Environmental Stewardship

By Janet Orchard

Janet has a strong history of supporting and advocating for meaningful environmental policies. Our community, country and world are now at a crossroads. We all must identify and implement methods to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. To not do so will result in severe consequences.

In addition, the Council set its own city goal of a 25% reduction of municipal emissions by 2010 and just adopted a plan to achieve this goal. Janet has always been a proponent of green building and transit oriented development which she views as common-sense approaches to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. She has advocated for city use of hybrid or alternative fuel vehicles. During her terms the Council developed a cutting-edge, environmentally friendly land use code which emphasizes city centered, mixed use development through green building. They adopted a mandatory Sustainable Building Program applying to new residential and commercial development. New construction as a result is tremendously energy efficient. Janet feels the real challenge now is to find ways to help residents and businesses with the large upfront costs to retrofit existing buildings with solar energy systems.

Assembly Bill 811 was also signed into state law. It applies to both residential and commercial buildings. Its purpose is to help finance the large upfront costs for solar power and other energy efficiency improvements to existing buildings through low interest loans to property owners with long-term repayments added to their annual property taxes. This is a phased in program and, for now at least, cities are in phase 4. Solar Sonoma County, a local organization, is working to move the cities up to the first phase. Janet strongly advocated for Cotati to join this important regional organization along with the rest the cities and the county and we are now members.