City seeks community input for ‘Blueprint for Carbon Neutrality’

The city of Petaluma has released a final draft of its climate action plan, and now seeks community input on it through Oct. 28 -- and during a Thursday evening meeting at City Hall.

The “Blueprint for Carbon Neutrality” is designed to help the city reduce greenhouse gas emissions, adapt to climate challenges and achieve carbon neutrality by 2030. A draft of the 112-page document is available for viewing (in English only) on the city’s website.

A public in-person meeting on the blueprint will be held on Thursday, Oct. 12 from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. in the City Council chambers at 11 English Street, just before the draft is officially presented at the Climate Action Commission meeting at 6:30 p.m.

The city wants to work with the community to ensure the final draft “carries the voice of Petaluma and ensures the success of meeting our climate goals,” according to the city’s website.

A brochure on the draft plan states that it "involves a collaborative effort between public and private partners, prioritizes equity, and focuses on transformative actions across various sectors.“

The draft plan includes a list of 22 “cornerstone actions” that involve buildings, energy, transportation, resource consumption and ecosystems. Actions range from the electrification of the city’s transit fleet to revising the city’s tree preservation ordinance to revising zoning, permitting and approval processes.

Pizza and child-friendly activities will be sponsored by Cool Petaluma. Residents who can’t attend in person can provide feedback online until Oct. 28.

For more information, reach out to the city’s planning team at planpetaluma@cityofpetaluma.org.

You can reach Staff Writer Jennifer Sawhney at 707-521-5346 or jennifer.sawhney@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @sawhney_media.