Report of April 22 and June 14, 1993 Conferences
Contents
Summary Report of June 14 Conference 1
Summary of Remarks by Panelists and Speakers on June 14 & April 22 2
Challenges to Sustainable Development in the Los Angeles Area 6
Barriers to Sustainable Development in the Los Angeles Area 9
Action Team Reports 12
Acknowledgements 19
Summary Report of June 14, 1993 Conference
The June 14 Conference was an excellent start toward furthering sustainability in Southern California. The 220 participants included an impressive cross-section of government, business, university, environmental and community groups. There were participants from six of the seven Southern California counties, including Los Angeles, Orange, Ventura, Riverside, San Bernardino and San Diego Counties.
Results included:
Follow-up activities include:
The following summaries were edited from a transcript of the statements made by the panelists.
Jan Chatten-Brown, Shute, Mihaly, & Weinberger; former Board Member, Coalition for Clean Air
In the next 20 years regions such as ours are going to live or die economically depending upon their ability to provide education, mobility and quality of life. Therefore, the environmental movement is really the unacknowledged great ally of all those focused on economic development. A second point is that we can no longer continue to design single-purpose projects, such as the Army Corps of Engineers proposal to spend $400 million on parapet walls for the L.A. River, rather than integrating watershed management, recreation, transportation, and flood control. Thirdly, we need a transportation system that does not do destroy the environmental. for example, vehicles must bear the true economic costs of the pollution they cause.
Lynne Edgerton, Vice President, CALSTART: California Air Resources Board (CARB) has mandated 2% zero emission vehicles by the year 1998 and 10% by 2003. The aerospace industry has the ability to create light vehicles, strong composite material and to deliver the most efficient transportation system. A UCLA report said that 24,000 jobs can be created by the electric vehicle industry in California. CALSTART estimates 55,000 by the year 2000. Advanced batteries are now being made that would increase the range of electric vehicles from 50 miles to 100 - 150 miles. A new fuel cell can run on hydrogen, a zero pollution fuel source, at a price competitive with the internal combustion engine. My concern is about global climate change. What we can do here in California will reduce our air pollution, but our products can lead Athens, Santiago, Prague, and all the nations of the world, out of their enormous air pollution problems. This can lead the world out of the tremendous long term risks to human life, and to all species, resulting from global climate change.
Margaret FitzSimmons, Professor of Architecture & Urban Planning, UCLA: Almost every environmental institution started in some way out of a meeting like this; be sure to build in space for innovation and flexibility in what you're doing. We are sitting on some of the greatest reservoirs of water in the world, yet we are still discharging industrial and urban waste into them. We should encourage reduction, reuse and recycling of solid wastes by adding the real cost of current disposable practices to the products' marketing cost. We should have a regional competition on proposals for solving environmental problems, with people winning money to implement what they've proposed. Since people live in communities, as we break down the barriers between the agencies we need to be careful not to just regionalize and lose the space for community action.
Lillian Kawasaki, General Manager, LA Environmental Affairs Department: We need to find new and more efficient ways to protect the environment, protect the public's health and promote a good quality of life. Rather than looking at pollution once it's been created - let's prevent pollution first. We can generate local jobs, create business opportunities and build a better economy just by doing what we know best in California. We can look at job opportunities in the manufacture of electric vehicles, recycled products, clean up and remediation work.
Robert Kresser, CEO, Kresser-Craig, advertising agency: Some people think advertising agencies are the antithesis of sustainability because they promote consumption; but advertising can also promote conservation, environmental responsibility and persuade people that they can make an individual difference. No individual environmental group or government entity has the money, the staff or the expertise to do the promotion by themselves. Neither is are corporations likely to do it by themselves. But through public and private partnerships impressive things can happen, such as Team Rideshare, recycling, and environmental education. As public awareness grows, the demand for environmentally responsible products will grow and ultimately change the entire dynamics of how the market place works. If we hope to accomplish anything significant with this conference, we need the right kind of "buy-in."
