BY MAIRE O’NEILL
maire@losalamosreporter.com
Impressed by sustainability and resiliency plans created by different communities in New Mexico, a bunch of Los Alamos County residents is attempting to help an identical effort right here at house. The group is gathering signatures for a petition asking the County Council to nominate a committee to assist Los Alamos and White Rock develop a complete resiliency, vitality and sustainability plan with an general purpose of attaining web zero greenhouse fuel equivalents (GHGe) on all facets of County operations.
The Los Alamos Reporter met final week with Heidi Honegger Rogers and Jack Kennison, two members of the group who’re hoping to collect numerous signatures for the petition. The petition asks that the committee be appointed by Council in December and start assembly by the tip of January. The committee, if authorised, would come with representatives from the County’s Environmental Sustainability Board, the Board of Public Utilities, the Planning and Zoning Fee, the Transportation Board, the County Council, County employees and the group at-large.
The proposed committee would compile details about Los Alamos County’s impression on air air pollution, and advocate methods the county might meet the New Mexico State Local weather Change Job Pressure benchmarks by 2030, and the UN Paris Settlement Internet Zero GHGe by 2050 targets. An interim report can be due by June 30, 2021 and remaining suggestions by Dec. 31, 2021
Rogers informed the Reporter there’s a group of oldsters in the neighborhood which were speaking about local weather change and the air air pollution that causes local weather change. This group has been desirous about native and regional vitality and GHGe insurance policies. “Our group is desirous about exploring what Los Alamos County can do to cut back our collective impression on GHGe and enhance our resiliency within the context of ongoing local weather change and air air pollution issues in New Mexico”. The group that organized the petition contains Katie and Dan Leonard, Kennison and herself.
“We had been impressed by the sustainability and resiliency plans from different communities, like Santa Fe, and we wish to perceive how Los Alamos and White Rock could make comparable sustainability plans or resilience plans to cut back greenhouse fuel emissions and handle indoor and outside air air pollution. Our group is so completely different when it comes to how we govern ourselves, and for this work, we actually have to collaborate throughout all of the boards and departments.” Rogers stated. “That was the seed for this citizen petition, to get us all working collectively.”
She famous that the Environmental Sustainability Board (ESB) has an awesome sustainability plan for our waste, and the Board of Public Utilities is creating a plan to have a look at vitality and water conservation for Los Alamos County. The opposite boards are additionally doing a little items of this work, together with the Transportation Board.
“My understanding is that as a group, people are already engaged on this and excited about it. It might be good to see a complete plan that goes throughout the completely different areas of County operations and different facets of the group,” Rogers stated.
Kennison stated he participated in a 10-day digital Local weather Actuality Management Corps coaching program with former Vice President Al Gore which teaches folks how you can encourage motion for local weather options in the neighborhood by spreading consciousness of the local weather disaster.
“It was very thrilling to be a part of the Zoom dialog with folks from Costa Rica, Argentina, Brazil, Canada and from the east and west coast. I’m actually pleased with the work I accomplished throughout this system,” Kennison stated.
He famous that Rogers invited him to hitch the group and that he has been assembly with them since late July. He stated attempting to get the phrase out and arrange conferences has been daunting in the course of the pandemic however that bringing teams collectively such because the League of Ladies Voters, the Sierra Membership and 350 NM is sweet for the larger image. He’s hopeful {that a} process pressure of individuals from the varied County departments and the group might be a sufficiently small group to deal with assembly the targets of the Paris Agreements and what the governor is proposing for New Mexico.
Rogers is a household nurse practitioner and has at all times been “an environmentalist on the aspect”. She stated she has had the honour of serving on the ESB the place she has discovered so much and labored with the unbelievable folks of the Environmental Providers Division on issues like yard waste and composting and how you can cut back trash and waste.
“A few years in the past I grew to become involved about local weather change, air pollution, and the impression it has on New Mexico. I made a decision to combine analysis about these areas into my schooling and analysis work at UNM and into my work as a major care nurse practitioner,” Rogers stated. “In 2018 I took a certificates course from Yale College of Public Well being on Local weather Change and Well being. In that course I began to be taught extra concerning the well being results from local weather change and the impacts we count on from local weather change in New Mexico.”
Rogers famous that the state is already experiencing warmth, drought and fireplace however that it’s going to be worse within the subsequent 10 to 30 years in very important methods.
“There are a lot of well being impacts from air air pollution, wildfire air pollution, methane emission air pollution within the Permian Basin and the San Juan Basin and air air pollution from the cities from site visitors. New Mexicans expertise persistent obstructive pulmonary illness, bronchial asthma, and extra hospitalization, extra medicines are wanted, worsening outcomes for folks with lung illness. I didn’t launch that air air pollution additionally contributes to heart problems and stroke. On greater air air pollution days we see extra coronary heart assaults and strokes,” Rogers stated.
She famous the impression on neurological capabilities and stated there’s some thought that a few of the chemical compounds in air air pollution cross by means of the blood mind barrier and will contribute to melancholy and dementia and different neurologic ailments.
“As a well being care supplier, I take into consideration the truth that this is happening with the sufferers I’m seeing. There’s drugs and way of life, however what if the precise air air pollution is contributing to this and we might cut back the air air pollution and the ailments. That’s been my focus at work,” she stated.
Rogers had the chance to take part within the Lancet Countdown on Local weather and Well being which might be revealed later this yr and she or he is working with a nationwide planetary well being work group.
“A part of the explanation to do a citizen petition is to drag collectively folks which might be excited about a plan. We wish to maintain people knowledgeable,” she stated. “As we head into the longer term, we all know we’re all going to should make modifications and shifts. We’d love to do them in a approach that helps Los Alamos in the very best approach. We don’t know what the solutions are however it might be actually good to check out all of the choices.”
To signal the petition, go to:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/174BO_GA468aLvGGsbwl25JyQuNiNPAGoDaxDz5b0Xps/edit
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