From Disposable to Sustainable: Embracing the Power to Refuse, Reuse and Rot!

November 10, 2023, marked the beginning of the enforcement of the Marin County Reusable Foodware Ordinance, which was adopted for unincorporated Marin on May 10, 2022. This ordinance was originally inspired in part by our youth-led No Straw, Please campaign in 2018

Single-use plastics can persist in our environment for hundreds of years. They litter our beaches, clog our waterways, and contribute to the global pollution crisis. The new ordinance will tackle this head-on by eliminating plastics at their source in Marin County. We, as consumers, can play a more active role by practicing reuse by bringing our containers, cups, and utensils for food to-go or composting natural fiber foodware products at home. This behavior change will have a significant impact on our collective carbon footprint.

California's Sea Level Rise Planning & the Public Trust

Engaging on climate resilience and adaptation planning is a key priority for EAC. Part of our resiliency work includes participating in the local and state public planning processes and sharing key climate research and policy updates. 

We wanted to share with you a wrap-up of two recent California Coastal Commission (Coastal Commission) meetings this year: one on sea level rise planning and the second meeting was related to guidance on the public trust doctrine and sea level rise. 

Planning for Sea Level Rise in Stinson Beach

Do you love to sneak away for a day at Stinson Beach? Marin County is embarking on a planning process related to coastal adaptation (planning for sea level rise) at Stinson Beach, and inviting all who love and care about Stinson Beach to get involved. This project, called Stinson Adaptation and Resilience Collaboration (Stinson ARC), builds upon Marin County’s C-SMART (Collaboration: Sea-level Marin Adaptation Response Team) sea level rise planning process that started in 2016. The Stinson ARC project seeks to engage the local community.

Marin County has updated the sea level rise vulnerability data in a newly released report, Stinson ARC Sea Level Rise Vulnerability Update Report, and is conducting a series of stakeholder focus groups. We participated in the first environmental focus group earlier this month and attended the online public meeting on May 18th.

We are in the process of reviewing the report and providing feedback and will keep our membership community updated as this project progresses. 

2022 Year-End Climate Change Adaptation Planning Round-Up

As 2022 comes to an end, we reflect on the local and statewide climate work that we have engaged in, as well as some updates and opportunities for you to get involved in resilience and adaptation planning efforts. It’s critical for policymakers to hear a local perspective as we collectively decide how our communities will respond to the impacts of a changing climate.

A Glance at the Inflation Reduction Act

Climate scientists, activists, and politicians agree the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), the most significant climate bill to date, is a crucial first step to reducing carbon emissions to at least 40% below 2005 levels by 2030. The $740 billion legislation is complex, but from a climate perspective, the overall goals include making the shift to decarbonization an equitable and easier transition and supporting the US clean tech industry. About $375 billion over the next 10 years will be allocated to climate projects.

A key piece of the legislation will strengthen the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)’s role in ending our dependence on fossil fuels. Specifically, the IRA defines carbon dioxide as an “air pollutant.” This definition, New York Times reports, “explicitly gives the E.P.A. the authority to regulate greenhouse gases and to use its power to push the adoption of wind, solar and other renewable energy sources.”

Coastal Commission Holds Joint Sea Level Rise Workshop

In August, the California Coastal Commission held a half day joint workshop with the League of Cities, California State Association of Counties, and local government officials on sea level rise. At the workshop, progress made by the Local Government Sea Level Rise workshop was reviewed, experiences were shared related to statewide Local Coastal Program updates, and public input was gathered on the working group’s 2022 goals. The working group is made up of representatives from cities, counties, and Coastal Commission staff.

EAC spoke at the meeting, alongside other NGOs and government representatives. Joining other coastal NGOs, like Surfrider and WILDCOAST, we voiced our support for nature-based solutions, public access, and voiced our oppostion to armoring the coast.

CA Releases Final Pathway to 30x30 Strategy

California is working towards meeting its goals to protect biodiversity, increase climate resiliency, and expand access to natural resources with the California Biodiversity Collaborative’s 30x30 Initiative that seeks to conserve 30% of our state’s lands and waters by 2030.

