Rockingham Times

City of Portsmouth issued the following announcement on September 10.

STATEMENT FROM THE SUSTAINABLE PRACTICES COMMITTEE:

URGENCY & ACTION NOW

The Sustainable Practices Committee is aware we have about 10 years to address global emissions and societal inequities before we see catastrophic and unwavering changes to our climate. It will take transformational action now to safeguard how we live, work and function on this planet. It is a daunting task but there are guiding principles and solutions that we can institute here in the City of Portsmouth to slow down and alter this course. 

The overarching goals of the Sustainable Practices Blue Ribbon Committee are to support and push action as an Eco-Municipality and build public will and enthusiasm to do things better.  We seek to achieve sustainability in the short time we have left. We aim to educate on climate change trends, bolster and support efforts to build resiliency to protect our community from extreme weather events and take advantage of the advancements in clean technology.

We feel the urgency of the climate crisis and aim to serve the City of Portsmouth to push for sustainable practices to minimize the effects of climate change and enable the City and its residents to:

• Reduce dependence upon fossil fuels;
• Reduce dependence on chemicals and other manufactured substances;
• Reduce dependence on activities that harm life-sustaining eco-systems; and
• Meet the hierarchy of present and future human needs fairly and efficiently.”

Watch or listen to recent Sustainable Practices Blue Ribbon Committee Meetings here:

Recent Sustainability Initiatives:

• Apply The Natural Step Principles and Drawdown solutions to local issues
• Support creation of an Energy Committee and preparation for a Work Session on Community Power
• Bolster efforts by the Sub-Groups of  SEAREI  born from the 2020/2021 Drawdown series of Workshops, to support and push more Sustainability Initiatives in addition to the ones here: CREAT Climate Resiliency Report | City of Portsmouth
• Use the City’s resources, personnel, and finances strategically to meet the urgency of this moment. For example, having personnel ready to respond to the opportunities available through The American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA)
• Provide active guidance and support to the City Manager, City Boards, Committees, and Departments to attain the 2025 Master Plan’s vision of meeting the ’Net Zero Energy’ Policy adopted 2018

Original source can be found here.