Wes McDaniels, Executive Director, SANBAG (San Bernardino Associated Governments): In Southern California we export most of the externalities without considering the costs of what we do. The western end of the basin exports to us in the east a huge quantity of air emissions, solid waste and hazardous waste, plus social emissions, including prisons, gang activity, drug dealing and housing. The latter might not seem like an exported externality, but the fact is the job base remains in the western portion, while new housing is built in the eastern side. We need to do true cost accounting of products that internalizes these "external" costs. We are now adding to the more middle class trilogy of land use, transportation and air quality issues, the concept of social equity, the concerns of the rising underclass seeking to increase the standard of living and quality of life. We need a regional locus of planning and decision making to equalize the benefits and dysfunctions in our region.
Walter McGuire, President, The Global Cities Project: I have five points. The first is to look at the development of the economy rather than growth. We need a coherent strategy to build an economy and a society that looks equally at environmental equality and economic prosperity. Second, we should focus on whole systems, so, for example, when we talk about waste we look at what we buy and sell, and how we'll reuse it. Third, we have to look at systems change, including source reduction, material substitution, energy efficiencies. A major aerospace firm has cut their toxic air and water emissions by 50% and saved money. Fourth, we need to stress the partnerships between the public and private sectors, to include people with different agendas. Finally, social justice and social equity are critical to the next phase of the environmental movement. It's at the local level that we're going to make real progress in the next ten years with solutions that depend on such things as education, incentives, and partnerships.
Mary Nichols, Director of Los Angeles Office, Natural Resources Defense Council: Our focus should be on local initiative and action to harness the energy that's in this room to influence decisions. For example, we need to transform our transportations systems, yet it's still the same few folks who decide where the transportation dollars go in our region. The challenge is to educate the people in the decision making roles to understand the need to develop sustainable urban policies and the implications of what their decisions. We need a forum in which we can come together and find funding, foundation grants or other resources, to free up some people to work on these issues on a full-time basis, so people can craft the solutions and carry them into the policy arena where the decisions are made.
Mark Pisano, Executive Director, SCAG (Southern California Association of Governments): Southern California is the quintessential case study for the Earth Summit principles. We have third world conditions mixed in with the most advanced technological and social environment anywhere in the world. We have 2% higher unemployment than the rest of the U.S.. Our real income has declined 10% in the last five years. In terms of social disparity, our housing overcrowding is five times the national average, yet we have more than enough square footage to adequately house all our people. We are the most congested region in the country and the worst in air quality. Three planning principles are to first to have people agree on goals. Second, form an integrated decision making structure. Third, develop a bottom-up process starting with community and interest groups, to involve the people as a whole. I look forward to ways in which this dialogue influences, informs, and guides the political leaders.
Nelson Rising, Senior Partner, Maguire Thomas Partners, real estate development company: To continue land use patterns of the past several decades is incompatible with the demographics we are now facing. The California population will grow by approximately 6 million people in the decade of the 90's. The notion that the single family detached house is the housing unit of choice is environmentally irresponsible. In terms of social equity, there's an unlimited demand in the state and this region today for housing--at affordable prices. Incomes aren't high enough for the single family housing that's being built and it is further and further away from jobs. Segregating land uses into work, shopping and residence increases auto trips. Land use policy is at the center point of how we're going to deal with transportation and air quality.
Sabrina Schiller, former Board Member SCAQMD: Air quality is not a smoke stack issue, it is a land use and a transportation issue. If we had done what the City of Los Angeles committed itself to twenty years ago, which was to establish centers with mixed-use housing and commercial zoning, linked by a transit system that was not automotive, so people could walk to work and the places to buy products, then we wouldn't have the problems we have today. It is said that people don't want more taxes, and yet the parks bond issue passed. People do want environmental quality, and they will pay for it if they know what they're getting is good. We will not be able to solve these problems until many people are involved in the political process. We have to bridge the communication gap between the all people out there who want a better quality of life and the decision-makers who are not hearing our voices.
Brenda Shockley, Executive Director, Community Build: I feel very much like a delegate from one of the several developing world nations located right here in the midst of this very toxic society. As that delegate I feel guilty. I feel out of place because I know that the people I'm representing cannot even begin to consider future generations as they struggle every day. Yes, there is congestion and the air and water are poor, but the people themselves are suffering pain. We have to find a way to recognize that there's a whole other world existing under this umbrella of the region of Los Angeles. If we don't, the issues of the environment will be lost compared to the levels of pain and suffering and loss. So, thank you for inviting me here, but come and see me in my neighborhood.
