Current Projects Mill Valley City Council Candidates Survey SMV has submitted a survey to the candidates running for election to the Mill Valley City Council, with the goal of bringing to light their accomplishments and perspectives on sustainability issues of concern to the community. Click below to view the survey, and the answers the candidates provided: Click here to read the survey Click on a candidates' name to read their reply to the entire survey (listed in order of responses received): Maureen Parton Ken Wachtel Stephanie Moulton - Peters The above listed candidates provided their responses on or before the date we requested them to do so. Candidates below entered their answers after the deadline and may have had the benefit from reading already submitted answers. George Gordon Other candidates' replies will be added upon receipt. Click on the individual issue to read all candidates' replies to that issue: Affordable housing Local Business Traffic Congestion and Safety Water Supply and Conservation Ecological Footprint Cities for Climate Protection Campaign Community Choice Aggregation (CCA) Past Projects Marin Supervisor Election Survey SMV has submitted a survey to the candidates running for Marin County Supervisor with the goal to bring to light their accomplishments and perspectives on sustainability issues of concern to the community. Click below to view the survey, and the answers the candidates provided. Note that out of the original field of five candidates, we are only listing the responses of the two remaining candidates who will face each other in the November runoff election: Click here to read the survey (html) (pdf) Click on a candidates' name to read his reply to the entire survey: Charles McGlashan (election winner) Click on the individual issue to read all candidates' replies to that issue: Housing Natural Resources Conservation and Restoration Local Economy Public Health Transportation Diversity Thinking Globally, Acting Locally Climate Protection Resolution SMV is now primarily focused on promoting the City of Mill Valley's adoption of the CCP Resolution. Cities resolve to join the program, conduct a greenhouse gas inventory, set targets for reduction, draft a Local Action Plan for meeting the target, implement the plan, and monitor and report on progress. Cities get assistance from ICLEI in the form of specialized training, information about grants, access to the CCP interactive web-site and greenhouse gas quantification software. Benefits in cost and environmental quality. Every jurisdiction in Sonoma County; in Marin County, Fairfax and San Anselmo have joined so far; others are considering; 125 cities in USA so far. A Sustainable Mill Valley Takes Shape "What is sustainability? How does sustainability relate to our life here in Mill Valley?" Sustainability goes beyond environmentalism and the protection and conservation of our natural environment. It is the measure of human impact on our world and the ability of our planet's natural systems to continue to support 10 billion people and all other life forms by the year 2050. To learn how our human lifestyles impact the earth's ability to continue to sustain all life, and how we can begin to make appropriate changes to become sustainable, see A Tutorial: A Sustainable Mill Valley Takes Shape. Mill Valley: Moving Toward Sustainability Members of Sustainable Mill Valley met with the Mill Valley City Council on October 7, 2002, to review the outcomes of the July seminar and to highlight for Council our recommendations for high priority sustainability initiatives the City could take to move us in the direction of a Sustainable Mill Valley. Our two recommended initiatives follow. Initiative MILL VALLEY: MOVING TOWARD SUSTAINABILITY Sustainability Seminar held in City Council Chambers July 25, 2002 Sustainability Visions and Ideas for Mill Valley Proposed by Charles McGlashan (presenter) and Seminar Participants Sustainable Transportation The lanes, stairs and paths are fixed, patrolled, and safe for our kids to use everyday. One flight down they can jump aboard a Jitney that follows the contour of the canyon. Miller Ave. has a charming electric tram or shuttle that runs the outer lane from the Schools, Redwoods and Community Center to the Town Square. Another runs the high-speed transit corridor at 101. Widen bike lanes and re-use the tunnel at Camino Alto; Utilize rail and buses in transportation corridor. Offer discounts for gas efficient cars and provide car-share services. Green Building Homes are approved for green materials and energy use, blend into the landscape and safeguard water runoff from toxics and silt. We use edible and native landscaping. Permit fees for solar on homes are reduced to at least the level of nearby cities. The Planning Commission serves as an educational resource for Green Building. Recognition, fast tracked streamlined permitting, and/or tax credits are provided for efficient and environmentally effective homes. "Lexus" houses are discouraged. A "compatibility ordinance" looks at size, footprint averages, and suitability from an environmental perspective. Affordable Housing Our workers can afford to rent and buy homes here, and contribute to cultural vitality. Miller Avenue is, in places, better used with another story of set-back, well-designed housing built over the existing commercial and retail businesses, or over parking lots. Sustainable Land Use Safeway and the Middle School have solar arrays on the roof, and other commercial vendors allow our local utility to rent surface for solar. Apartment units cover all big parking lots, so we don't waste our land for carparks. Our food is organic and locally grown, and used in school cafeterias. Our community garden supplies food for our new farmers/gardeners' market. Pesticides aren't used on our public spaces. Our ecological footprint is shrinking even while our economy is thriving. Soil erosion around homes and commercial units is eliminated with mandatory soil conservation practices including the use of permeable materials and landscaping. Foster the use of water catchment systems. Re-use old/obsolete shopping centers and promote mixed-use zoning in many places. Consider public land ownership wherever conservation can be utilized Green Businesses and Green Customers Local businesses reduce packaging and phase out reliance on fossil fuels in favor of telecommuting and teleconferencing. Customers frequent businesses that provide rebates for their customers who bring their own containers (i.e., cloth bags to the grocery stores, and mugs to coffee shops). Other Create a Council-supported Sustainability Commission. Make garbage burning illegal. Promote and incentive water conservation. Focus on schools including waste audits and Earthday celebrations. Hold a conference on sustainability. Create