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HomeMy WebLinkAboutItem B: Sustainability Commission Recommendations ECC UGENE ITY OUNCIL AIS GENDA TEM UMMARY Work Session: Sustainability Commission Recommendations Meeting Date: February 9, 2009 Agenda Item Number: B Department: City Manager’s Office Staff Contact: Felicity Fahy www.eugene-or.gov Contact Telephone Number: 682-5017 ISSUE STATEMENT The Sustainability Commission is proposing its second set of policy recommendations to the City Council to enable the City organization and community to operate more sustainably. The commission requests that the council pursue and approve these recommendations. BACKGROUND Introduction The council adopted Ordinance No. 20379 in February 2007, establishing the Sustainability Commission. The commission, a policy advisory body to the City Council and City Manager, is charged with advising the council on policy matters related to: sustainable practices, businesses that produce sustainable products and services, City building design and infrastructure and related issues that directly affect sustainability efforts considered by the City Council. On October 8, 2008, the council adopted the Sustainability Commission’s first set of recommendations, adopting a carbon neutral goal for City operations and agreeing to undertake a community climate action plan. The current recommendations represent the next priorities for action from the commission. The Sustainable Business Initiative Taskforce (SBI) report, the Portland Peak Oil Task Force Report “Descending the Peak: Navigating the Transition from Oil and Natural Gas” (Portland Peak Oil Report) and information presented to the commission by the community formed the basis for these recommendations and conclude the set initially proposed by the commission’s Immediate Action Subcommittee. As noted in the first set of recommendations, there is a palpable sense of urgency from members of the community and the commission. Sustainability issues are serious and imminent, and must be addressed socially, environmentally and economically. The complex challenges confronting Eugene include climate change, fossil fuel price fluctuations and a very serious recession in the local, national, and global economies. Immediate action is needed, with innovative and creative solutions and working cooperatively with a broad range of community partners. To that end, the Sustainability Commission has established liaisons with over 20 groups and organizations for sharing information and collaborating to address these issues at a community and regional level. The Sustainability Commission acknowledges and commends the many proactive initiatives within the City and on the part of the council to enable the City organization to operate more sustainably and contribute to creating a more sustainable Eugene. The recommendations from the commission are offered to the council to support and build on this action. Z:\CMO\2009 Council Agendas\M090209\S090209B.doc RECOMMENDATIONS The Sustainability Commission has identified the three recommendations below for council consideration. The commission identified these recommendations as being high priority action that could be taken immediately. Recommendation 1 The Sustainable Business Initiative (SBI) report identifies waste – including the creation, collection, movement and disposal – as having major social, economic and environmental costs. Further, the report suggests local waste management initiatives could represent an opportunity. There is a high level of community awareness regarding recycling efforts and the local network of public and private waste management organizations. City staff briefed the commission on the City organization’s current efforts to reduce, manage and measure waste. The City currently recovers or diverts from the landfill approximately 45 percent of operational waste. The commission is encouraged by the City’s proactive waste reduction efforts to date and is confident that the organization is well positioned to achieve the goal recommended below. Attachment A outlines additional background and rationale for this recommendation. The commission recommends that: The City of Eugene formally adopts the following goal: The City of Eugene shall increase the volume of waste diverted from landfill from internal operations and facilities from current levels of an estimated45 percent to at least 75 percent by 2014 and 90 percent by 2020. Recommendation 2 All eight of the commission’s work plan issue areas have direct or indirect ties to energy consumption. The Portland Peak Oil Report, public testimony and other research asserts the world is very near, at or past global “peak oil” production. The steep oil price rises last summer and the increasing petroleum demand from the growing economies of China and India suggest the end of the cheap, fossil-fuel based energy age is near. Under even moderate fossil-fuel supply reductions or modest price increases, Eugene can expect a wide variety of negative social, environmental and economic impacts. The commission both acknowledges and appreciates the long standing cooperative partnership forged between the City and EWEB that has resulted in Eugene’s comparatively low dependence on fossil-fuel derived electricity. Nonetheless, the commission’s review of the literature leads it to conclude that immediate action is necessary. Eugene must prepare to reduce the impacts of fossil fuel price escalation