Climate and Sustainability

Climate change is an existential threat to our planet. Mitigating it will take every city around the world cutting carbon emissions, embracing renewable energy and incentivizing electrification of homes and vehicles. Human caused climate change does not belong to a party. It is our collective responsibility as citizens of the Earth to cut carbon emissions as quickly as prudently possible.

Everyone must view his or her job as a climate job.  We must look at our investments, homes, places of business, schools, transportation, energy production through this lens. As a City Councilmember I will ensure the City executes and expands its Climate Action Plan. The current plan is aspirational… with no real deadlines, measures of effectiveness, or identified departmental responsibilities. I will act to rectify this immediately. Coronado has the capacity to be a model city.

As president and founder of Emerald Keepers (EK), my Board and I have worked assiduously to educate the community about climate and sustainability. We worked for two years to bring electric mini-shuttles (the Island Express) to Coronado. We continue to advocate for electrification, solarization of city buildings, and expanding the number of EV charging stations. We recently advocated for Coronado’s first electric fire truck, and have made significant progress in addressing local climate, plastic reduction, water, and air quality issues in Coronado. We are people of action. Installing air quality monitors throughout the city; changing individual and business attitudes and behaviors through direct engagement and public outreach (to include publishing educational material and air/water quality readings each week in local news outlets).

Focusing for a moment more broadly… our robust EK clubs at both the middle and high school compost food waste and grow organic vegetables which are distributed to the Imperial Beach Food Pantry. Our high school interns have implemented zero waste initiatives in the schools, initiated a program to pick fruit unwanted by Coronado homeowners and deliver it to the food pantry, hosted camps for young children, and assisted with EK’s Emerald Green, Ocean Blue Restaurant and Coffee Sticker programs to eliminate plastics and waste. To quote Phil Collins: “In learning you will teach, and in teaching you will learn.” EK is teaching future leaders of action; they, in turn, are teaching us to focus on their future!