Steve Sullivan, OCAW, L.A. County Federation of Labor: We have to look at helping get people out of the older higher-polluting cars before we look at getting affluent people on a Metrolink train. I don't support current efforts to deregulate environmental controls in the name of spurring economic growth. We can't sustain ourselves on a service based economy; we have to have manufacturing. We have to look at how we're going to assist workers in transitioning into more environmentally acceptable industries. There are hundreds of thousands of jobs in emission control equipment that are located overseas, because American industry didn't accept the fact of environmental regulations. They spent too much time in court and hearing rooms trying to get variances and exemptions. We have to take a look at what we've done wrong and make sure we don't walk down that path again.
Summary of Remarks by the June 14 Luncheon Speaker
Sheldon McLeod, Director of Strategic Planning for the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment; former Executive Director of the Saskatchewan Round Table
After the Brundtland Commission visited Canada in 1986, a national task force on environment and economy was created which recommended the formation of round tables to advance the concept of sustainable development and to provide multi-sectoral advice at the highest levels. Now all ten provinces, both territories, many municipalities and the national government have established multi-sectoral round tables.
We have found consensus processes are incredibly powerful. We are much stronger as a group than we are as individuals. The people involved in the group need to design their own process, but here are some lessons we learned from the Saskatchewan Round Table experience:
* Everyone who has a legitimate interest in the issue needs to be at the table or have access to it.
* Get the people to the table who can shoot the project down or they will shoot it down later. You'll have to make some accommodations, but after it goes through, they will help implement it.
* The idea of sustainable development is enough to bring people to the table, but not enough to keep them involved. Once there they need to develop goals that are important to them.
* People need to closely examine their own positions ahead of time, so they are clear where they have flexibility. People on both sides of an issue need to give up some things they want but gain others.
* It is important to deal with hidden agendas before addressing the tough issues.
* Focus on commonalities, not differences.
* Acknowledge the legitimacy of others' values and beliefs; cooperate, rather than confront; believe in the goodness of others.
* Don't be impatient -- consensus is not a quick process.
* Since there is no hierarchy, everyone has an equal opportunity to influence decisions. It is important, therefore, to reduce the risk of the people who come to the table, especially environmental groups with constituencies that are afraid of being co-opted or compromised.
* A common vision holds people together and creates a mutual trust. If we were to articulate what the vision was in Saskatchewan, it would be, "What do you want for your grandchildren, and for their grandchildren?" Basically, we found everyone wants the same things: a sustainable environment, a sustainable economy, and a sustainable society.
Summary of the Panelists' Remarks on April 22, 1993
Nancy Skinner, former city council member of Berkeley and board member of the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives: There are a number or communities that are working on sustainable development plans, but none have actually developed and implemented comprehensive plans. The crucial elements of sustainable development are:
1. Include all the key players in the affected communities.
2. Make a commitment to social equity.
3. Ensure programs actually improve the quality of people's lives.
Felicia Marcus, President of the Los Angeles Board of Public Works: Southern California is now in a disturbing, yet promising time to look at environment and development issues in a comprehensive way. It is obvious the issues are interrelated, yet they are managed in a fragmented way, with many agencies separated by geographic jurisdictions and subject matter. The crucial paradigm shifts are:
1. Move from a regulatory approach to environmental management to an approach that includes pollution prevention programs as well as incentives and assistance to business.
2. Go from solutions based on government-organized engineering fixes, to solutions based on citizen participation, where individual households do things differently.
3. Broaden from a narrow environmental approach, to one that includes environment, economic development, and social justice concerns.
Craig Perkins, Environmental Manager of the City of Santa Monica: The key challenges are:
1. The traditional multiplicity of agencies pursuing fragmented approaches is not working.
2. Environmental programs must be effectively marketed to the taxpayers or they will be rejected.
3. The concept of sustainability threatens the status quo, but our present socio-economic structure is not sustainable, and is leading us toward a very unpleasant future. We need to think creatively about new solutions.
CHALLENGES TO SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
IN THE LOS ANGELES AREA
1. Air quality, climate change, transportation
* Develop a clean, efficient, affordable, accessible transportation system.
