In January 2018, City council approved a resolution committing to transition toward 100% renewable electricity by 2030 through a "Just Transition Plan" that would center the needs of our community. This strategy focuses on defining the path to achieving the 100% renewable electricity commitment while exploring the other community impacts and opportunities associated with the transition to a more sustainable and resilient community.
Energy /
E-4Develop a comprehensive 100% renewable electricity plan for Longmont's Just Transition to a Clean Energy Economy
Progress
On time
- Not started
- Planning
- Completed
- Implementation
Description
The passing of the Climate Emergency Resolution impacted the Just Transition Plan (JTP) that was in development since 2018. The original aim of the JTP was to create an equitable transition to 100% renewable electricity through inclusive engagement and identifying actions to minimize the impact of the transition on underserved and underrepresented populations. The Climate Emergency Resolution prompted the expansion of JTP's focus to include broader equitable climate action for frontline communities most impacted by climate change. Thanks to this opportunity, the recommendations that were being created by impacted community members who were part of the JTP committee, were integrated into the final Climate Action Recommendations Report along with recommendations from the Climate Action Taskforce. In Q4 2020, the JTP Committee, renamed themselves the Equitable Climate Action Team (ECAT) and established new objectives on how to partner with the City in implementing equitable climate action, after contributing to the Climate Action Recommendation Report adopted by City Council.
Today, The Equitable Climate Action Team (ECAT) is a volunteer community group led by City staff who assist in implementing equitable climate action through community education, outreach and the evaluation of City programs to ensure equitable outcomes.
Tasks
What are we doing?
- 12/31/2024
New Membership Growth & Involvement
What has been done?
- 12/30/2023
Equity Learning & Membership Growth
Members of the Equitable Climate Action Team (ECAT) learned about the intersection of equity and sustainability through presentations and field trips focused on community cohesion and regenerative Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) practices that foster community resilience. ECAT’s membership grew to have more representation from frontline communities living in Longmont; achieving it’s goal to elevate voices most impacted by climate change. Other goals achieved from ECAT's three main tasks (Learn, Engage, Educate):
- Reviewed and gave feedback on 8 new City climate action projects.
- Volunteered at 14 City events educating community on sustainability, resilience and climate action.
- 12/30/2022
Implementation of Climate Action Equity Discussion Guide
Volunteer members of ECAT learned more on their important role in supporting local government and helped integrate clearer equity guidelines in their membership governing documents by the end of 2022. ECAT’s membership has grown to include representation from Frontline Communities living in Longmont. To elevate communities who are often most impacted by climate change, the ECAT aims to center these voices when working on their 3 main tasks:
- Learn: Develop a mutually beneficial education exchange with City staff around climate action & other programs.
- Engage: Ensure equitable outcomes and success by providing feedback to the City on climate action programs.
- Educate: Assist city staff in engaging and educating the community on equitable climate action.
- 01/01/2021
Implementation of Climate Action Equity Discussion Guide
ECAT’s recommendations from 2020 were developed into a Climate Equity Checklist for City staff to review and a Climate Action Equity Discussion Guide that started to be used in 2021 as an equity analysis tool applied when reviewing new City programs to center the needs of Longmont's vulnerable communities. To see both documents please go to the Equitable Recommendations Report action item.
- 12/08/2020
Enviromental Equity Learning with the City
On October 8, 2019, Longmont City Council passed the Climate Emergency Resolution. This provided the opportunity to expand the focus of the just transition effort to equitable climate action. The final equitable climate action recommendations were created by a Just Transition Plan (JTP) Committee, as detailed in the JTP Committee Equity Recommendations section of the Climate Action Recommendations Report.
The entire Climate Action Recommendation Report was presented to Council on June 30th and July 7th, including presentations from the JTP Committee. Council did not fully finalize and approve the strategy implementation until December 8, 2020 after advisory board input and proposed staff modiciations.
- 08/01/2019
Engaging Frontline Communities
To learn about the current level of access to electrical energy services and programs, City staff reviewed national and local reports to identify potential lack of access to electric energy services and the interconnection between energy and community health and other basic needs. Next, to better understand low-to-medium income residents, in the summer of 2019 the City distributed a survey to 562 residents and held ten listening sessions. In October 2018, Four Environment & Us Workshops were held to increase awareness and understanding of the importance of integrating equity into environmental actions and policy.
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Related actions
- Implementation (On time)
Sustainability PlanC-2. Develop an inclusive standard of equitable access and opportunity for all residents that enhances capacity and is implem… - Implementation (On time)
Climate Action Recommendations ReportEO.5. Community Sustainability Liaison Program - Implementation (On time)Climate Action Recommendations ReportECA. Equitable Climate Action Recommendations
Summary and contacts
Topic Area
Initiation period
Responsible organizations
Contact persons
- Laura SotoEquity & Engagement SpecialistSustainability
Information updated 08/26/2024
Volunteer members of ECAT are learning about the importance of Community Cohesion and preparedness for Natural Disasters/ Emergencies. ECAT now has 5 new members from Longmont's Frontline Communities and are committed to their goal to elevate voices most impacted by climate change. Other active goals from ECAT's three main tasks (Learn, Engage, Educate) as of July 2024 are: