2023-2024 Sustainability Speaker Series Proposal
Prepared by the Sustainability Commission
June 2023
THEME AND TOPICS
Water in a Changing Climate
Th
e winter of 2022-2023 has been an unprecedented year in terms of California's precipitation, after many years of drought. These extremes are only expected to intensify with climate change, but this is not the only way that water is relevant to sustainability and climate. This series will include talks on different aspects of our relationship with water in a changing climate: how it impacts us, how we affect it, and what we can do to be more resilient into the future.
The topics proposed in Table 1 below are relevant to residents and businesses in Sunnyvale and are meant to both educate and motivate action. The Sustainability Commission Subcommittee has proposed topics for ranking in the following table. The table also lists potential event titles, speakers, and a brief description of the topics to be covered.
COSTS
The first five years of the Sustainability Speaker Series were funded through a project’s budget, set up specifically for the series. From Fiscal Year (FY) 2021/22 forward, the Sustainability Speaker Series is funded through the operating budget for Environmental Sustainability Program in the Environmental Services Department. Costs for the series vary depending on whether the series is held virtually or in person. It remains to be determined if these events will be held in a virtual or in-person setting which could result in differences in how the budget is spent. Typical costs incurred for in-person events include fees for travel costs, refreshments and staff time for set up and take down of event space. Virtual events accrue costs from staff time, advertising and speaker fees. The adopted budget for FY23/24 includes $16,000 for speaker series implementation.
Attachment 1
Table 1: Proposed Topics and speakers
Commission
Rank
Topic Event Title Speaker Title / Affiliation Description California
Water Rights
Western water
rights: the
history, the
context, and
sustainable future
management
Dr Faith
Kearns
CA Institute for
Water Resources,
science
communicator
and co-host of
"Water Talk"
podcast
In order to address the challenges of our future, we
need to understand our past. The history of water
rights in the western US is complicated (who has
access to how much water, when, and where, and at
what cost), and the consequences are still felt today.
We cannot address the water-related aspects of our
changing climate without understanding how we as
citizens can work to improve this system for all
Californians.
Water Related
Climate
Extremes
Drought to
Deluge: How to
Manage and
Prepare for
Climate Extremes
Dr Daniel
Swain, Ph.D
Climate Scientist,
UCLA’s Institute
of the
Environment and
Sustainability
Until recently, California was in a severe, extreme, or exceptional drought. In winter 2022-23, the state was
battered with an onslaught of 31 atmospheric rivers
from October through March, which lifted drought
conditions with record-setting precipitation, but
caused dangerous flooding across the state. These
swings in water weather extremes are predicted to
become more dramatic in a changing future climate.
This event will review the recent and expected future
water related climate extremes (drought, flood, and
atmospheric rivers), address the climate and
environmental challenges facing California and its
citizens, and examine potential solutions to build
water resilience.
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Attachment 1
Commission
Rank
Topic Event Title Speaker Title / Affiliation Description Grey Water What is Grey
Water and How
Can it Help
Reduce Your
Water Footprint?
Shreya
Ramachandran
Stanford student,
Founder of The
Grey Water
Project
The Grey Water Project promotes the safe reuse of
greywater (lightly used water that makes up 60% of
the used water in our homes) and personal water
conservation to help combat drought and climate
change. Shreya encourages individuals to
implement grey water catchment systems, including
an easy-to-install laundry to lawn setup that will
save money on monthly water bills. She also
promotes climate ambassadorships among fellow
young people, running the non-profit while
attending Stanford University.
Microplastics Microplastics in
our oceans and
waterways:
unexpected
sources and how
we can mitigate
them
Dr Imari
Walker-
Franklin
or
Dr M
iriam
Goldstein
Microplastics
researcher, RTI
Dire
ctor of Ocean
Policy, White
House Council on
Environmental
Quality
Many people have heard of the Great Pacific
Garbage Patch, but it's less commonly known that
these plastic pieces are almost entirely
microplastics, millimeter-sized pieces which have
sources from single-use plastics to cosmetics and
textile shedding. By now, microplastics have been
found everywhere on earth. This talk will focus on
their common sources in our society, their impacts
on human health and ecosystems, and how we can
mitigate our contributions to this problem.
Water
Conservation
Every Drop
Counts: Making
Water
Conservation a
Way of Life
Linda Vo California Water
Efficiency Project
(CalWEP)
Program
Manager
While 2023 rains brought a record amount of water
to California, experts warn that climate change is
expected to bring altered precipitation patterns,
reduced snowpack, and rising sea levels that will
affect our ability to maintain water supplies.
Continued investment in water efficiency and
conservation will help prepare for the hotter, drier
future and more intense droughts. With a strong
interest in water issues and policies, Linda will
utilize her knowledge and skills to help promote
1 2
5 Attachment 1
Commission
Rank
Topic Event Title Speaker Title / Affiliation Description water efficiency and conservation as CalWEP’s
Program Manager.
Water Heaters Switching to a
Heat Pump Water
Pump: Get Ready
for 2027
Sherry
Listgarden
Blogger, A New
Shade of Green
(Palo Alto)
Heat pump water heaters greatly reduce emissions
while using 3.5-6 times less energy than gas water
heaters, but there is a significant lag in Bay Area
residents converting to them. 2027 is rapidly
approaching (when gas water heaters will no longer
be sold in California). It’s time to get prepared.
Understanding the technology is highly important as
is preparing for an installation and taking advantage
of financial incentives before they are gone.