At the end of 2021, the California Natural Resources Agency (CNRA) released a draft strategy (Pathways to 30x30) for public review and input on how to meet the goals. EAC and a coastal environmental coalition commented on the draft, advocating for improved definitions of terms, to increase the scope of stakeholders for coastal working waters, update scientific criteria, and commit to achieving 30x30 goals with highly protected Marine Protected Areas. On Earth Day, the CNRA released its final report, Pathways to 30x30: Accelerating Conservation of California’s Nature.

Taking Action Against Sea Level Rise: OPC Releases New Report

In February, the Ocean Protection Council (OPC) released the 2022 State Agency Sea Level Rise Action Plan for California. This report is the first of its kind and was developed with unprecedented collaboration, but is it inclusive enough?

Researchers, policymakers, and community organizations agree that inclusiveness is essential to successfully addressing the impacts of climate change and sea level rise (SLR). This means reaching out to environmental justice communities to ensure their voices are heard. Environmental justice communities will be hit by climate change the hardest and have significantly less resources to mitigate these impacts.

The deadline for all interested parties to submit public comments on the OPC report is June 3, 2022. Comments can be submitted to SLRActionPlan@resources.ca.gov.

California: Leading the Way in 30x30

In 2021, Governor Newsom introduced the 30x30 initiative, committing to protecting 30% of California’s lands and waters from biodiversity loss, pollution, and climate change by 2030. This goal was complemented by President Biden’s executive order America the Beautiful.

So far, California is making progress in implementing the 30x30 guidelines, but we still have a long way to go.

Coastal Communities Working Group & Adaptation Projects

Over the next century, climate change will continue to exacerbate sea level rise, increasing the frequency and intensity of coastal flooding, and placing essential structures in Marin County at risk. We are dedicated to supporting climate adaptation strategies based on the most up-to-date science and research available as a member of the Coastal Communities Working Group (CCWG).

Protecting 30% of Our Land and Water by 2030

Biodiversity loss, pollution, and the climate crisis are straining our natural systems. To mitigate and prevent additional irreparable loss, efforts to protect 30 percent of our lands, rivers, lakes, wetlands, and marine systems by 2030 (30x30) have been launched.

In response to this call to act,“California has set an ambitious goal to protect 30 percent of California lands and coastal waters by 2030 and advance nature-based solutions to address climate change, equity and species loss. We can only achieve this by holistically examining the depth and breadth of these issues with input from a variety of stakeholders.” - California Secretary for Natural Resources, Wade Crowfoot.

COP26 – Success, Failure, or … ?

What should we make of COP26? Protesters and youth certainly had a healthy dose of skepticism that something different would come out of Glasgow (as opposed to the 25 other climate conferences to date).

The sheer imbalance of industry representatives to governments, with fossil fuel companies having more than 500 lobbyists present, more than any country’s delegation, was also deeply concerning.

And then there’s the bombshell report from the Washington Post, calling into question the efficacy of the entire international climate apparatus. It estimates that international climate emissions may be as much as 23% greater than the figure reported by countries, an amount roughly equivalent to the total emissions of China.

Marin County Exploring Sea Level Rise Adaptation & Drafting Hazards Development Guidance

Marin County launched a Coastal Communities Working Group (CCWG) in early 2020 composed of EAC, Surfrider, the Alliance of West Marin Villages, and additional village association representatives with the goals of providing local, community input on hazard and climate adaptation planning initiatives and projects in West Marin, for the members to be liaisons between the County and their respective communities, and for members to gain expertise and integrate knowledge from each project to inform its review of future planning processes. This builds on the County’s C-SMART (Collaboration: Sea-level Marin Adaptation Response Team) process that identified vulnerabilities and potential solutions to the County’s coastal climate challenges.

