Climate Plan creates opportunity for student action toward environmental sustainability
Art illustration by Nietzsche Deuel.
February 14, 2018
On Feb. 5, the St. Louis Park City Council unanimously passed a brand new Climate Action Plan spearheaded by Park’s own Roots and Shoots, iMatter, and the St. Louis Park Environment and Sustainability Commission. This Climate Action Plan (CAP) includes the ambitious goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2040, among many other citywide projects and initiatives designed to improve the city’s ‘climate impact,’ now and for future generations.
This aggressive plan has the potential to be implemented successfully in Park as a small-scale city community. Park can set an example for other neighboring cities, and starting climate action locally is a much more successful approach then attacking at the federal level. According to Abby Finis, Senior Energy Planner with Great Plains Institute and lead consultant on the CAP “It’s the leadership and vision of cities enacting meaningful and sustainable changes that will be so critical to the future of our environment. Not only will this spur transformation within their city, but St. Louis Park can serve as a model that brings about more action at the local, state and national level.”
The Echo Editorial Board feels the CAP is a bold, yet achievable commitment. Specifically “Kickstart Project One: Youth-led Initiative to Increase Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy in the Community” is proof the city is making an exemplary effort to listen to youth and student voices.
This plan emphasises the importance of youth participation in government, their communities and any goal or passion a group of students may have, serving as evidence their efforts can create meaningful, impactful change close to home and beyond. Recognizing students as key to the climate change effort and already a major force in getting the plan passed, as a part of Kickstart Project One, students are encouraged to “work directly with the school district to help it adapt and achieve goals consistent with the city’s goals.”
The CAP outlines “outreach efforts to fellow students encouraging their families to sign-up for green power and decrease energy use, and an educational campaign for residents and small businesses to understand their solar resource and guide them toward installing solar on their rooftops.”
While not exactly revolutionary tactics, such grassroots efforts are always necessary, and students are often the best people for the job. The Echo Editorial Board emphasizes we as students need to ensure we follow through in doing our part in the years to come. However, The Board questions how exactly can this project will be implemented and spread to other student groups across the city in a way each group can make an impact.
The Echo Editorial Board champions the CAP’s assertion “While it is important for this project to be initiated and implemented by the youth, the city should support efforts, identify big-impact opportunities, and maintain an active relationship as the project advances.”
As proof, the city is already leading the way toward carbon neutrality with its own buildings. According to the City, In 2017, solar arrays were installed on the Municipal Service Center and on Fire Station 2. Four city buildings are now 100% electrically powered by renewable energy – city hall, the police station and both fire stations.
Additionally, The Echo Editorial Board implores the broad plans and goals, especially idealistic blanket statements, are translated into specific actions to create tangible change. Any vague, not concrete, concise idea or action is the enemy of creating real change. Eventually, the plan should look to be improved upon and expanded.
Among these missing specifics reside the fiscal cost of this plan, and how it may fully impact low-income residents and local businesses. This should be considered and publicized to serve as a financial guideline for other communities to follow and to achieve citizen input. Still, aware of such obstacles, Mayor Jake Spano said “Adopting this Climate Action Plan is only the start of a challenging journey that will present us with many unknowns in the years to come. That said, the students who have pursued this effort for the past two years have made it clear that the time is long past to begin this effort, no matter how difficult it may be.”
Drawing up a document is one thing, following through continuously towards progress over twenty plus years is another. Overall, the Echo Editorial Board believes the CAP does a sufficient job of proving statistical emission information and plenty of other data, as well as detail-oriented strategies for everything from ‘Solid Waste Management’ to ‘Building Energy Efficiency.’
The Echo Editorial Board affirms Mayor Jake Spano’s statement, in his words “Now comes the hard part of doing the work to achieve this aggressive goal, and we’ll look to these students to continue to bring their passion, work ethic and values to this ongoing effort, along with city staff, Environment and Sustainability Commission members, and most importantly the businesses and residents of St. Louis Park.”
The Board recognizes this CAP will mean changes for our school in the future as we make an effort to adhere to this plan’s long term goals. It is necessary students make an effort to be involved and informed about changes their school may make. For change to happen, all of us have to be involved. The Echo Editorial Board urges students to make an individual effort and provide their input throughout the implementation of this plan.