Oceans and
aquaculture
Climate solutions
of oceans and
aquaculture
Dr Ayana
Elizabeth
Johnson
marine biologist
and climate
activist, co-
founder of Urban
Ocean Lab
The oceans, especially off the California coast, are
home to crucial ecosystems, store an enormous
amount of carbon, and are massively at risk from the
effects of climate change. They also represent a huge
untapped potential for climate solutions. The speaker
would potentially talk about how we can facilitate
regenerative ocean aquaculture to support existing
fisheries, rebuild damaged ecosystems, and enhance
coastal resiliency.
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Attachment 1
SCHEDULING
Up to four events will be spaced approximately every two to three months, coordinated by staff in consideration of speaker availability, staff time, budget, and other City events.
VENUE
The events held since January 2020 have been held in a virtual online environment due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Experience gained in hosting these events will allow flexibility for future events if, for whatever reason, an in-person event is not feasible. Online events allow more people to attend since seating capacity is not limited. If and when the events return to an in-person format, the Bay Conference Room (Room 145) at City Hall, is a first choice of venues because it allows for live broadcast on K-SUN TV as well as recording for later viewing. Other venues including the Sunnyvale Community Theater (capacity 200) and the Community Center Ballroom (capacity 300) are considered when a larger audience is expected. Refreshments will be provided at in- person events with a zero-waste goal.
PUBLICITY
The promotion and marketing of events will be similar to past series. It will include social media, email blasts, Sunnyvale Sun ads, and flyers posted at community businesses. With longer advance notice, the event notices could be printed in Horizon. Additional avenues for outreach to local schools, colleges and universities as well as the business/tech community should also be used.
VIDEO RECORDINGS
Each event will be videotaped and made available on the Community TV channel as well as on the City’s Sustainability website. If the venue is other than online or City Hall, some funding and coordination is needed for video recording services. If a particular speaker does not allow recording/posting of their talk, a summary of the key points will be written and posted online.
COMMUNITY FEEDBACK
Evaluation surveys will be administered, as done in past series, to collect feedback from attendees on the event experience, identify improvements, and gather suggestions for future topics and speakers.
HISTORY
For context, Table 2. below summarizes the history of prior Sustainability Speaker’s Series events.
The 2018-2019 series marks the shift between calendar year and fiscal year planning to align with Sunnyvale’s budgeting fiscal year.
Attachment 1
Table 2: Sustainability Speaker Series Event History since inception Series
Year
Title Speaker Date General Topic
2017
Electrifying! Beyond Fossil
Fuels in Homes and
Businesses
Pierre Delforge May 31, 2017 Buildings
Electrifying Our
Transportation System
Rod Diridon, Sr. Aug. 2, 2017 Transportation
Zero Waste Home Bea Johnson Aug. 30, 2017 Waste
2018
Drawdown: 100
Substantive Solutions to
Global Warming
Chad Frischmann Jan. 31, 2018 Climate
Solutions
Hidden in Plain Bite Katie Cantrell May 16, 2018 Food
The Power of Stuff Annie Leonard Sept. 26. 2018 Consumption of Resources
Home Energy: Taking
Charge! Panel Discussion
Tom Kabat,
Doug Kunz,
Dave Edwards,
Steve Schmidt,
Marianna
Grossman
Oct. 25, 2018 Home Energy
2019
(added
to
2018
series)
Climate, Energy & Food: A
Recipe for Action
Dr. Eugene
Cordero
May 22, 2019 Carbon
Footprint
FY
2019-
2020
Electric Cars Demystified Jane Rosten,
Marc Geller,
Jim Barbera
Nov. 9, 2019 EV
Transportation
California's Rise to Water
Resilience: What will it
take?
Felicia Marcus Jan. 29, 2020 Water
Less Traffic, Better Places:
How do we get there?
Patrick Siegman Mar. 11, 2020 Transportation
FY
2020-
2021
California’s Equitable
Carbon Neutral Future
Jarod Blumenfeld
Secretary of
California EPA
Dec. 3, 2020 Adaptation
and CA
Climate Policy
Sustainability goes to
School
Nik Kaestner,
Director of
Sustainability at
San Francisco
Jan. 30, 2021 Decarbonizing
Buildings
Attachment 1
Unified School
District
What Moves You - Active,
Shared and Electric
Transportation
Terra Curtis &
Meghan Weir
Principals at
Nelson/Nygaard
March 17, 2021 Decarbonizing
Transportation
Recycling – Beyond the
Triangle
Mark Bowers
Former
Sunnyvale Solid
Waste Programs
Division Manager
May 19, 2021 Managing
Resources
Sustainably
FY
2021-
2022
This Old Zero-Emission
House: Climate Retrofits
on a Limited Budget
Sean Armstrong,
Zero Net Energy
Designer and
Managing
Principal,
Redwood Energy
February 2, 2022 Decarbonizing
Buildings
The Emissions that You
Purchase: Reducing Your
Carbon Footprint
Chris Jones,
Director of
CoolClimate
Network, UC
Berkeley
March 16, 2022 Consumption-
based
emissions
A Changing Climate:
Through the Lens of Equity
and Resiliency
Violet Saena,
Founder &
Executive
Director, Climate
Resilient
Communities
June 8, 2022 Climate
Change and
Health
FY
2022-
2023
Sustainable Food
Gardening in Our Own
Backyards
Trinity Tomsic December 14,
2022
Food
Farm to Table: Busting the
Myths of our Food System
Dr. Sarah Taber January 25, 2023 Food
An Electric Dinner Party:
Induction Cooking
Chef Rachelle
Boucher
May 30, 2023 Decarbonizing
Buildings
Attachment 1