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HomeMy WebLinkAboutStaff Comment - March 2025 City of Palm Springs, Office of Sustainability To: Sustainability Commission From: Lindsey-Paige McCloy, Director, Office of Sustainability Re: February Updates to the Sustainability Commission Meeting Date: 18 March 2025 The Office of Sustainability would like to provide this update on activities since the last Commission meeting to help speed discussion at the in -person meeting. The following items can be discussed in more depth at the meeting, if desired by the Commission. Upcoming Meetings and Events • Next Council meeting topics: o Ready to ship: foodware ordinance o Next up: tree ordinance, energy efficient renovations (information item), information updates on waste and on greenhouse gas emissions • Next Subcommittee meeting dates: o SSCOWR: April 1 at 1:00pm o Climate Action: April 9 at 1:00pm • Recurring events o Next Farmers’ Market table: tentatively scheduled for April 12, 2025 o Next shredding and e-waste event: April 5, 2025 • Upcoming special events o Community Cleanup – March 29, 2025 o Earth Day and Arbor Day – April 26, 2025 • Office note o Zoning district community meetings on March 31 st (JOJ/DHUC, 5:30pm) and April 1st (Demuth, 1pm) Commission Administrative Matters • PLEASE NOTE that the next Commission meeting has been rescheduled to avoid a conflict with Passover. The meeting will be held on Tuesday, April 22 (Earth Day!) at 5:30pm. Updates on Ongoing Work Water, Turf Conversion Staff have been working extensively with DWA and the Planning Department to support efforts around the Non-Functional Turf water requirements. As a summary, state law requires that non-functional turf no longer be watered with potable water beginning: • January 1, 2027 – government/institutional properties • January 1, 2028 – commercial properties • January 1, 2029 – HOA properties Staff of all three agencies and departments are receiving a lot of questions from HOAs who are beginning to plan for meeting this requirement and are working with City staff on projects to meet it concurrently. Waste and Foodware PSDS and Benito will be hosting a shredding event on April 5th at the Convention Center. There will also be a second Community Cleanup on March 29. Several restaurants have been visited this month including Smoke and Burgers, Joyce’s Sushi, and El Patio. Thanks to our Commissioners and community members for directing us to these establishments! SSCOWR received an in-depth report on waste audits at its recent meeting. Information from that report can be found in the SSCOWR report. Transportation We are working on grant agreements for the Safe Streets for All (SS4A) grant program and waiting to hear back from CalTrans to start the Heat and Shade study this month. Urban Environment Abor Day events are being planned in collaboration with Parks & Recreation. Tree ordinance and supporting programs development continues. Community Garden No updates this month. Buildings and Energy Efficiency We have been working hard on the energy efficient reach code this month and will provide a brief update during the meeting. A quick summary is as follows: • Working on stakeholder outreach, including with the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians/Tribal staff and with the Desert Valley Builders’ Association • Identifying paths for implementation with City departments (primarily Building and Safety) • Performing cost and scenario analysis to understand how different projects might be impacted Upcoming work will include: • Creating support documentation to help building owners and professionals navigate the ordinance • Identifying any changes that can be made to the ordinance to simplify implementation. Stakeholder outreach needs and results will delay the Ordinance’s trip to the City Council. We will keep the Commission posted. Fleet Electrification and City Emissions Reductions We are working closely with the Public Works Department to identify the best project paths for reducing emissions across our facilities and to make electrical capacity available for EV charging. Team Updates We will be conducting interviews this month for our waste specialist position.