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NOKIA OR ONE OF YOU, IF YOU COULD GIVE US THE VERBAL CUE WHEN IT'S TIME.
[Sustainability Town Hall ]
HE SAYS, GO NOW. HELLO AND WELCOME TO THE SUSTAINABILITY TOWN HALL MEETING TODAY.MY NAME IS MONICA LIRA-BRAVO AND I AM THE CHAIR OF THE DALLAS COLLEGE BOARD OF TRUSTEES, AND I'M HAPPY TO WELCOME YOU TODAY.
ANY LONG TERM SOLUTION TO SUSTAINABILITY MUST BE GOOD FOR THE THREE P'S, THE PEOPLE, THE PLANET AND OUR PROSPERITY.
DALLAS COLLEGE BELIEVES ITS MISSION SUPPORTS AND ENCOURAGES THE ADVANCEMENT OF SUSTAINABILITY AND MUST AND FOCUSES ON THE ADVANCEMENT OF SUSTAINABILITY THROUGH ITS FOCUS ON EQUITY, ENVIRONMENT AND THE ECONOMY.
TODAY, WE WILL HEAR FROM EXPERTS SPEAK ON HOW EXACTLY OUR FOCUS ON EQUITY AND THE ENVIRONMENT THROUGHOUT OUR CAMPUS TRANSLATES DIRECTLY INTO SAVINGS FOR OUR PLANET THROUGH OUR HEALTHY SUSTAINABILITY PRACTICES.
I EXTEND A MOST HEARTFELT THANKS TO OUR PANELISTS FOR JOINING US TODAY.
PLEASE HELP ME IN WELCOMING OUR PANELIST.
OUR FIRST PANELIST IS SUSAN ALVAREZ, WHO IS THE ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF THE CITY OF DALLAS OFFICE OF ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY AND SUSTAINABILITY.
HER CURRENT WORK INCLUDES IMPLEMENTING THE COMPREHENSIVE ENVIRONMENTAL AND CLIMATE ACTION PLAN, AS WELL AS THE COMPREHENSIVE FOOD AND URBAN AGRICULTURE PLAN.
SHE ALSO GOVERNS THE CITY'S PARTICIPATION IN THE CITY BUSINESS CLIMATE ALLIANCE, AMONG OTHER RELATED EFFORTS.
THANK YOU, SUSAN, FOR JOINING US TODAY.
OUR NEXT PANELIST IS HEATHER KING.
HEATHER KING IS THE SENIOR DIRECTOR OF SUSTAINABILITY EDUCATION FOR SALESFORCE.
SHE ENSURES THAT SALESFORCE EFFECTIVELY SUPPORTS BUSINESS, EDUCATION AND GOVERNMENT TEAMS IN THEIR SUSTAINABILITY JOURNEY, ALONG WITH HER MASTER'S DEGREE FROM THE TUCK SCHOOL OF BUSINESS AT DARTMOUTH.
SHE HAS A SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS CERTIFICATE FROM THE PRESIDIO GRADUATE SCHOOL AND A CERTIFICATE FROM THE HARVARD BUSINESS SCHOOL LEADERSHIP PROGRAM.
OUR NEXT PANELIST IS JASMINE PARKER, JASMINE PARKER IS THE SENIOR DIRECTOR OF DIVERSITY, EQUITY AND INCLUSION HERE AT DALLAS COLLEGE.
SHE OVERSEES THE PRIORITIZATION OF COMMUNITY DYNAMICS, INCLUSIVENESS AND BELONGING FOR ONE HUNDRED THOUSAND STUDENTS IN MORE THAN FIFTY EIGHT HUNDRED EMPLOYEES.
AND LASTLY, WE HAVE GEORGEANN MOSS, WHO IS THE SENIOR DIRECTOR OF SUSTAINABILITY AT DALLAS COLLEGE.