* Develop land use plans that integrate pedestrian-friendly modes of transportation with mixed-use building patterns.
* Develop clean, renewable, efficient energy sources.
* Protect against toxic contamination through pollution prevention.
* Educate, and thereby empower people to make informed individual and community decisions.
2. Energy: resources and efficiency
* Maximize the use of safe, sustainable and renewable energy systems. Minimize our dependence on fossil fuels and nuclear power.
* Make all public and private energy decisions based on the total costs of each alternative, including on public health and the environment, and in concert with the community.
* Increase efficiency within the transportation sector, including:
* urban design/land use planning/community planning
* transportation demand management
* mass transit
* fuel diversity focused on clean fuels
* intelligent vehicle/highway systems
* Enhance public awareness and understanding of choices, costs and benefits of energy options and empower people to make informed individual and community decisions.
* Improve business retention and job creation through implementation of the above energy goals.
3. Watershed management
* Create a paradigm shift in our thinking about water as a resource.
* Develop a bioregional perspective in watershed management decision making.
* In comprehensive regional watershed and water resources management:
- Change institutional framework for making watershed decisions.
- Establish technical basis (or agreement on it) upon which to base watershed management decisions, - Integrate all components of watershed management decisions
- traditional: public works
- non-traditional: biology, sociology
- Recognize freshwater/ocean interface in watershed management
* Protect groundwater resources (long-term viability).
* Consider integrated resource planning in decision management.
* Involve and educate the public.
4. Public health
* Expand population planning services and education to reduce environmental stress and pollution.
* Establish an effective, accessible, affordable health delivery system including prevention and health promotion.
* Create an effective plan and system for assuring clean air, water, and soil.
* Provide safe and affordable housing to minimize homelessness and illness associated with insufficient housing or use of unhealthy building materials.
* Eliminate erosive impact of the LA lifestyle, such as dependence on automobiles, to achieve environmentally sound and healthy communities.
* Ensure good quality indoor air.
* Control production and use of materials that increase public health risk due to deterioration of the global environment.
5. Hazardous and solid waste
* Minimize waste.
* Educate the public on methods to reduce waste, recycle, and reuse.
* Insure adequate and environmentally safe disposal and treatment capacity.
* Develop markets for recyclables.
* Achieve cooperation between business, government and citizens.
* Find ways to pay for waste reduction.
6. Ecosystems, biodiversity
* Minimize negative human impact on all ecosystems, both near and far, including areas such as global climate change, ozone depletion, and biodiversity.
* Recognize the direct impact of human overpopulation on the environment
* Use ecosystem and biodiversity principles as the basis to maintain and restore ecosystems.
* Increase environmental literacy, including increased understanding of biodiversity principles by decision-makers and the general public.
* Instill a sense of community between humans and the natural environment.
* Develop and implement comprehensive bio-regional planning for sustainable ecosystems. This includes support for the conversion of current economic definitions and interests (e.g., landowners, developers, planners, policy makers) towards preservation and restoration of ecosystems; sustainable native ecosystems; and examination of current laws with a view to greater support of biodiversity.
7. Education, values, ethics
* Translate environmental ethics and values into symbols and images that speak to the popular culture.
* Develop community consensus on values to guide environmental solutions.
* Empower people by showing them how they can help.
* Encourage the media to communicate about the environment in its broadest sense.
* Develop a coordinated, comprehensive and interdisciplinary environmental education program.
* Educate stakeholders and decision-makers to assist them in making informed, responsible decisions.
8. Environmental equity
* Build a network to enable the community to work together.
* Stop environmental de-regulation and corporate driven legislation and programs that result in disproportionate impacts on communities of color, low-income, workers, etc.
* Encourage the adoption of the Los Angeles Compact for Environmental Justice (environmental ethnic coalition principles) by politicians and decision makers.
* Assess transportation alternatives relative to equity issues.
* Involve public participation in decision-making.
* Educate to change values and behavior.
9. Economic development
* Integrate environmental and economic needs.
* Create jobs, both near term and long term.
* Improve regional planning and collaboration.
* Educate to provide a better skilled work force and to promote awareness of the interrelationship between economics and the environment.
* Improve infrastructure.
