Wednesday's EPC meeting was really exciting! At least six members of MVCSP attended and three spoke up (thanks John, Julie and Jarrett!) making excellent comments about the need to study a higher intensity alternative in the event that building more homes would actually reduce our environmental impact by generating fewer GHG emissions.

Perhaps partly motivated by public comments and the letters they had received ahead of time, Commissioners Fernandez, Clark and Trontell all said that they supported the idea of studying a higher intensity alternative, so that we could make the best decision about the General Plan possible, based on the most information. The members of EPC engaged in a spirited debate on this topic, with Commissioner Matichak expressing that the current preferred alternative already included densities above and beyond what was in the original draft General Plan and that she did not feel comfortable studying something beyond this alternative. All commissioners had excellent points. The consultant for the EIR got up and stated that it would be very unusual for a city to study a higher intensity alternative to its preferred draft General Plan alternative. Usually an EIR just looks at the proposed project, a "no project" scenario (aka keeping the 1992 plan) and one lower intensity alternative.

But guess what! With SB375, and the Sustainable Communities Strategy happening, cities in California are now going to have to start thinking about the environmental impacts of their planning decisions beyond their own borders. If Mountain View doesn't build the housing it needs, the City's emissions might be lower, but those houses will still need to go somewhere. We can no longer just put them in cities on the outer ring of our region. That promotes commuting patterns that are totally unsustainable. The old way of thinking about the impacts of planning is outdated. Mountain View is totally ready to think about how to plan with the whole region in mind. We could be on the cutting edge of planning! MVCSP believes we can do this while still prioritizing the quality of life for our residents.

We're pretty sure that planning staff got that same message from the majority of the EPC. Assuming the City has the time and money to do it, we think they might study a high intensity alternative. This is very exciting! Good job MVCSP! Thanks Commissioners and staff!

MVCSP has long been saying that if Mountain View plans for more homes (even more than the current preferred alternative draft of the General Plan calls for, and that document is already setting the bar pretty high!) it will even out the imbalance of jobs and homes. Right now, many people commute into work each day from other cities. All those cars generate a lot of greenhouse gas emissions. If those employees could find an appropriately priced home close to their job, then they could live and work in the same place! To achieve that balance, Mountain View needs to plan for more homes to be built.

The other reason MVCSP wants to see a higher intensity alternative studied is that during the public workshop process everybody said "YES! We want our city to be a city of villages where people can walk and meet many of their needs in their own neighborhood!". In order to create these cute, walkable neighborhoods with shops, homes, transit, etc, where people get out of their cars, we need a certain number of residents to support these services. Economic analysis shows that we might not be able to hit that village target with the current densities.

Bottom Line
We think that the preferred alternative of the General Plan is pretty gosh darn good, but if a more intensive alternative would lower our environmental impact, we want to know about it!

Annie Leonard, creator of the REALLY AWESOME film The Story of Stuff is speaking in Mountain View tonight!

This talk takes place at the Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts located at 500 Castro Street (corner of Castro and Mercy streets) in downtown Mountain View.

Peninsula Open Space Trust presents

ANNIE LEONARD
The Story of Stuff
Tuesday, February 15 at 8 pm

Environmental activist Annie Leonard explains how all our "stuff" is taking an enormous toll on our health, happiness, desire for global justice and our shared natural world. She is an expert on international sustainability and environmental health. Her talk is enlivened with a 20-minute film entitled The Story of Stuff.

MainStage - $22
(Ticket price includes a $2 Facility Use Fee)

for tickets see

http://www.mountainview.gov/mvcpa/feb11.html

Monday February 28, 2011
6:30 PM -7:00 PM Networking, 7:00 PM -8:00 PM Presentation, 8:00PM -9:00 PM Dialogue

Location: World Centric, 2121 Staunton Court , Palo Alto , CA 94306
Registration $15 advance online registration, $20 at the door (Cash only)
For online registration information go to www.sustainovation.org events page

Event Summary

Windowfarms promotes environmental stewardship and improves quality of life by reimagining and rebuilding urban indoor spaces. WindowfarmsTM are high-yield hydroponic gardens for growing fresh local vegetables indoors. But why have more than 18,000 community members joined the research and develop it yourself (R&D-I-Y) movement?
 
Join us to learn more about Windowfarms and the R&D-I-Y movement! This is our first discussion on a theme we will be exploring together over the coming months: Changing the World though Food. The evening will include time for networking, presentation, and dialogue among participants.
  
About the speaker

Shivani is an social entrepreneur who is fascinated by food, technology, and business. She joined Windowfarms and the R&D-I-Y movement in October 2010, bringing her extensive experience growing businesses with effective, sustainable business models to the Core Team. She has also consulted with diverse organizations including 18 Rabbits, SomaFM, the Napa County HHSA, and AchieveMission. Previously, Shivani was Sr. Director of Business Operations & HR at OQO, where she was a member of the Executive Team that created the world's smallest personal computer.
(http://www.windowfarms.org/)

Shivani received a BA in Science, Technology, and Society from Stanford University . She is currently pursuing an MBA in Sustainable Management at Presidio Graduate School .

Sustainovation and our co-sponsors Bay Area Society for Organizational Learning, Continuing the Conversation, and World Centric welcome you to the first dialogue to explore the theme Changing the World Through Food

Sustainovation (a project of Plant!--formerly Conexions--a non-profit organization) is dedicated to inspiring environmentally and socially sustainable business practices.  Our mission is to promote sustainability as the driver of business innovation in Silicon Valley and beyond.  We envision a new industrial revolution led by the principles of sustainable design and development.  Through educational events, we form and inspire networks of innovators who share the belief that sustainable practices are essential to business success and the future of the world we share.

Upcoming

February
February 16, 2011 Green Drinks - Palo Alto, February 16, 2011 5:30pm - 7:30pm
MacArthur Park Restaurant, 27 University Avenue , Palo Alto , CA 94301

February 18 Bay Area Society for Organizational Learning -
Vision 2050: Building a Path Towards a Sustainable World
With special guest host Bob Horn ( Event location in San Francisco. See website for more information --http://bayareasol.wordpress.com/)

March

March 21, 2011 Sustainovation's  In Depth Dialogue:  B Corporations--Changing the DNA of Business for Good! save the date: Monday March 21, 2011 an  In Depth Dialogue with: Aseem Das, World Centric Founder/CEO; Jeff Mendelsohn, New Leaf Paper, Founder/CEO; Dermot Hikisch, B Corporations,  Director of Community Development, and John Montgomery, Montgomery & Hansen, LLP (Location: World Centric in Palo Alto, more information coming soon:  www.sustainovation.org )