Climate – getting from words to action
Bellingham must lead with urgent and inspired solutions to execute our Climate Action Protection Plan to create a better shared future.
We must meet this moment with both hope and urgency. I believe we can mitigate the worst of climate impacts yet to come, adapt to unavoidable changes in practical ways, and engage in this work with an eye toward equity and justice.
We are already experiencing local climate impacts. Over the past couple years alone we’ve experienced heat domes, debilitating wildfire smoke, atmospheric rivers and flooding that impacted business and residents alike. Caring for the land, water, and air is an important value in our community.
Bellingham can take practical action to create a more hopeful, healthy future. Here are three thoughts to start the conversation:
More Trees
As mayor, I will immediately work to strengthen our urban forestry management plan. Our plan has been stalled for more than three years, with no interim protections in place. As a result, we are losing vital tree canopy across our city. We need a management plan that protects our mature heritage trees – especially as we expand the housing supply.
Moreover, we have existing tree equity scores for each of Bellingham’s neighborhoods. This important data set combines tree canopy satellite data with census demographics. We know precisely the neighborhoods that are most vulnerable to the next heat dome event, and we can begin to plant trees with an intentional focus on enviormental justice.
Clean, Safe Water
I’ve lived in Bellingham my entire life, and I have always known that when I turn on the tap, the drinking water comes out clean. Not every community can say that. Keeping our water safe is becoming more difficult and costly. I am committed to ensuring clean, safe drinking water clean for our entire community, especially for our children and grandchildren.
The city can accelerate purchasing efforts to preserve undeveloped land in the fragile Lake Whatcom watershed that we all depend upon. Waiting to acquire land leads to increased costs for taxpayers. As mayor I will lend my voice to advocating good stewardship on DNR lands and consider placing a moratorium on all logging in the Lake Whatcom watershed until a robust Climate Vulnerability Assessment can be completed to determine how climate change will impact Lake Whatcom.
Our supply of drinking water continues to face pressures on several fronts including development and stormwater runoff in the watershed. Let’s create action plans that address the concerning water quality trends of the last few years. Last year, toxic algae was observed in Lake Whatcom for the first time ever. Treating drinking water after an algae bloom is an expensive and intensive process. We must be smart today to avoid costly remedies tomorrow.
Lawns contribute ten times more phosphorus than a forested lot. Voluntary programs such as the Homeowner Incentive Program (HIP) have helped decrease pollution by replacing lawns with native vegetation. We need to explore increasing incentives for homeowners to participate in this plan, while at the same time, work harder to enforce existing rules that prohibit the use of fertilizer containing phosphorus in the watershed.
Rethinking Transportation
As we expand the local housing supply, we can rethink our relationship to the current parking requirements that add real costs to construction, especially for low-income development projects, in addition to taking up buildable land.
Good transportation planning has direct benefits to people, businesses, the environment, and the economy overall. Another practical approach to helping Bellingham get back on track to meet its Climate Protection Action Plan goals is to incentivize citizens to shift their modes of transportation. Bus fares make up less than 5% of our local transportation authority’s revenue. We should explore eliminating fares for public transportation as a starting point to increasing ridership – a practical benefit for everyone with successful case studies to draw from in other nearby counties.
A People-Centered Approach
As the transition to renewables accelerates, we want to make sure that local workers aren’t left behind. I support the Just Transition framework to lift up our local economy and workforce as we go.
Closing Thoughts
I have spent the last year-and-a-half on the advisory committee developing the Bellingham Public School District’s Climate Action Plan, exercising my Leading Sustainable Corporations certification from the Saïd Business School at Oxford. During my service on the Whatcom County Planning Commission, I’ve worked to strengthen policy and seek code amendments to create a more sustainable future.
I know firsthand how much expertise is embedded in this community. As mayor, I will work with experts and stakeholders to accelerate community-minded solutions. We will work with urgency, measure our progress, and adapt and iterate along the way.
Please join me as we prioritize a healthy and more resilient community – each of us has an important role to play.