* Improve access to capital for small business.
* Foster public acceptance and support for sustainable development policies.
10. Liveable urban communities
* Define identifiable communities and coordinate with government structure.
* Balance pedestrian with other transportation modes.
* Expand the urban forest and increase green space over asphalt and concrete.
* Establish permanently self-generating neighborhoods, based on town hall assembly with full representation.
* Incorporate principles of social and environmental equity into the planning process.
BARRIERS TO SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
IN THE LOS ANGELES AREA
1. Air quality, climate change, transportation
2. Energy: resources and efficiency
3. Watershed management
4. Public health
1. Deficiencies in the quality and availability of public information; we need more and better public education and outreach.
2. The lack of financial resources available to address the challenges.
3. Elected and appointed officials need to receive better and more balanced information - new structures are needed to foster true public participation and address environmental justice issues.
4. The infrastructure which exists to deal with solid waste issues is inadequate.
5. There is much confusion among and between regulatory agencies/bodies.
6. Ecosystems, biodiversity
7. Education, values, ethics
8. Environmental equity
9. Economic development
10. Liveable urban communities
Action Team Reports
Following are some brainstorm ideas for Action Teams suggested by the participants in the June 14 conference. [Please note that the proposed plans were not implemented as outlined, but the ideas are worthy of further consideration.]
1. Air Quality, Transportation, Climate Change
PAYGO (Pay As You GO): Total costs of driving an auto be reflected in the sticker price
Steps: * Mailing to committee for meeting in Oct. '93 .
* Calculate the Financial costs, Environmental costs and Other costs.
*
Establish Reporting Requirements.
* By December of '93 - draft legislation
for stickers for automobile.
* Become law by 1995.
2. Energy Resources and Efficiency
Environmental Costing: Common definition of environmental costing; replicable and accepted in common usage; public & private
Steps: * Summer '93 - research current status of environmental costing (CPUC/CEC, etc.).
* Fall '93 - determine SCCED role (if any).
Clean Cars: More clean cars available to the public, level playing field for alternate fuels
Steps: * Establish independent panel for uation of alternatives (such as professors and non-politicians with no personal interest in particular products).
* Assess, support, and publicize renewable energy legislation in CA (example: for car conversion, use of alternative fuel emission reduction technologies).
* Promote voluntary conversion of vehicles in the communities, private & business.
* United Nations data exchange on alternative fuel technology.
Sustainable Energy Education Cooperative (SEEC): An educated, informed & empowered public who demands clean and sustainable energy resources.
Steps: 1. Bring together stakeholders - create a round table - a working group of government, public, business, utilities, environmental groups, and media.
2. Jointly design educational programs on energy.
3. Identify & publicize win/win energy options with vision to meet public's energy needs, creating jobs - economic benefits of new energy policy.
4. Mass advertising on energy efficient technologies in partnership with media and business.
5. Need school curriculum - youth projects - community based outreach saving energy saving money, so target economically oppressed areas.
3. Watershed Management
Water Agency Reform Mechanism (WARM): Establishment of a multi-interest oversight coordinating entity charged with developing IRP mechanisms including, but not limited to:
a) revamping of institutional infrastructure;
b) public
participation/partnership;
c) consensus-based decisions,
d) state of
the art scientific analytical techniques.
Steps: 1. Trigger mechanism - 12/1993
2. Roundtable/ focus group/ stakeholders series of discussions & dialogues - 7/1994
3. Articles of Incorporation defining entity, mission, expectations, authority, structure, etc. move by 7/95; sign off by 12/95.
4. Legislation creates entity; how chosen reconciles authority -1/96-1/97
5. Oversight entity appointed - 2/97
Southern California Oasis: All fresh and reclaimed water is used and reused as efficiently as possible. Flora is composed of drought-tolerant species. The use of water involves its true cost to obtain and use. All hard surfaces are composed of permeable materials for collection and re-distribution to maintain natural ecosystems.
Steps: 1. Change building codes (local, county, state) to promote efficiency water use in technologies. '93-'94 - educate decision-makers; '94-'95 - enact policies, standards.
