IATC Partners with the Issaquah Community Convening on Climate
IATC had the honor being an important partner in organizing the Issaquah Community Convening on Climate.
The goal of the event was to bring the community together including businesses, environmental groups, resources managers, educational institutions, students and others to have discussions that will help identify recommendations to the City of Issaquah and community leaders for a course of action to address climate change.
Part I of this two part Webinar was held on July 20th and provided a common foundation of knowledge and awareness of climate data as well as past and current efforts in Issaquah and the region. Speakers and presenters included: Mayor Pauly, David Dunphy (IATC President), Megan Curtis-Murphy (Issaquah Sustainability Coordinator), Drew Wilkinson (Microsoft’s Worldwide Sustainability Community co-founder), Ann Fletcher (Issaquah People For Climate Action). You can watch the full part I webinar here.
Issaquah takes climate change and its impact on our environment seriously. The City has adopted a greenhouse gas emissions reduction target of 25% by 2020 ( we have not met this goal, but have kept GHG down even with population increase), 50% by 2030 and 80% by 2050, with a base year of 2007. To read more about Issaquah's priorities regarding climate change, please visit their website here. Thanks to all of the efforts of IATC over the years Issaquah has a very large tree canopy. This not only helps keep us cool but is also a huge carbon sink! The healthy soil, fungus and trees in the Issaquah Alps are responsible for tons of carbon sequestration! You can view our accomplishment map here.
Part ll was held on July 30th from 11:30am-1:30pm and engaged attendees in discussions to develop recommendations for addressing climate change. There were two breakout sessions: the first explored approaches for addressing climate change and the second had topical discussions on: Energy & Green Building, Transportation & Land Use, Waste & Consumption, Sequestration & Resiliency.
At first the plan was to rent a large space and meet in person in the spring…well we all know what happened. We continued to meet and plan by phone and then online. During this time the City was forced to downsize due to Covid 19 financial strain. Sadly a partner organizer for the event, David Fujimoto's (Director, Office of Sustainability) position was cut along with two others from the Issaquah Sustainability Department. Luckily Megan Curtis-Murphy maintained her position and has been an instrumental part in making the event happen!
The original idea for the event came as a suggestion from Wally Bobkiewizc (Issaquah City Administrator) at a People for Climate Action (PCA) meeting. Wally had prior success with an event like this in Evanston Indiana as a city administrator. Ann Fletcher (IATC’s David Kappler’s talented wife) started the Issaquah PCA (https://peopleforclimateaction.org/) last summer with a kick off picnic in Confluence Park. She has led a dedicated group to great success with much progress!
A message from the City of Issaquah’s Website:
"Although the impacts of climate change are daunting, there is something you can do about it. Simple choices in our daily lives can make a difference.
Reduce emissions from vehicles by taking a Salmon Friendly Trip. Take the bus, walk, bike or share a ride.
Use LED lightbulbs and other energy saving steps to reduce utility bills and environmental impacts.
Look for smart ways to shop, store and cook food to reduce food waste.
Buy products that are long-lasting, energy efficient, reusable and have less packaging to prevent waste in the first place.
Consider adding solar or building green if you are building new or remodeling."