and supply fluctuations. Attachment B outlines additional background and rationale for this recommendation. The commission recommends that: The City of Eugene, in conjunction with a wide variety of community partners: By August 2010, develop a community action plan that aims to reduce total, current community- wide fossil fuel consumption 50 percent by 2030 (as an absolute not a per capita reduction) by (1) establishing targets for achieving that goal; (2) identifying strategies to achieve those targets; (3) identifying necessary adaptations; (4) developing measures for tracking success; (5) identifying financial impacts, and (6) including periodic progress reports back to the community with annual reports of progress to the Sustainability Commission. Note: If this recommendation is adopted by council the commission recommends that development of the plan be undertaken in conjunction with the community climate action plan (one of the first set Z:\CMO\2009 Council Agendas\M090209\S090209B.doc of commission recommendations adopted by the council). Note that the community climate action plan is also being developed with community partners within the same timeframe. The resulting plan would focus on both climate and energy consumption issues. Recommendation 3 Food security is another priority commission issue. Public testimony regarding the local and regional food system has been consistent and concerned for over a year. Food, and more specifically food security is of great importance to the long-term well being of the community. Eugene faces a variety of potential threats to long-term food security from dramatic cost increases as well as decreases in food availability and supply through a combination of high prices and climate change effecting global food crops. Attachment C outlines additional background and rationale for this recommendation. To begin to address this concern, the commission recommends that: The City of Eugene shall in conjunction with a wide variety of community partners: By January 2010, return to the council with a scoping and resource plan for developing a food a security plan which will (1) identify community partners and form a project advisory committee, (2) review existing policies and food system assessments, (3) develop a market analysis plan, (4) identify benefits and barriers and (5) determine the budget and timeline to complete the plan and identify resources available, including external funding sources. RESOURCE REQUIREMENTS If adopted, the recommendations to help the City organization and community become more sustainable will require resources to implement. ·Recommendation 1 implementation would entail the development of a waste reduction plan. Facilities staff have indicated that this project would be a top priority to include in staff work plans this year and FY 2010. ·Recommendation 2 implementation would not require additional resources as it could be undertaken in conjunction with the community climate action plan. An FTE for 18 months has been identified within City staff to undertake this work. ·Recommendation 3 implementation would require resources not currently identified. It is estimated that development of the feasibility study would require 0.3 FTE for five months. RELATED CITY POLICIES The Sustainability Commission recommendations build on and add detail to the sustainability-related policies the council has previously adopted, including in particular Resolution No. 4618, which outlines a definition and statement of intent regarding the application of sustainability principles to the City of Eugene, and affirming the commitment of City-elected officials and staff to uphold these principles. The recommendations also align with the council-approved Sustainable Initiative Goal action plan. a Community food security is a condition in which all community residents obtain a safe, culturally acceptable, nutritionally adequate diet through a sustainable food system that promotes community self-reliance and social justice. Food security also consists of resilience to sudden changes in food availability and/or cost, such as would be caused by a rise in the price of transportation fuels, a decrease in local production, or decreased access to food imports to the community and the region. Z:\CMO\2009 Council Agendas\M090209\S090209B.doc COUNCIL OPTIONS The council may: 1. Approve the Sustainability Commission recommendations. 2. Approve the recommendations with changes. 3. Request changes to the recommendations before approval. CITY MANAGER’S RECOMMENDATION The City Manager recommends Option 1, approval of the Sustainability Commission recommendations. SUGGESTED MOTIONS Recommendation 1: Move to direct the City Manager to adopt the goal of increasing the volume of waste diverted from landfill from internal operations and facilities from current levels of an estimated 45 percent to at least 75 percent by 2014 and 90 percent by 2020 and report back to the council with a work plan for implementation that includes fiscal implications. Recommendation 2: Move to direct the City Manager to report back to the council by August 2010, following the development of a community energy action plan in conjunction with the community climate action plan that will aim to reduce total, community-wide fossil fuel consumption 50 percent by 2030 (as an absolute not a per capita reduction) by (1) establishing targets for achieving that goal; (2) identifying strategies to achieve