county seeks to become carbon neutral by 2035?

4.    Given that the county is unlikely to be the solution for all of the climate mitigation and adaptation recommendations, do you have thoughts on how the county might use its ability to bring local governmentsand organizationstogether to implement solutions?

5.Questions you/your group has for the planning team.
We hope to see you there!

Nancy Stone, 
Volunteer with ICPJ’s caucus on Consumption, Waste and the Climate Crisis 
Desirae Simmons, 
Co-Director, Interfaith Council for Peace and Justice
*P.S. If possible, please preview Washtenaw County’s one-year Climate Action Planning process as outlined at https://www.washtenaw.org/3465/Climate-Action.  An optional 20-minute video orientation provides Great Lakes climate concerns as well as Washtenaw County-specific climate project materials at www.resilientWashtenaw.org. An initial draft climate plan will be available for public comment by summer 2022, with the final draft report to be sent to the County Commissioners before the end of the year for additional public comment.