Hi Jen,
Thank you for catching me up. I heartily support both measures!
However what I am really looking for is getting off fossil fuels in buildings and/transportation in big, significant ways, now. As my emails try to convey, the emergency is here. My friends in Michigan yesterday and today are with their children in Ann Arbor and on Lake Huron. In AA the AQI is 240. At Lake Huron, my friend had this to say in answer to my question about the air quality;
TERRIBLE. Smells like campfire, apocalypse sky
So it’s not just California or the Pacific Northwest. Two weeks ago I had the same exchanges with friends in Westchester Co., NY. She sent the following 2 texts.
[cid:189039b7008bc2344eb1]
I just picked up Xxxxx from the train station and my eyes are stinging!
***
So this is the life we have now, and it’s going to become commonplace while the forests (aka carbon sinks) burn.
So exactly when will we get incredibly serious about the lives of our children?
I don’t understand the barriers to action. We should have the mentality that we’re mobilizing for a war, something our society was able to do successfully. Somehow people are able to just go on with their business comfortably, and I’m sure there are myriad psychological reasons, but it’s not good enough. And we’re the only ones RIGHT NOW who can take responsibility and respond with the appropriate degree of urgency.
We’re going to be extremely mad at ourselves later, but that’s nothing compared to how pissed off our kids will be. Because they’ll be just old enough to remember what it was like to live on a functioning planet with lovely weather, when the numbers of climate refugees were just becoming unmanageable, and when flood and fire were still unusual, newsworthy events. And they’ll know we spoiled it.
If you think I’m being too dramatic, I ask you this; when have I ever said anything over the last decade about climate that isn’t now manifestly true?
Yours in this together, now for god’s sake, do something.
Nicole
On Wed, Jun 28, 2023 at 11:44 AM Wolosin, Jen > wrote:
Hi Nicole,
Last night we approved revisions to the Housing Element that will incentivize infill housing development and we also approved a contract amendment to install the Middle Avenue bike lane pilot…two climate-related actions.
Sincerely,
Jen
[cid:189038840ccf4d38f112]
Jen Wolosin
Mayor
City Hall - 2nd Floor
701 Laurel St.
tel 415-710-5838
menlopark.gov
*Note our emails have changed to @menlopark.gov
From: Nicole Kemeny >
Sent: Wednesday, June 28, 2023 10:16 AM
To: _CCIN >
Subject: What did you do last night?
Dear Mayor and Council,
Here is today’s snapshot. What progress was made last night?
Nicole
[cid:189038840ccad7999131]
--
Methane, the main component of natural gas used to heat homes and power factories, is responsible for one-quarter of human-caused global warming, largely from oil and gas facilities, according to Canada’s environment ministry.
So much for your transitional fuel.
