Napa Climate Summit wants to pick up carbon-cutting pace - Napa Valley Register

Napa Climate Summit wants to pick up carbon-cutting pace

Napa County climate activists are trying to turbocharge local efforts to cut fossil fuels by providing a jolt of energy.

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Napa Climate NOW! on Wednesday hosted the Napa Climate Summit, with support from Pacific Gas & Electric Co. St. Helena City Councilmember Anna Chouteau and Napa City Councilmember Beth Painter were co-coordinators.

More than 100 people came to the Performing Arts Center at Napa Valley College for the morning event. The theme: “Moving Forward Faster.”

"When I look out in this room and see who showed up, it doesn't feel so hopeless," Chouteau said. "I actually feel hopeful and that we really are going to make a difference, and we really are going to get through this together."

No one suggested that tiny Napa County can solve the worldwide climate change challenge. Rather, talk centered on the county doing its part.

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Davina Hurt, vice chair of the Bay Area Air Quality Management District and the Bay Area representative on the California Air Resources Board, gave the keynote speech.

Hurt talked about how humans wiped out the once-plentiful passenger pigeon, with the last known survivor of the species — a captive bird named Martha — dying in 1914. She portrayed battling climate change as more than looking for technological solutions.

"All in all, we have to change our relationship with the earth," she said.

U.S. Rep. Mike Thompson, D-St. Helena, was in Washington D.C. amid the federal debt ceiling dispute and addressed the conference through a video.

"Climate change is the most pressing issue our nation and our planet faces today," he said. "If we get everything else right, but fail on climate change, it will all be for naught."

State Sen. Bill Dodd, D-Napa, also spoke by video, given that the Senate was meeting in Sacramento. He said hydrogen has a role to play in powering zero-emission autos and trucks. He urged attention to creating a "hydrogen highway" by having locations where hydrogen vehicles can refuel.

Local achievements were noted: American Canyon installing solar panels at several city facilities, the Napa Valley Transportation Authority transitioning to electric Vine buses, Clover Flat landfill and Napa Sanitation District turning methane into electricity.

But, bottom line — local climate action activists want more action. Will the enthusiasm at the Napa Climate Summit provide the fuel?

"We want to walk out of here today hopeful and fired up," Chouteau said.

Hurt, before the summit, stated what she hoped to accomplish with her keynote speech. "I think I want to light a fire in people's hearts that we have to do everything we can now," she said.

Painter also talked about her hopes for the day.

"I think it will educate the community about what we are doing and what we can do," she said before the summit. "And it will help our state and federal partners understand how they can help us."

The community can make climate change-combatting plans, but also needs money for them, she said.

Meanwhile, the Napa County Climate Action Committee is to meet on Friday. With representatives from Napa County and its five cities, it is a major local vehicle for carbon-cutting steps.

At this meeting, the emphasis will be not only be on a warming climate, but cold fiscal realities.

The committee is looking at a budget for the coming fiscal year. Possible goals are to develop a regional climate action plan, streamline solar permitting, create an electric vehicle charging station blueprint, and find ways to achieve 90% waste diversion by 2030.

A recommended budget assumes grants and the state will pay for the regional climate action plan. In that case, the county and cities would be asked to come up with a total of $202,052, a committee report said.

If no grants materialize, the local cost could range from $402,252 to $802,252, depending on the work plan, the report said. The county and cities would each pay a certain percentage, if they agreed to do so.

The county Climate Action Committee meets at 9:30 a.m. Friday in the Board of Supervisors chamber, 1195 Third St. in downtown Napa.
"Moving Forward Faster" was the topic of the Napa Climate Summit held March 24, 2023 at Napa Valley College. Video by Barry Eberling, Napa Valley Register

PHOTOS: A look inside Napa Valley Birth Center

The entrance to Napa Valley Birth Center is seen on Friday, May 12.

Paula Grady, who owns and operates Napa Valley Birth Center, conducts a pre-natal check on Christine Fitzgerald as, student midwife Angela Steele, left, takes notes at the center on Friday, May 12.

Paula Grady, who owns and operates Napa Valley Birth Center, poses for a portrait at the center on Friday, May 12.

A birthing room is seen at Napa Valley Birth Center on Friday, May 12.

Paula Grady, right, who owns and operates Napa Valley Birth Center, chats with expecting father Tim Fitzgerald as student midwife Angela Steele takes expecting mother Christine Fitzgerald’s blood pressure at the center on Friday, May 12.

Paula Grady who owns and operates Napa Valley Birth Center, left, chats with student midwife Angela Steele about work while sitting in the kitchen at the center on Friday, May 12.

A birthing room is seen at Napa Valley Birth Center on Friday, May 12.

Paula Grady who owns and operates Napa Valley Birth Center poses for a portrait at the center on Friday, May 12.

A sitting room complete with educational materials is seen at Napa Valley Birth Center on Friday, May 12.

An examination room is seen at Napa Valley Birth Center on Friday, May 12.

Books on birthing and child rearing are seen at Napa Valley Birth Center on Friday, May 12.

You can reach Barry Eberling at 707-256-2253 or beberling@napanews.com