a Green Plan for Mill Valley. Revise ordinances to become more sustainable: Trees Ordinance, Permeable Surfaces Ordinance, Intermittent Creaks Ordinance. Initiative Proposed Sustainability Initiatives for Mill Valley Proposed by Sustainable Mill Valley (SMV) to Mill Valley City Council October 7, 2002 Energy Efficiency Standards Ordinance (aka: Big & Tall Ordinance) Dwellings > 3,500 square feet (sf) would match the energy consumption of homes < 3,500 sf. Establishes an energy efficiency worksheet, based on the CA Title 24 energy efficiency regulations for permitting and planning commission design guidelines; recommends approaches for siting, design and alternative energy systems; demonstrates cost and energy savings for homeowner. Supports Mill Valley Design Guidelines, Guideline 14 - Energy conservation measures, and Guideline 15 - Application of Sustainable Design Principles (e.g., "development should be efficient, ... creative in use of methods to minimize resource consumption... and use minimal energy..."). Marin County Board considering on 10/22; Draft ordinance available Climate Protection Resolution Cities resolve to join the program, conduct a greenhouse gas inventory, set targets for reduction, draft a Local Action Plan for meeting the target, implement the plan, and monitor and report on progress. Cities get assistance from ICLEI in the form of specialized training, information about grants, access to the CCP interactive web-site and greenhouse gas quantification software. Benefits in cost and environmental quality. Every jurisdiction in Sonoma County; in Marin County, Fairfax and San Anselmo have joined so far; others are considering; 125 cities in USA so far. Green Building Charettes SMV proposes to work with City in provision of green building seminars for developers, builders. U.S. Green Building Council guidelines and Alameda County Design Guidelines for residential development will be featured at seminars. Supports Mill Valley Design Guideline 15 - Application of Sustainable Design Principles Housing Mitigation Ordinance Establishes a schedule of job types and housing needs by income class, for commercial development projects. Affordable housing mitigation required on-site, nearby, or in the form of in-lieu fees. Apply to large homes (over 4,000 sf) since they demand support from gardening, delivery, cleaning, and other low wage job categories. Draft resolution language available from the Marin Economic Commission (MEC), included in the County General Plan; draft ordinance available Pesticide Reduction SMV collaborates with the Pesticide Education Group and works with the MV School District on implementation of their Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Program, adopted March 2001; currently, the only toxic pesticides used in the school district occur on the athletic fields maintained by the City. Adopt an Ordinance that prohibits pesticide application on all City property; a Least Toxic IPM Program; a "noticing" ordinance for private property owners for pesticide application Support Sustainable Transportation in Mill Valley SMV supports implementation of a shuttle route for schools first. Propose feasibility study for short shuttle route (electric cart or tram) on Miller Avenue. Include use of CarShare in affordable housing projects, such as 10 Old Mill. Community Lecture In June 2000, Sustainable Mill Valley participated in Whole Food's Community Lecture series. We produced a free panel discussion, Sustainability 101. Our panel included representatives from Muir Woods, Redefining Progress (Ecological Footprint), Sustainable North Bay, and a psychologist who is an expert in social transformation and its relationship to sustainability. Five of our current core membership joined us after attending this event. Mill Valley Memorial Day Parade SMV marched in this year's Memorial Day parade. Our float was an electric GEM car decorated with all-recycled materials. Marin Countywide Plan The Marin County Board of Supervisors elected to have sustainability be the context for the countywide plan update. SMV has participated in all six of the public workshops throughout the county and has publicized the events and reported on the outcomes. The City of Mill Valley hosted the workshop on February 10, 2001, led by Southern Marin Supervisor Annette Rose. SMV members facilitated the production of the event. Educational Art Performance SMV presented The Building Blocks of Sustainability, an educational art performance for Mill Valley's Centennial Celebration in September 2000, attended by over 2000 residents. This performance, available for other educational and community events, appeals especially to families. The performers engage children, assisted by their parents, in playful activities that convey the message of sustainability. The Miller Avenue Precise Plan (MAPP) This project is intended to create a plan for Miller Avenue that focuses on opportunities for affordable housing, mixed-use buildings, resident-serving businesses, better pedestrian and bicycle access, and improved traffic flow. The City has hired a group of consultants to work on the plan, which will get underway in approximately July of this year. From the beginning of the plan, Sustainable Mill Valley has successfully advocated that the principles of sustainability guide the planning process. There will continue to be opportunities for public input. See our Bulletins page for an update of the project and schedule, and watch the City Council and Planning Commission agendas for more information on this project. Free Community Forum: Planning for a Sustainable Mill Valley Presented on May 15, 2001, Sustainable Mill Valley co-produced this event with Sustainable Marin. A panel presentation was followed by a full hour of question and answers with the audience. Present at the forum were Mill Valley Mayor Clifford Waldeck and Councilman Dick Swanson. Topics of presentation and discussion were: What does Sustainable Community mean?; Why is this an important time to get involved?; Learn how you can influence current planning efforts in Mill Valley and in the County. The panelists were: David Earley, Principal Planner with Design Community & Environment (DCE), Janet Stone, Livable Communities Coordinator with Greenbelt Alliance, and Jeffrey Tumlin, Transportation Consultant with Nelson Nygaard.		The most famous of Mill Valley's outdoor stairways, the Dipsea Steps. Our steps, lanes and paths can be safe and enjoyable ways to travel in town, powered by our own energy. The Mill Valley Community Center heats its swimming pool with the energy generated by solar panels. Above, the recently reopened Strawberry Point School in Mill Valley. Schools are no place for pesticides.
	All text and images on this site © 2002-2007 Sustainable Mill Valley Last updated: 10/12/07