2. Promote bottom-up thinking - regional concerns within state and federal umbrellas - '94-'95
3. Formulation of non-jurisdictional watershed political forum based on
natural boundaries of the flow of the water: '94 - invite players/stakeholders
to the forum;
1995 - 2000 - ongoing regional forums to share ideas,
directed toward sustainable goals.
4. Education - ongoing for all age groups using existing community groups and school curricula; adopt-a-watershed (resource conservation districts); businesses.
Regional Information Junkies for Interdisciplinary Decisions: To provide a thorough understanding of the options for managing the resources within a watershed by consulting experts on scientific facts and public stakeholders on values and priorities for the watershed.
Steps: 1. Establish Roundtable (balanced representation) - 1/94
2. Establish advisory groups to the Roundtable (experts, public, stakeholders) - 7/94
3. Define scope of study - 7/95
4. Build scientific information base (field work, workshops/peer review, conclusions) 1/98
5. Hold community consultations (focus groups, workshops, surveys, etc.) - 1/97-7/98
6. Define alternatives (permutations and combinations (options) - 2000
4. Public Health
East Los Angeles Health Information Network Team (H.I.N.T.): To create a local service with network technology and counselors to link government, media and community.
Steps: 1. Survey Community needs through schools, churches, hospitals, laundromats, etc. (do a one year survey) - '93 and again in '95.
2. Set up prototype for private funding aided by insurance companies, fundraising, grants & universities - implement in early '94, uate in late '94; implement revised program in '96, uate in '97.
3. Identify public health coordinators and volunteers - implement prototypes in '94 and '96.
4. Install permanent service - 1998 .
Healthy Lifestylers: Healthy sustainable societal values
Steps: 1. Encourage links between environment and human health that become widely understood through education: schools and media.
2. Agri-biz reform: bank loans standards support organic farming - '93.
3. Accessible interactive public education that promotes small nuclear families with extended families choosing wellness.
4. Solicit media industry leaders to support our SCCED Principles of Agreement (so as to discourage mindless consumerism and promote information dissemination network) - '94.
Health Care For All: Comprehensive Health Care System
Steps: 1. Campaign Finance Reform - Winter '95
2. Pilot Programs in a few areas - Spring '96;
3. California adopts
Petris/or "ABC" or Garamendi plan - Fall '98;
4. National Debate widens -
2000 +;
5. Success - 2000 +.
5. Hazardous and Solid Waste
Business Waste Minimization: Businesses "Get It" and do the "Right Thing"
Steps: 1. Government/Industry/NGO effort to inform Businesses on "waste costs" to stress global life cycle costs.
2. Targeted Mailings from local agencies/NGOs.
3. Produce/identify resource guides for waste minimization by business sector.
4. Compel action at State/Federal Level to change industrial policy to foster waste minimization.
5. Create better linkage between academic institutions and business to assist with waste minimization.
Consumer Waste Minimization: Residents "Get It" and "Do the Right Thing"
Steps: 1. Government/Industry/NGO effort to inform residents that "waste costs". Stress global lifecycle costs.
2. Targeted mailings from agencies or NGOs.
3. Education/information opportunities need to be convenient and accessible.
4. Establish mechanism to foster consumer accountability.
5. Better use of municipal cable stations.
6. Create interactive opportunities.
Government Policies on Waste: Appointed/Elected Officials "Get It " and "Do the Right Thing"
Steps: 1. Workshops - More convenient and available; geared toward Government.
2. SCCED - Should be catalyst for local grassroots action.
3. Curriculum - Should identify local as well as broader impacts.
4. Linkages - Between academic institutions and local public officials.
6. Ecosystems, Biodiversity
Bioregional Planning Council: A Bioregional Plan maintained by a Bioregional Planning Council - Composition includes Government Agencies, Scientists and Educators (including conservation biologists), Conservation Groups, Industry and Native Americans.
Steps: Develop a Bioregional Planning Council - Spring 1994
- Purpose -
Develop Bioregional plan to maintain and restore native wildlife
communities.
- Suggested Procedure:
1. Define and assess Bioregion (including GIS-geographic information survey) - '95-beyond;
2. Review laws and agency jurisdiction and effectiveness - '95-beyond;
3. Make policy and agency reorganization recommendations - '95-beyond.
So. Cal Educators for Environmental bioDiversity (SCEED):
1.
