City of Richfield issued the following announcement on Dec. 26.
Recently, the Richfield City Council reinforced its commitment to sustainability by creating a new commission specifically focused on moving Richfield forward in sustainability. The commission will provide recommendations to the city council regarding education, implementation and promotion of sustainability measures, policies and practices.
The commission was created through the passage of a resolution at the December 10, 2019 city council meeting. All council members voted to approve the creation of the commission.
“From the addition of electric vehicles to the creation of the organics recycling program the City of Richfield has done a lot of work within the realm of sustainability over the past decade,” said Mayor Maria Regan Gonzalez. “The new Sustainability Commission will increase collaboration between residents, the council and city staff to come up with new and innovative sustainability solutions to ensure that as a city, we are being good stewards of the environment.”
Like some of the best ideas for making Richfield a better place to live, the notion for the Sustainability Commission came from a group of passionate residents. They wanted a group that was focused on environmental and sustainability issues.
Several existing commissions, including the Community Services Commission and the Transportation Commission, address various topics related to sustainability, but there is no central group focused on making Richfield “greener.”
“Residents are always willing to assist with city sustainability efforts,” explained Sustainability Specialist Rachel Lindholm. “In the past, they have helped with education and outreach efforts, including tabling around town, sharing information with family, neighbors, and friends, asking the city what next steps for sustainability in Richfield look like, and sharing what they want to see happen.”
The city council, which has championed sustainability initiatives over the past several years, heard these requests and agreed that creating a commission to tackle sustainability issues was the best course of action.
The new commission also grew out of the previous work done by the city’s Organics Recycling Taskforce, which helped establish the city’s two organics recycling drop off sites at the Wood Lake Nature Center and Hope Church.
However, the purview of the Organics Recycling Taskforce is very limited and the council, city staff and residents all agreed that more could be done. Thus, a proposal for a Sustainability Commission was created.
A lot of the commission’s early work will focus on educating their neighbors.
“So much of the city’s environmental efforts rely on education and outreach and sharing stories with the community, and that will definitely be a focus for the commission,” emphasized Lindholm. “Sharing resources with residents, as well as explaining the reasons why the city is undertaking a specific sustainability effort is key to the commission’s success. We want residents to be involved in the issues that matter to them and that affect them.”
The city council will select members for the Sustainability Commission in the same manner they do other boards and commissions. Residents must fill out an application online and be interviewed by the council. The council will then assign residents to the positions they feel are appropriate for a resident’s specific interests and skillset.
The commission will meet the fourth Thursday of the month at the Municipal Center, 6700 Portland Avenue. The first commission meeting is tentatively scheduled for February 2020.
Residents interested in applying to be a member of the new Sustainability Commission can fill out an application at: https://www.richfieldmn.gov/commissions
The city council believes that the new commission will be instrumental in helping the city achieve its sustainability goals.
“This commission will help the City share its previous environmental efforts with a group of residents who are committed to sustainability in Richfield, and also share future goals and ideas to achieve them,” remarked Mayor Gonzalez. “Almost all of the city’s sustainability goals and actions directly impact residents so it’s helpful to be working with those who can share their thoughts and ideas regarding environmental projects.”
Original source can be found here.
Source: City of Richfield
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