those targets; (3) identifying necessary adaptations; (4) developing measures for tracking success; (5) identifying financial impacts, and (6) including periodic progress reports back to the community with annual reports of progress to the Sustainability Commission. Recommendation 3: Move to direct the City Manager to undertake a scoping and resource plan for the development of a food security plan in conjunction with community partners and report back to the council by January 2010. ATTACHMENTS A.City waste recommendation background B. Fossil fuel recommendation background C. Food security plan recommendation background FOR MORE INFORMATION Staff Contact: Felicity Fahy Telephone: 682-5017 Staff E-Mail: felicity.m.fahy@ci.eugene.or.us Z:\CMO\2009 Council Agendas\M090209\S090209B.doc ATTACHMENT A CITY WASTE RECOMMENDATION BACKGROUND City of Eugene shall increase the volume of waste diverted from landfill from internal operations and facilities from current levels of an estimated 45 percent to at least 75 percent by 2014 and 90 percent by 2020. Introduction The Commission seeks to build-on the work already undertaken by city staff to reduce waste from city operations. The recently adopted city sustainable procurement policy (section 6 of the City Administrative orders) provides the framework for continuing to address city waste issues at the “front-end” of decision making. Procurement of fewer products and materials as well as care taken in purchasing reusable or recyclable products are the first steps in reducing the volume of waste going to landfill. Lifecycle analyses undertaken by the USEPA estimate that for every ton of municipal discards wasted, about 70 tons of waste are produced in the life cycle to create and dispose of that product. Any additional action the city can take to reduce the purchase of products will reduce the impact we have on the environment and community. The intent of the specific recommended reduction targets is to (1) support the rethinking of the need to purchase materials in the first place, (2) enable informed procurement decisions that will reduce the creation of waste, and (3) increase the reuse or recycling of waste that cannot be avoided. The ideal is the creation of closed loop material circulation patterns where non-recyclable or reusable materials are avoided and where materials no longer needed in one product can be reused or recycled into another product. Why have a waste reduction goal? A goal provides a focus for waste reduction initiatives and enables measurement of progress towards the stated outcome. Less waste and more recycling is good for the economy, for the environment and therefore good for the community. As noted in the SBI report, research has shown that each step in the recycling process means more jobs, more business expenditure on supplies and services and more money circulating in the local economy. b Research undertaken by the EPA in 2001 indicates there is a 6 to 1 ratio for recycling jobs developed versus land filling jobs for equivalent volumes of waste created by a community. Locally, Julie Daniel, Director of BRING Recycling notes an even greater economic advantage of reuse and recycling over land-filling with a 20 to 1 ratio of jobs created based on anecdotal evaluation around the same time period. BRING is a great local case study. They employ 22 people, plus temporary help from an agency to add to deconstruction crews. They have 3.5 full time equivalents (FTEs) working in recycling to process about 2000 tons of material a year. BRING also has 12 people working in reuse and salvage, including deconstruction, sales staff, receiving staff, managers and forklift drivers to handle 1000 tons of material a year. The other staff are educators, administration, a volunteer coordinator and a development manager. All but one staff member are supported with income earned from reuse and recycling, so at BRING 3000 tons of material provides jobs for 21 FTE's annually. This amount of material could be handled by one FTE in a couple of months if it was land filled. NextStep Recycling is another excellent local example of the benefit of recycling rather than landfill waste. NextStep employs 18 paid staff, 21 volunteer staff and technicians as well as provides meaningful jobs for over 100 volunteers at any one time. In the last 10 years they have diverted from landfill over 500,000 computers and peripheral devices. NextStep also: educates and empowers low income and disadvantaged Oregonians and others by providing refurbished computers that allow access to technology and the Internet; recycles computer hardware and other electronics in an environmentally sound manner, keeping hazardous waste out of Oregon's soil and water environments; provides skill-training opportunities to those who are considered unemployable, are currently underemployed, and/or are people new to the job market; and offers education to the general public regarding the importance of electronics and polystyrene foam recycling and the impact of these kinds of waste on our environment. b Environmental Protection Agency: Recycling is Working in the United States report, 2001 (EPA, 2001) Z:\CMO\2009 Council Agendas\M090209\S090209B.doc Recycling in the U.S. is a $236 billion a year industry. According to the EPA 2001 study more than 56,000 recycling and reuse enterprises employ 1.1 million workers nationwide. The EPA 2001 study also notes that reducing waste and increasing recycling