We are excited to update you on the progress we are making on the goals outlined in the Climate Action & Resiliency pillar of the county’s five-year Strategic Plan, which seeks to make Sonoma County carbon neutral by 2030. Click the link below to learn more about the county’s progress on Strategic Plan implementation.

An updated EV charger at a county facility, charging a Ford F-150 Lighting Pro and a Chevrolet Bolt.

A team conducting a waste audit at the Human Services building at 2550 Paulin Drive, Santa Rosa.

Sonoma County audits trash as it develops ‘zero waste’ plan

It is an ambitious goal in the county’s five-year Strategic Plan: to make all county facilities “zero waste.” The concept prevents and repurposes waste through a variety of strategies, reducing the amount of garbage sent to landfills. To achieve this, the county is conducting a study to quantify the amount of waste it generates while analyzing the types of materials going into the waste streams.

The audit will tell us how much waste the county is producing, and what sorts of things are typically being disposed of in the county’s waste bins. This critical information will help the county devise new ways to reduce and recycle waste, helping us achieve our goal of zero waste. It will also help minimize the county’s greenhouse gas footprint, pushing us closer to our goals of making county facilities carbon neutral as well. The Climate Action & Resiliency Division is overseeing this effort, with the support of facilities staff from across the county, Recology, Zero Waste Sonoma, and a consulting firm, STS Consulting.

This week, 20 waste audits were conducted at different county facilities that represent the range of services the county oversees. Sites audited included Doran Regional Park, the Charles M. Schultz-Sonoma County Airport, the Male Adult Detention Facility, the County Administration Building, and more. A specialized team from a waste auditing company visited these locations and dissected the waste that had been collected, categorized it based on material, and weighed it. The project team will use this information, alongside data from Recology and Zero Waste Sonoma, to depict what the county’s overall waste production looks like and make recommendations to achieve zero waste. The Climate Action & Resiliency Division should have a final report consolidated in August.

Sonoma County Regional Parks developing

Climate Adaptation and Resilience Plan

Sonoma County Regional Parks is creating a Climate Adaptation and Resiliency Plan to promote a healthy environment and a vibrant, resilient park system. This plan will address hazards posed by extreme heat, drought, flooding, landslides, wildfires and more, protecting the county’s natural resources and community assets from the impacts of climate change while reducing climate pollution.

Multiple departments within the County of Sonoma are actively involved in efforts to decrease carbon emissions and reduce the impacts of climate-related hazards. These efforts also focus on maximizing removal and storage of carbon from the atmosphere, promoting environmental justice, and protecting the community from risks like wildfires. Sonoma County Regional Parks’ Climate Adaptation and Resilience Plan will align with and build upon these existing initiatives.

Ways to get involved in the Parks Plan:

We want to hear your thoughts on how the county should reduce climate pollution and address climate impacts to its parks. Please help us shape the future of our Sonoma County parks by completing this short survey and sharing it with your community. Take our 5-minute survey here.

There will be additional ways to provide input over the coming months. Visit SoCoParksClimate.com to sign up for updates, share your insights, and learn more!

Russian River – Looking upstream from the bridge in Monte Rio.

Drought ends, but need to conserve water continues

Take a bow, North Bay: local residents and businesses reduced water use by 17 percent in Sonoma and Marin counties in 2021 and 2022, compared to 2020 levels. Not only did you exceed the statewide 15 percent reduction target set by Gov. Gavin Newsom, you found ways to save 9.2 billion gallons of water over the two-year period.

While the Board of Supervisors declared an end to the local drought emergency in April, this is no time to start wasting water. “We don’t know when the next drought will arrive. If everyone does their part to conserve now, we will have more water available in the future for the entire community to share,” said Supervisor Chris Coursey, chair of the Board of Supervisors.

Visit the Sonoma-Marin Saving Water Partnership to learn some simple ways that you can save water and money. And keep reading for information on a county program that helps property owners finance improvements that utilize water and energy more efficiently.

County preparing for new septic system rules

In preparation for the anticipated rollout of new state rules for septic systems, the Climate Action & Resiliency Division (CARD) is developing projects to address the needs of residents with septic systems. At the end of April, CARD solicited proposals for a countywide mapping study to examine septic system locations and potential wastewater treatment alternatives. CARD anticipates having a contract in place with work underway by mid-summer. On May 16, the Board of Supervisors approved $450,000 to fund a feasibility study that will look at possible regional solutions to wastewater challenges, including septic and climate change resiliency related challenges. CARD’s Clean Water Ombudsman is also working with an interagency group, including the Lower Russian River Wastewater Citizen’s Advisory Group, on public engagement for a pilot project to address the wastewater needs of the Monte Rio-Villa Grande community. A public meeting to discuss this project is anticipated later this year.

