Memorandum

City of Lawrence

Sustainability Advisory Board

TO:	Mayor Larsen, Commissioners Ananda, Boley, Soden, and Herbert
FROM:	Jackie Carroll, Chair, City of Lawrence Sustainability Advisory Board
CC:	Tom Markus, City Manager Jasmin Moore, Sustainability Director
DATE:	April 10, 2019
RE:	Climate Protection Plan

The Sustainability Advisory Board voted unanimously on April 10, 2019 to recommend to the City Commission that the Climate Protection Plan be elevated as a top priority in all City functions and that a budget of $100,000 be allocated to support research and updating of the Climate Protection Plan dated March 31, 2009 to include provisions for greater emission reductions and to incorporate climate change adaptation.  Further, the City Commission should adopt the following covenants relative to the plan:

1. Given the urgency of climate change, the budget allocation should be used over a period of no more than six months and work should begin immediately upon approval of the City Commission;

2. The Climate Protection Plan should focus on actionable steps that can be taken during a ten year horizon to continue to reduce green-house gas emissions and to meet or exceed goals established in the previous plan;

3. Given the dynamic nature of climate change and the existential threat it poses to society, the Plan should be reviewed in full by the Sustainability Advisory Board (SAB) annually and a full report should be provided to the City Commission;

4. In addition to full annual review, a SAB member or members should be appointed as stewards of the plan to support staff in implementation, monitoring, and management of the plan on an ongoing basis;

5. The Climate Protection Plan should be integrated at the department level in all capital improvement considerations and in the daily operations of all city functions;

6. As an additional step in addressing climate change and in reducing emissions, the City shall adopt a policy as soon as possible, and no later than December 2019, to achieve 100% use of renewable energy in all City functions by 2025; and

7. The City of Lawrence shall join the Metro KC Climate Action Coalition through participation of staff and/or SAB/Elected Officials to support a regional approach to climate protection.

These policies are strongly recommended by SAB as a recognition of the critical condition of our planet and the need to protect it for our children and future generations.