also: reduces pollution and conserves natural resources; saves energy by reducing the need to extract and process virgin raw materials to manufacture new products; reduces greenhouse gas emissions; stimulates the development of greener technology and avoids the cost of waste disposal in landfills. Additional social benefits of waste reduction are outlined in the SBI report as including reduced public health risk associated with air and water emissions that can seep into the soil and waterways from landfills. Current city recycling initiatives City staff in all Departments are implementing a number of solid waste reduction and recycling efforts. A brief summary of current internal city waste reduction initiatives include: ? Sustainable procurement policy ? Periodic waste audits, both for content and volume ? Collection system efficiency improvements ? Staff education and outreach, currently focused on increasing commingled recycling ? Internal recycling website developed ? Tracking volume and cost of office waste and recycling for performance measurement ? Prioritizing next program efforts based on initial waste audit results and LEED-Existing Building implementation ? Convened inter-departmental group to identify other existing waste reduction efforts. ? ISD Electronic Equipment recycling program ? Light bulb, metal and construction waste recycling in City facilities ? City Paper policy requiring double sided printing and use of 100% post consumer waste paper ? Pilot Projects e.g. Library and ISD rigid plastic recycling, Waste Water plastic recycling focused on plastics not accepted by Sanipac in the comingled recycling. Challenges The current economic recession has had a marked negative impact on the recycled commodities market. Most recycled materials e.g. plastics, steel, paper, aluminum are worth significantly less than they were six months ago. This has resulted in reduced demand for some products. Local waste haulers are still collecting a full range of recyclable materials but other non-commodity waste (including plastic film, Styrofoam) collection is currently not viable. The future viability of recycling a wide variety of plastics will depend on market conditions. The majority of the collected material is being bailed and stockpiled until commodity markets improve. Fluctuations in global recycled materials markets will impact the volume and type of material the city is able to divert from landfill. Next Steps Staff implementation of this recommendation would include the development of an internal city waste reduction plan with strategies to target enhanced city action on waste reduction and diversion and metrics to enable measurement and reporting on progress. Financial, social and environmental impacts of the proposed action plan would need to be assessed prior to implementation. Z:\CMO\2009 Council Agendas\M090209\S090209B.doc ATTACHMENT B FOSSIL FUEL REDUCTION RECOMMENDATION BACKGROUND By August 2010, develop a community action plan that aims to reduce total, current community-wide fossil fuel consumption 50 percent by 2030 (as an absolute not a per capita reduction) by (1) establishing targets for achieving that goal; (2) identifying strategies to achieve those targets; (3) identifying necessary adaptations; (4) developing measures for tracking success; (5) identifying financial impacts, and (6) including periodic progress reports back to the community with annual reports of progress to the Sustainability Commission. Introduction Businesses, government agencies and other organizations, households and many not for profit groups make decisions based on the assumption that oil and gas will remain plentiful and affordable - so starts the Portland c Peak Oil taskforce report of March 2007. In the past few years evidence has emerged that suggests global production of oil and natural gas is likely to reach its peak or has already peaked. This issue is often described as “peak oil”. This is coupled with the continuous rise in global demand for fossil fuels and the huge role they play throughout our community, including production and transportation of many of the goods and services used in Eugene, food production, energy generation and road construction. The spike in fuel prices during spring and summer 2008 gives an indication of how quickly prices can change. The subsequent price reduction is likely to be short-lived as global demand for fossil fuels continues to increase and there are no significant new oil fields being discovered or going into production. In 2006 Portland City Council convened a citizen Peak Oil taskforce that was tasked with examining the potential economic and social consequences of peak oil in Portland and developing recommendations to mitigate the impacts of rising energy costs and declining supplies. The Portland Task Force used the United States Department of Energy report from 2005, Peaking of World Oil Production: Impacts, Mitigation, & Risk management (commonly referred to as the “Hirsch report”) for the starting point of its discussions. The Sustainability Commission reviewed the taskforce report and found the recommendations contained were also very relevant to Eugene. The three main sectors identified in Portland - transportation, heating of buildings and industrial activities that use these fuels, will also be the ones directly affected by fossil fuel prices rises and potentially supply fluctuations in Eugene. Why develop a community plan to reduce fossil