2024 Grant Program: “Ready, Set, (Climate) Action!”
Our 2024 grant project focuses on adapting to a changing climate. We’re calling it “Ready, Set, (Climate) Action!” and our goal is to make residents aware of Sunnyvale’s 2014 Climate Action Plan (CAP) then look at steps we can take to help the city achieve its climate goals. As a guide, we’ll use Sunnyvale’s Climate Action Playbook (a CAP update that began in 2017).
Read the 66-page playbook by clicking the image above.
Our grant project centers on 3 needs identified in the Climate Action Playbook: 1) drive less and walk/bike more; 2) be more resilient as a community in the event of an emergency; and 3) adjust our eating habits to help reduce the amount of carbon generated by our existing food systems.
Our plan is to collect best practices to imprint on our Ready, Set, (Climate) Action! gear:
- A clear window cling for vehicles that promotes climate-friendly transportation (e.g., reduce driving mileage)
- Emergency “Go” tote bags* imprinted with a list of essential items* to put inside
- Pressed paper coasters with tips for sustainable eating (e.g., buy local/in bulk, reduce waste).
*Note that you will be responsible for filling the Go bag.
Our project aligns with Strategy 5: Empowering Our Community, specifically Play 5.A Pilot a targeted grassroots community engagement strategy (e.g., Cool Blocks Program) to create stronger connections between neighbors to advance climate action and emergency preparedness.
Once we have consolidated best practices to print on our gear, we will distribute the items to Cherryhill households. In addition, we’ll support the project with more detailed information on our website as well as via Google Groups emails, NextDoor and Facebook posts. If you are interested in helping kick off the project, please send an email to Kathy Besser (webmaster@cherryhillna.org) to get started. We hope you will join us in this endeavor!
Photo by Pop & Zebra on Unsplash
Excerpt from the Climate Action Playbook:
The Climate Action Playbook sets a vision for the City of Sunnyvale to reduce carbon emissions by 2050. As a sustainability leader, Sunnyvale adopted its first Climate Action Plan (CAP 1.0) in 2014 and has already achieved its 2020 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions target. Now, the State of California has set new targets that move the ball further down the field for deeper emissions reductions of 40% below 1990 levels by 2030 (“40×30”) and 80% below 1990 levels by 2050 (“80×50”).
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The Playbook lays out six Strategies that outline the overarching approach for bold climate action to achieve the end game of 80×50. Within each Strategy, there are several Plays that identify areas for action and measurable targets to define progress (see At-A-Glance on next page). These Strategies and Plays foster innovation to transform the way we power our buildings, travel around the Bay Area, consume goods and services, and empower our community to take individual actions. The Strategies and Plays also identify how we can better adapt to increasing local climate change impacts.
The Playbook also includes Game Plan 2022, which contains “Next Moves,” or specific actions, that the City and community can collectively take in the short-term to reduce carbon emissions and improve resilience to climate impacts. Game Plan 2022 is intended to be dynamic and will map out the next moves for three years initially. It will be revised every five years thereafter to account for the changing regulatory context, evolving technologies, behavior trends, and community needs.