On Sunday (February 2), our campaign hosted the first in a series of roundtables: the Environmental Roundtable.
Several representatives of Friends of the Rappahannock, Fossil Free Fredericksburg, and the Rappahannock Climate Mobilization, as well as several individuals who have been environmental leaders in our City attended the meeting at Curitiba Art Café and offered invaluable information and ideas about the future.
Bringing all these folks together sparked an informal, open and frank discussion of the environmental challenges facing the City. I was there to facilitate the conversation, and mostly just to listen. I have found that truly listening, rather than constantly talking, is key to learning and discerning the right path forward. The conversations consisted of a healthy discussion about priorities and how to balance those priorities against other legitimate pressures facing the City, including, of course, cost considerations and growth.
Now that City Council has adopted the Fossil Free Fredericksburg resolution and other statements, acknowledging the serious threat of climate change, and committing to a 100% renewable energy future, the big question is: “Where do we go from here?” And that’s what we discussed: the future.
A consensus emerged from the Roundtable regarding the need and ways for the City gain a much better understanding of the data and the possibilities, as essential elements of the City’s goals of powering municipal operations with 100% renewable energy by 2035 or earlier; and a community-wide goal of powering the City with 100% renewable energy sources no later than 2050.
The group also discussed a wide variety of environmental issues related to population growth. The City has around 28,500 residents, and it could increase to 40,000 in a few short years. How do we grow while being environmentally responsible?
The needs are many.
To name just a few:
Thank you to everyone who participated. I look forward to having more conversations with each of you and many others in the very near future, as we explore and implement strategies to move the City forward into its clean energy future.