fuel use? The Portland Peak Oil taskforce report noted that while all the recommendations in the report were important, achieving a significant reduction in oil and natural gas use is a necessity for easing the transition to an energy constrained future. There is increasing global discussion around and demand for reduction of carbon emissions. Since most of the climate changing carbon emissions are from fossil fuel use, the issues of climate change and fossil fuel use are closely linked. A community response to reducing carbon emissions will therefore need to include widespread reductions of fossil fuel use. Unemployment is also highlighted in the Portland taskforce report as a major economic and social issue that is likely to increase as fossil fuel prices increase, noting particular concern since social services are already stretched to their limits. The number of vulnerable and marginalized community members are likely to grow, as well as be the first and hardest hit by rising oil prices. As noted in the Portland Peak Oil taskforce report, a 50 percent reduction in fossil fuel use over the next 25 years is a meaningful goal from the perspectives of both peak oil and climate change. The reduction rate is in accord with the Oil Depletion Protocol which is a proposed international agreement under which nations would reduce c Descending the Oil Peak: Navigating the Transition from Oil to Natural Gas. Report of the City of Portland Peak Oil Task Force, March 2007. Z:\CMO\2009 Council Agendas\M090209\S090209B.doc their consumption at the rate at which known oil reserves are being depleted. This rate is estimated to be 2.6 percent annual reduction, or approximately 50 percent over the next 25 years. The Western Climate Initiative, a collaborative of seven US governors and four Canadian premiers has already released a proposed cap and trade system for carbon emission that will be discussed during the 2009 legislative session in Oregon. Reducing Eugene’s fossil fuel dependency will help us build a more resilient community and keep ahead of any state or federal policy changes. It is acknowledged that the proposed 50 percent fossil fuel reduction is a challenging target. In suggesting this goal for Portland the task force report suggests this target is achievable for a number of reasons outlined below. These same reasons make the target also challenging but achievable in Eugene. ? Over 25 years, the vehicle fleet in the region will turn over approximately twice. Similarly, older and less efficient appliances and furnaces will also require replacement. ? New construction is more energy efficient than the existing building stock due to state energy code. Green buildings are dramatically surpassing the energy code. ? Adoption of the 2030 Challenge by the American Institute of Architects and U.S Conference of Mayors. The program calls for all new buildings to reduce fossil fuel use by 50 percent with a goal of reaching carbon neutrality for all new and existing buildings by 2030. ? 50 years ago the average American home was half the size it is today. A partial reversal in this house-size trend could result in significant reductions in home energy use. ? In other wealthy countries such as Denmark and the United Kingdom, per capita energy consumption is already half the level in the United States. Next Steps The Eugene community greenhouse gas inventory completed in 2007 identified that transportation fossil fuel use accounted for half of all greenhouse gases emitted in Eugene, while approximately 37 percent of the community emissions were from use of natural gas in building heating and cooking. The recommendation to develop a community action plan that will aim to reduce total, community-wide fossil fuel consumption 50 percent by 2030 is complementary to the commitment from Council for the City in conjunction with a wide variety of community partners to develop a community climate action plan. Education of the community about energy use and the need to reduce consumption to increase community resilience to price increases and supply fluctuations would be an important component of developing the community climate and energy action plan. Z:\CMO\2009 Council Agendas\M090209\S090209B.doc ATTACHMENT C FOOD SECURITY PLAN RECOMMENDATION BACKGROUND d By January 2010, return to council with a scoping and resource plan for developing a food security plan which will (1) identify community partners and form a project advisory committee, (2) review existing policies and food system assessments, (3) develop a market analysis plan, (4) identify benefits and barriers and (5) determine the budget and timeline to complete the plan and identify resources available, including external funding sources. 