Coordinated environmental education program K-12 within and among districts;
2. Increased college course offerings and environmental service options,
such as internships;
3. Increased understanding of environmental
principles by planners and politicians;
4. Effective communication about
the environment among groups.
Steps: 1. Teachers in K-12 to receive training in environmental curriculum development by college level classes, inservice, workshops and sabbaticals. Multigrade environmental curriculum articulation. Encourage advanced placement Environmental Science courses.
2. Encourage interdisciplinary curriculum development and implementation. Offer "hands-on" on environmental learning through internships (and encourage a course on the biosphere or environmental internships as mandatory requirements).
3. Provide formal training in environmental principles and natural resource management for planners, politicians, and other decision makers.
4. Linkages via newsletters, conferences, electronic bulletin boards.
7. Education, Values, Ethics
Educational Network for Environmental Responsibility (ENTER): Demonstrated, increased awareness of sustainable development Issues
Steps: 1. Utilize Econet Computer Bulletin Board (provide training);
2. Develop and distribute resource directory;
3. Expand "Job Plus" program
to include environmental volunteer opportunities'
4. Outreach to other
groups for educational resources;
5. Promote above resources and their
benefits to decision makers;
6. Support educational needs of other SCCED
groups.
Environmental Communication Network (ECN): Networks of communication tools that lead to environmental awareness
Steps: 1. True stories developed to be shown on TV/Movies;
2. Computer Network/clearing house suggestion box on environmental
issues;
3. Establish educational development training systems;
4.
Develop networks of volunteer experts to conduct seminars/forums;
5.
Identify and develop resource database;
6. Establish global research
foundation;
7. Work with and develop media organization for public
outreach.
Ecotainment: Each media entity will produce an environmental segment/article on a regular basis.
Steps: 1. Meeting of media leaders (TV, Radio, Film, Print, Theater, etc.) - Fall '93;
2. Matching Funds/Sponsorship;
3. Joint Venture to share information
(public/private partnerships) and events
4. Air time: Spring '94 - Earth
Day
8. Environmental Equity
ZAP - Zoning Action Project: Existing zoning laws are enforced so that pollution is not emitted to neighborhoods, especially low income areas.
Steps: 1. Get UCLA study on East L.A. zoning law - Summer '93.
2. Educate community on issue, especially the health impacts.
3. Build multi-cultural coalition.
4. Identify the players.
5. Develop program for assistance for small business compliance and/or conversion.
6. Alert the media (get attention to project).
9. Economic Development, Jobs, Poverty
AWARE - All Workers Alliance to Repair the Environment: Comprehensive Ecological Understanding, Reach out to educators, policy makers, corporate leaders, workers, students and parents.
Steps: 1. Infomercials - encourage corporate sponsorship;
2. Public service announcements (PSAs);
3. Teacher training;
4.
Vocational technology instruction;
5. Educational standards for
environmental awareness issues;
6. Encourage better media coverage of
environmental/economic issues.
Community Economic Development: A community with individuals acting responsibly in attaining a sustainable environment and economy.
Steps: The following steps are designed to develop an effective incentive system for environmentally-sustainable community economic development:
1. Research and identify community demographics.
2. Identify areas to be targeted for incentive programs.
3. Research and identify values and positive motivational factors of the community.
4. Involve community and stakeholders in the design and delivery of incentive programs.
5. Operationalize program as designed by the community.
6. Feed-back and uate successes and setbacks.
Coherent Regional Economic and Development Policy: A process and system that anticipates and quickly addresses the stakeholders to create an infrastructure that works for all segments of the community and encourages "closed" self-mitigating systems.
Steps: 1. Create collaborative process to create policy and implement policy.
2. Create a streamlined, consistent, coherent regional policy to support economy and environmental well being (includes local responsibility, buy-in and participation).
3. Mechanisms for funding, process, infrastructure.
Local Environmental Businesses: Locally - owned businesses providing meaningful work for neighborhood residents using sustainable technology.
Steps: 1. Develop new funding sources and mechanisms (e.g. community credit unions; local currencies; revolving loans).