Three County projects are currently the focus of the CCWG: 1) Stinson Beach Nature-Based Adaptation Feasibility Study, 2) Tomales Bay Living Shoreline Feasibility Study, and 3) Local Coastal Program (LCP) environmental hazards policy amendments.

Protecting our Coastal Systems to Drawdown Greenhouse Gases

We are facing a climate emergency, and the ocean is a powerful source of solutions that have the potential to provide a fifth of the greenhouse gas emission reductions needed globally to limit temperature rise to 1.5°C. Kelp forests and our coastal environments are being hit hard by climate change and other habitat loss impacts and need protection to help combat the climate crisis and drawdown greenhouse gas emissions.

Blue (aquatic) carbon is a very valuable resource to sequester carbon found in salt marshes, eelgrass beds, and tidal wetlands. Restoring blue carbon ecosystems could remove about 0.5% of current global emissions, with co-benefits for local ecosystems and livelihoods. Earlier this month, Oregon released a new Climate Plan that is the first in the United States to account for the blue carbon benefits of coastal habitats.

30% by 2030: Protecting Our Land and Water

On March 9th, EAC participated in the 16th annual California Ocean Day, where our team joined with advocates from across the state to celebrate our marine environment. In addition to meeting with our representatives Assemblymember Marc Levine and State Senator Mike McGuire, EAC also attended a panel discussion regarding the “30x30” initiative with Secretary of Natural Resources Wade Crowfoot, Assemblymember Lorena Gonzalez, and other leaders in the field.

EAC Supports a Collaborative, Science-based Effort for Climate Adaptation

EAC continues our work on climate adaptation including our support for consistent statewide efforts. In November 2020, we spoke at the California Coastal Commission meeting (Commission), lending our general support for statewide Shared Principles for Adaptation Planning. We are particularly supportive of long-range planning, nature based solutions, the protection of priceless coastal resources, the community character of our coastal villages, and public access.

Marin County Climate Action Plan Update is Finalized

This fall, Marin County introduced a draft Climate Action Plan (CAP), which includes a plan to cut emissions from both existing and new development in the unincorporated areas of Marin County. The CAP contains regulatory, incentive-based and voluntary strategies -- some that build on existing County programs and others that provide new opportunities to address climate change, including strategies developed through the Drawdown: Marin project, which EAC continues to participate in. The county accepted public comments and held a public meeting in October, which EAC’s Executive Director participated in. Last week, the Marin County Board of Supervisors approved Marin County’s final CAP update on December 8th. EAC’s Conservation Director provided public comments at the Board hearing following up on our extensive written comments, many of which were incorporated into the final CAP.

State Agencies Adopt Statewide Sea Level Rise Principles

In May, the California Coastal Commission followed the State Lands Commission’s lead and adopted 'Making California’s Coast Resilient to Sea Level Rise: Principles for Aligned State Action,' a set of six major principles to be implemented by a variety of state agencies that reflect unified, effective action toward sea-level rise resilience grounded in best available science, partnerships, alignment, communications and local support.

Coastal Communities Working Group (CCWG) Adaptation Planning Update

The County of Marin’s Community Development Agency released an update to the Coastal Communities Working Group in June, elaborating on the group’s mission and objectives, and details on the progress being made on the Stinson Beach and Tomales Bay living shoreline feasibility studies. With these updates, EAC will continue to support communication between the County and the greater West Marin community, and to provide our community with project updates and opportunities for input, so we may collectively advocate for the best interests of our shoreline communities.

Why EAC is YES Wildfire Preparedness & Measure C

A catastrophic wildfire event in Marin County would have damaging consequences for wildlife habitat, contaminate our fresh water reservoirs, and create decades long disturbances for biodiversity.

Marin County Fire has worked over the last year with environmental organizations to better understand concerns and seek a balanced approach for implementation by establishing the working group Ecologically Sound Practices Partnership. This partnership consists of environmental and conservation organizations who will meet to discuss programmatic implementation of the Marin Wildfire Prevention Measure if it is approved by the voters on March 3rd.

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