1. Introduction - What is food security? Food is one of the basic human needs. Access to food is an issue that affects the entire community. Planning for food security is a proactive initiative that can be described as a comprehensive strategy to address the many problems that arise in a community due to an unsustainable and unjust food system that relies too heavily on outside food systems functioning at full capacity rather than focusing on community self-reliance. The North American Community Food Security Coalition outlines the six basic principles of community food security as: ? Community resource focus: community food security builds up a community’s food resources to meet its own needs. These resources include: supermarkets; farmer’s markets; gardens; community-based food distributing and processing ventures; and urban farming. ? Local agriculture: a stable local agricultural base is key to a community responsive food system. Farmers need access to markets that pay them a decent wage for their labor, and farmland needs planning protection from suburban development. Building stronger ties between farmers and consumers gives consumers a greater knowledge and appreciation of their food’s source. ? Broad goals: addressing a broad range of problems affecting the local food system, community development, and sustainability issues such as rural community disintegration, unsustainable suburban sprawl, and pollution from unsustainable food production and distribution patterns. ? Low income food needs: meeting the food needs of low income sectors of the community, improving individual health, and reducing the hunger problem. ? Self-reliance/empowerment: community food security seeks to build upon community and individual assets, rather than focusing on their deficiencies. Food security plan development engages community residents in all phases of project planning, implementation, and evaluation. ? Systems-oriented: community food security projects typically cross many boundaries and call for collaboration between many different groups and agencies. 2. Why do we need a food security plan? Food is a critical resource for us all. Not having enough food or a nutritionally adequate diet has major social, economic and environmental impacts for the whole community. The creation and implementation of a food security plan can increase community resilience to food price rises and availability fluctuations through enhancing local food production, storage, processing, transportation and sale. The US food system has become highly dependent on fossil fuels for food production, processing, distribution and sale. The availability and cost of food in Eugene could be significantly impacted by a number of factors including rising fuel prices affecting transportation, processing and fertilizer. Since World War II production of food has also become increasingly more industrialized with fewer small family farmers and an increase in large, corporation owned agricultural holdings. In Eugene and the lower Willamette valley we are fortunate to have a d Community food security is a condition in which all community residents obtain a safe, culturally acceptable, nutritionally adequate diet through a sustainable food system that promotes community self-reliance and social justice. Food security also consists of resilience to sudden changes in food availability and/or cost, such as would be caused by a rise in the price of transportation fuels, a decrease in local production, or decreased access to food imports to the community and the region. Z:\CMO\2009 Council Agendas\M090209\S090209B.doc number of productive organic and conventional farms, but still we are highly dependent on food imported from outside the Valley. Today, we grow only 2-5 percent of our annual food consumption within the Willamette Valley. In contrast in the 1950’s and 1960’s more than 75 percent of the food we ate was grown in the Willamette Valley. Under the current food system, Eugene is also vulnerable to food borne diseases. Outbreaks of E. coli and other bacteria have become common from food imported into the US. There is also an increasing number of food contamination issues and associated food recalls for products made outside the US. Eugene and the lower Willamette Valley have fertile soils and a mild climate suitable for growing a wide variety of foods, ranging from vegetables and orchard fruits to beans and grains. It is estimated that with our current agricultural acreage the Willamette Valley could provide food for all of its residents. Although staples such as vegetables and grains were once grown in quantity in our valley, for the past three decades, due to the economics of industrialized agriculture, valley farmers have specialized in ornamental grass seed production which now accounts for approximately 60% of the acreage farmed. Food crops currently only occupy 18% of the Willamette Valley agricultural lands. In Lane County we are fortunate to have a number of productive organic and conventional farms, but still we are highly dependent on food imported from outside. In Eugene today, only 2-5 percent of our annual food consumption is grown within the Willamette Valley. In contrast to the 1950’s and 1960’s when more than 75 percent of the food we ate was grown in the Willamette Valley. There are currently 40,000 people in Lane County below the poverty line, at risk of hunger and malnutrition. The current economic recession is putting even more families at risk of hunger. A food security plan for Eugene/Lane County would take steps to ensure that the needs of the whole community as well as the most vulnerable families and individuals are more adequately met in the future. If a natural disaster or local catastrophic emergency occurred in Eugene or surrounding Lane County the local food system is not sufficiently prepared to feed our local community for more than a few days. For example, if Interstate Five became unusable due to an emergency the local food supply in supermarkets would be expended within an estimated 3 to 4 days. This highlights an urgency for food security to be addressed now to help avoid lack of preparedness during an emergency. 