2. Shared research and development and new technologies.
3. Local government providing incentives for environmentally-sensitive businesses that benefit the community.
4. Use and re-use of local resources.
5. Small business assistance centers to advise entrepreneurs on how to match businesses with community needs.
10. Liveable Urban Communities
Neighborhood Councils Movement: Paid Neighborhood Councils democratically elected by their neighborhood and in power. [These would be neighborhood governing structures committed to functioning in the broader public interest, including a town hall, community bill of rights and obligations, incentives and disincentives for community sustainability.
Steps: 1. Research into working models and funding for preliminary work - Summer '93.
2. Educate the populace about sustainability, facilitation, organization -
Summer '93.
3. City funds training for empowerment - Fall 93?
4.
Incentive Program for participation - Fall 93?
5. Ballot Initiative - '95
and beyond.
Community Restoration: Define, create, protect, and restore identifiable sustainable human-scaled communities with a meaningful and healthy public realm, coordinated with governmental structures. Outcome will be once-ignored communities restored with village-like character, mixed land use, ample supply of neighborhood open spaces.
Steps: 1. Survey likely communities for restoration.
2. Community interest market survey to determine if basic services are provided within community.
3. Write and educate local histories.
4. Simplify coordinated government structures (L.A. Charter - Reform).
5. Reform land use planning law to establish mixed use communities.
6. Develop design standards to promote preservation of existing communities and sensitive new development;.
7. Establish community open spaces as foci for diverse uses.
Whole-Systems Neighborhood Planning: Development of Eco-Village Models, incorporating whole-systems approach to ensure social, economic, and environmental equity in planning processes, e.g. balancing pedestrian with other transportation modes, expanding natural ecosystems (urban forests, green space, urban agriculture) in place of asphalt and concrete.
Steps: 1. Video
2. Incubate Eco-businesses (products and services)
3. Basic Needs
(education, urban agriculture)
4. Collaborative Planning Processes
Acknowledgments
We are grateful to acknowledge the support of the many individuals and organizations that have initiated the process of creating a Sustainable Agenda for Southern California.
Major Sponsors: Countdown 2000, GTE California, L. A. Department of Water and Power, Southern California Edison Company, City of Santa Monica, Metropolitan Water District, Print Technology, Inc., South Coast Air Quality Management District, Southern California Gas Company.
We wish to thank the Earth Trust Foundation for serving as our fiscal sponsor without charging an administrative fee, so that all contributions go directly to SCCED. Earth Trust encourages personal awareness and social responsibility through social justice, environmental and educational activism.
We appreciate the videotaping of the June 14 conference by L.A. City View (Channel 35) arranged by Robin Gee and by Santa Monica City TV (Channel 16) arranged by Laura Greenfield.
We are grateful for the many hours of service contributed by the people (and their employers) who served as members of the Organizing Committee, Issue Group Chairs, Facilitators, and Volunteers:
Mark Abramowitz
Blake Anderson
Lois Arkin
Jan Ballard
Terryn Barill
Dawn Nallick Barnes
Andrew Basmajian
Janice Belson
Allan Beek
C. Douglas Bell
Jennifer Bevington
Herley Jim Bowling
Howard Cohen
Catherine Cooley
Cris Cooley
Kathy S. Cottrell
Donald G. Cramer
Dr. Theodore Crovello
Ane Deister
Nick Desantis
LeRoy Essel
Eugene Fisher
William Golden
Lynne Goldsmith
Marcelina Gutieruiz
David Hare
Woody Hastings
Allen Hecht
Robert Herzstein
RaJendra Hunter-Samana
Amelia Hutchinson
Ron Ketcham
Linda Kite
Ryan Lehman
Marsha Levine
David Lionel
Ruben McDavid
Faril Meistrell
Adrienne Miller
Paul Murdoch
Karen Nallick
Deborah O'Halloran
Dr. Paul Papanek
Craig Perkins
Mary Marvin Porter
Grant Power
Matthew Puffer
David Quick
Marijo Racciatti
Janelle Rinnan
Julia Russell
Christine Schnauber
Jeannette Scovill
Neal Shapiro
Helen Romero Shaw
Jon Shaughnessy
Atossa Soltani
Kent Strumpell
Robert Valdez
John Alexis Viereck
Yu Yue Widrig
Chris Warshaw
Clarence Woodbey
John Zinner