Many thanks to the Sonoma County community for your participation in the Sonoma County Energy Independence Program (SCEIP), which experienced significant growth for the third year in a row. SCEIP is the longest-running Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) financing program in the nation. Since its inception in 2009, SCEIP has provided Sonoma County with more than $98 million in financing for energy efficiency, water conservation, renewable generation, seismic, and wildfire safety improvements to residential and commercial buildings.

As directed by the Strategic Plan, the county has been investing in its Clean Commute Program to promote our employees’ use of alternate modes of transportation, including bike and carpool incentives, and last-mile solutions connecting bus and train stations to county worksites. This quarter, use of public transit by county staff increased by 48 percent - likely in response to a new incentive program. County staff avoided 139 metric tons of CO2 during this period, which is equivalent to nearly 31 gas powered vehicles being taken off the road for one year or the carbon sequestered by 166 acres of US forests in one year. Check out the impact of the Clean Commute Program below!

We’ve Grown!

The Climate Action & Resiliency Division has grown! The team welcomed Leslie Granados and John Pazos in May. Read more about Leslie and John below:

Leslie joined the Climate Action & Resiliency Division as a bilingual administrative aide. She holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration with a concentration in marketing from San Francisco State University. She processes financing applications for SCEIP, translates outreach materials for the division, and aids in Green Business certification. Leslie strives to help the community reach its climate goals with equity being a center point. 

After working in the green building and energy efficiency field for 8 years, John joined the Climate Action & Resiliency Division as an administrative aide. He has a bachelor’s degree in environmental studies and planning with an emphasis in energy management and design from Sonoma State University. John is also a Residential Certified Energy Analyst and Home Energy Rating System rater. On his free time you can catch him climbing rocks, hiking, or camping in the great outdoors.

Welcome to the team, Leslie and John!

Jane Elias leaving county to lead MTC’s Energy Program

Jane Elias, a cornerstone of Sonoma County’s Energy & Sustainability program for more than 13 years, has been tapped to take over the Metropolitan Transportation Commission’s Energy Program. Leveraging her considerable private sector experience in building energy science, Jane oversees the nationally recognized Sonoma County Energy Independence Program and the county’s implementation of the PG&E Local Government Partnership. As manager of the county’s Energy & Sustainability Program, Jane leads marketing, outreach, and implementation for the BayREN programs, Sonoma Green Business certification, and extensive community and workforce development outreach and education in climate resilience. Her work includes planning, development and administration of energy management and sustainability programs for the county’s internal operations, and for residents and businesses across Sonoma County.

Jane’s calm and unflappable presence earned her the deep respect of colleagues throughout the county and made her a favorite in the Emergency Operations Center, where she led logistics through many disasters. She has a keen wit and a sly sense of humor. Most people don’t know that Jane studied performance art in college, but once you see her in front of a crowd you know you’re in skilled hands. These characteristics made Jane a truly honorable and admirable leader, someone her co-workers consistently relied upon for guidance, support, and an infectious laugh.

“Working with Jane has been a gift,” said Barbara Lee, director of the Climate Action

& Resiliency Division. “She is a consummate professional, but also a genuinely kind

and deeply caring human being.”

During her service with the county, Jane developed a municipal greenhouse gas inventory and advised on renewable energy installations and fleet electrification. She was instrumental in the development of the Climate Action and Resiliency Pillar of the county’s Strategic Plan and supported a Board of Supervisors’ Ad Hoc committee that identified projects to be funded with the Climate Resilience Fund. Over the last year Jane guided the merging of Energy & Sustainability with the County Administrator’s Climate Action & Resiliency Division. 

“This Board’s commitment to climate and resiliency is impressive and I am so fortunate to have been involved in this important work here in the county over these last 13 years,” Elias said. “I look forward to continuing it at a regional level, and I am grateful that my new scope of duties still includes Sonoma County and its vibrant community which I call home.”

The CARD team will miss Jane’s leadership and friendship, but we celebrate her transition to her new role as director of Energy Programs at MTC. Our loss in Sonoma County is a huge win for the Bay Area, and we look forward to working with Jane in her new role and watching her success on the regional stage.

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The Climate Action and Resiliency Division (CARD), within the County Administrator’s Office,

is dedicated to helping the County and the community address the climate crisis

and achieve its climate-related goals and objectives.