3. How Would a Food Security Plan Benefit the Community? The local economy would benefit from a more secure food system. The localization of much of our food supply would increase local agricultural viability, enhancing crop diversity and providing local consumers with more of their produce from local sources. An expansion of our local farmer’s market system could create local jobs as well as encouraging many local farmers to grow more food crops for the community reaping the benefits of direct sales of their product to the consumer. Rather than sending 95% or more of the 48 million dollars a month spent on food in Lane County out of the region, it would be a boost to our local economy to keep as many of those dollars circulating locally as possible. In a soon-to-be-released book titled, “Community Food Enterprise: Local success in a global market place”, it’s noted that, “A growing body of literature highlights the importance of local ownership for lasting economic development in the U.S. and abroad. Compared to non-local businesses, locally-owned enterprises produce more community wealth by spending more money at home, build stability by staying put for the long term, contribute to rising labor and environmental standards by adapting to new expectations more readily, and foster greater community resilience by reinforcing political participation and entrepreneurship.” Both the Federal government and Oregon Department of Energy have stated that in the next few years petroleum prices are highly likely to increase. These fuel price rises will probably continue to increase the cost of food while decreasing its availability to some people within the community. The recent trend of rising food prices has Z:\CMO\2009 Council Agendas\M090209\S090209B.doc closely followed the trend of rising fuel prices over summer, this is mostly attributable to the distances that food must travel to reach consumers. Nationally the average grocery store produce travels an average 1,500 miles before reaching a consumer’s table. With the implementation of a food security plan, the distance food travels to reach the community would be minimized, therefore lessening the impact of rising costs on the people of Eugene and Lane County. Every mile that food travels, fossil fuels are consumed and greenhouse gases are emitted. In addition to positively contributing to the local economy increased use of local food resources also decreases greenhouse gas emissions, and community dependence on imported fossil fuels. All of the deficiencies in our current state of community food security, or lack thereof, can be addressed through the rebuilding of our regional food system. A complete regional food system increases a region’s food self- reliance, increases the safety and health of foods consumed, encompasses an interconnected agricultural bio- system that produces more diverse foods capable of sustaining local populations, and strengthens local economies. It also reduces the use and reliance on diminishing fossil fuel resources and the related toxins and soil depletion that further threaten population health. A complete regional food system insures that in times of emergencies, adequate food stores are close by and immediately available. It also strengthens the ability for regional farm surpluses to be managed locally for the feeding of the needy or homeless. 4. Potential Partners Eugene has many different groups and organizations that focus on community food issues. Below are some of the groups the city could partner with in the development of the food security plan. Lane County Food Policy Council (LCFPC) The Food Policy Council works with many different parts of the community food system that would need to be coordinated in order to develop and implement a food security plan, including farmers, processors, retailers, anti- hunger organizations, nutritionists, researchers, government representatives, and other community members. The Food Policy Council is currently preparing a community food system assessment for Lane County, including: Geographic Information System soil mapping; inventory and capacity of growers, CSAs, grocery markets, farmers markets, distributors, processors, and storage facilities; list of Federal Food Assistance Programs; breakdown of food dollar—for buyer and producer; community garden map; environmental factors; appraisal of food waste systems; evaluation of food accessibility, availability, and affordability; neighborhood readiness; and local assistance to the vulnerable. Southern Willamette Valley Bean and Grain Project This consortium of farmers, agencies, non-profits, community organizers and business owners believes growing nutritionally dense beans and grains in the Willamette Valley and selling them to local markets makes good sense: agriculturally, economically, and for long term regional food security. In an effort to start a movement to transition agricultural acreage currently in ornamental grass seed back into food crops, two farmers in Benton County have grown a diverse array of bean and grain crops over the past three years. Other project members have worked to create local markets for these crops (to date there is more demand than product), develop buyer/seller relationships, evaluate gaps in the local food infrastructure such as processing and storage capacity, and educate other farmers about the importance of crop diversity and the economic opportunities of the emerging markets. Willamette Farm and Food Coalition