<![CDATA[Imagine Sonoma County]]> Commentics Angela Conte Reduce and restrict the removal of any living healthy trees within residential and commercial areas. Permits should be given by the city "Arborist Department" with permission and inspection for tree planting and once planted the tree cannot be removed simply because it is later deemed impractical to the building site. Also, property owners would need to plant multiple new trees for any single tree removed. Trees need to protected while planting requirements are managed.

]]> Tue, 20 Apr 2021 17:55:07 -0700 item_186 Jenny Blaker First, 100% renewable energy has to be defined. Carbon neutral has to be clearly identified. Burning of forest woody biomass for energy needs to be specifically excluded from consideration as it is not clean, not carbon neutral and not renewable.

https://www.biologicaldiversity.org/campaigns/debunking_the_biomass_myth/pdfs/Forest-Bioenergy-Briefing-Book-March-2021.pdf

]]> Mon, 19 Apr 2021 17:55:48 -0700 item_175 Angela Conte Require commercial for profit real estate owners to cover all utilities in rental and leasing agreements. This would force them to improve energy efficiency, water use and all environmental applications before and after leasing, and not lay the burden on the renters. You own it, you maintain it's operational efficiently for the good of the community.

]]> Mon, 19 Apr 2021 12:46:26 -0700 item_164 Angela Conte 50-50 Green-scaping requirements where there is equal vegetation for every square foot of developed land. If you build residential or commercial properties then you are required to produce equal amounts of landscaping by means of planting in or on buildings, around buildings, or parks and public spaces in another part of the city.

]]> Mon, 19 Apr 2021 12:34:23 -0700 item_163 Mark R Mortensen Here is an interesting proposal from Carbon Free Palo Alto...their BE Smart Program (t.ly/v7eP) for what they term "Beneficial Electrification." The idea was such that it made Bill McKibben's NY Times column (t.ly/i9kS), and he describes the program:

"An interesting proposal from the local advocacy group Carbon Free Palo Alto: they’re pitching a plan for “beneficial electrification” that would incentivize utilities to track down their customers’ old fossil-fuelled appliances (think gas-powered water heaters or cooktops) and offer to guide those customers through the steps required to replace them with ultra-efficient electric models. The utility would use “its access to low-cost, long-term capital to finance installations” and then recover its “costs from customers during the lifetime of the new device.”

I'm not sure that Sonoma Clean Power would appreciate the idea of "tracking down" appliances, but they already do "on bill financing" and are opening a showroom full of electric appliances and heat pump replacements. Could be the next step toward this type of BE program is not a large one.

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