The Willamette Farm and Food Coalition (WFFC) is a community non-profit that facilitates and supports the development of a secure and sustainable food system in Lane County. The coalition connects local farmers and consumers at all levels (individuals, businesses, and institutions), serving as a matchmaker and broker between buyers and sellers. WFFC publishes Locally Grown, a directory of foods & wines in Lane County, and distributes 30,000 copies per year. The coalition is currently conducting a detailed inventory of the agricultural lands in Lane Z:\CMO\2009 Council Agendas\M090209\S090209B.doc County and how they are being used. In addition, they have convened a Year-round Farmers’ Market Task Force to consider how we might increase the number of venues for local farmers to sell in Eugene. FOOD for Lane County FOOD for Lane County (FFLC) is a 501(c) 3 organization that operates as the food bank for Lane County. The FFLC mission is to eliminate hunger by creating access to food. This is accomplished through: soliciting, collecting, rescuing, growing, preparing and packaging food for distribution through over 85 member agencies and programs; increasing public awareness around hunger and community food security; education and community advocacy; and through a number of programs that improve the ability of limited-income families, seniors and other challenged populations to obtain an adequate supply of wholesome, nutritious food. FOOD for Lane County operates food self-sufficiency programs including three educational community gardens where they work with youth and adults to grow food for the food bank, and a youth-run farm stand and CSA. Willamette Valley Sustainable Foods Alliance (WVSFA) The WVSFA works to pool the resources and knowledge of sustainably-focused local food related businesses to aid each other to become more sustainable. The alliance has good potential to offer local business expertise to the development and implementation of a food security plan. Community Food Security Coalition (CFSC) Based in Portland, Oregon, the CFSC has helped many cities and communities create their own food security plans nation-wide. A partnership with the CFSC would be beneficial in many aspects of the creation of an action plan. They have many resources, including assistance with federal funding streams available. TheECOS Urban to Farm Connection Project The ECOS Urban to Farm Connection Project is run by Aleta Miller. This is a valuable model for creative cooperative food production. The Urban to Farm Connection builds teams of Eugene residents to cultivate and harvest multi-acre garden plots inside or outside the city. The teams work as cooperatives, sharing work, produce, and produce sales profits. Lane County Farmers Market The mission of the Lane County Farmers’ Market is to further the health of the entire community by enhancing the viability of producing and marketing Oregon grown fruits, vegetables, herbs, flowers, plants & animal products, through a democratic association which advances the shared values of the Market community. The Farmers’ Market gives local growers access for directly marketing to the buying public through a centralized location. The Market also provides an opportunity for the community to purchase fresh, in-season locally grown and produced farm products, while interacting directly with the growers and producers. 5. Common steps taken by other cities in developing food security plans. ? A comprehensive evaluation of the local land’s potential for growing food as well as an evaluation of the essential food system infrastructure which includes storage and distribution facilities. ? A renewed focus on food safety and emergency preparedness including community food programs like FOOD for Lane County. ? An expansion in the overall size and number of farmer’s markets functioning in the community. ? Work with public organizations as well as build strong private partnerships within the local food system. ? Expansion of community supported agriculture programs including the use of local youth through youth empowerment and education programs. ? An increase in the number of community gardens and urban farming plots. ? Development of a local movement for localization of food crops by educating consumers, farmers and markets of the food security issue. ? Applying for USDA community food projects grants. Since 1996 the Community Food Security Coalition has awarded 240 grants to communities throughout the US to address food security, including preparing food security plans. FOOD for Lane County received a grant in 2002 Z:\CMO\2009 Council Agendas\M090209\S090209B.doc and undertook community-based food assessments in six Lane County cities and initiated the current Lane County Food Policy Council. This would provide background information for the development of the food security plan and may need to be updated as the information is now five years old. 6. Next Steps Undertake a feasibility study for the development of a food security plan and report back to council early 2010 on the resources required as well as the benefits of creating a food security plan. Groups and individuals consulted in the development of this recommendation: Dan Armstrong – author, community food researcher and advocate Linda Kelley - Food for Lane County Lynne Fessenden - Willamette Food and Farm Coalition Deb Sheldon Johnson - Lane County Food Policy Council Z:\CMO\2009 Council Agendas\M090209\S090209B.doc