SHE WORKS TO INSPIRE STUDENTS, EMPLOYEES AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS TO ADOPT SUSTAINABLE PRACTICES IN THEIR PROFESSIONAL AND PERSONAL LIVES.
AND NOW I WILL HAND OFF TO GEORGEANN SO SHE CAN BE TODAY'S MODERATOR.
THANK YOU, GEORGEANN. THANK YOU SO MUCH TO YOUR BRAVO.
WE APPRECIATE YOU BEING HERE AND SPEARHEADING THIS, THIS WONDERFUL TOWN HALL.
AND SO THE FIRST THING WE'RE GOING TO DO IS ASK EACH US TO INTRODUCE THEMSELVES.
SO IF YOU WOULD, WHEN I CALL ON YOU, PLEASE TELL US ABOUT YOUR ROLE AT YOUR ORGANIZATION AND HOW YOU CAME TO BE A CHAMPION OF SUSTAINABILITY.
AND SO I WILL START WITH HEATHER KING.
MY NAME IS HEATHER KING, AND I AM 30 DAYS INTO A NEW ROLE AT SALESFORCE.
I JOINED SALESFORCE TWO YEARS AGO.
MY NEW ROLE IS SENIOR DIRECTOR OF SUSTAINABILITY, EDUCATION AND MOBILIZATION.
REALLY EXCITED TO TAKE THIS ON.
FEEL THAT SALESFORCE IS REALLY UNIQUELY POSITIONED WITH OUR BRAND LEADERSHIP, OUR INCREDIBLE GLOBAL NETWORK WITH ALMOST EVERY ORGANIZATION IN THE WORLD, ACROSS SECTOR AND OUR OWN TECHNOLOGY TO HELP ENABLE NET ZERO JOURNEYS.
SO PRIOR TO THIS, I'VE SPENT 35 YEARS AT THE INTERSECTION OF TECH INNOVATION, SOCIAL IMPACT AND EDUCATION.
MUCH OF THE SOCIAL IMPACT IS FOCUSED ON SUSTAINABILITY.
I ACTUALLY, IN 2008 WENT TO PRESIDIO GRADUATE SCHOOL, GOT A CERTIFICATE, JOINED THE BOARD AND STARTED WORKING WITH GREEN TO PROFILE LEADERS ACROSS THE WORLD WHO ARE DOING SOMETHING MATERIAL TO CHANGE THEIR BUSINESS MODELS TO BE MORE SUSTAINABLE.
SO LOOKING AT NOT NOT THE SCIENCE IMPERATIVE BEHIND SUSTAINABILITY, BUT THE BUSINESS IMPERATIVE HOW COMPANIES COULD REDUCE RISK, INCREASE THEIR BRAND EQUITY, BE MORE ATTRACTIVE AS AN EMPLOYER AND FIND NEW GROWTH OPPORTUNITIES.
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SO I'M REALLY EXCITED TO SHARE WHAT WE KNOW WITH YOU AND ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS.THANK YOU. THANK YOU, HEATHER.
APPRECIATE IT. AND SO NOW WE'LL GO TO SUE ALVAREZ.
GOOD MORNING, EVERYONE, I'M SO HAPPY TO BE HERE THIS NICE COLD MORNING FOR A SUSTAINABILITY TOWN HALL IN MY ROLE AS ASSISTANT DIRECTOR IN THE OFFICE OF ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY. I'M CURRENTLY LEADING IMPLEMENTATION OF OUR CLIMATE PLAN.
THAT SAID, I HAVE ALWAYS KIND OF BRIDGED BETWEEN BACKGROUNDS IN THE ENVIRONMENT AND MY ENGINEERING TRAINING.
I HAVE ALWAYS LIVED SUSTAINABLY AND A BULK OF MY WORK EXPERIENCE TO DATE HAS BEEN WATERSHED RESTORATION AND DRAINAGE.
SO CLIMATE PLANNING AND DALLAS IS REALLY A LARGE WATERSHED RESTORATION PROJECT BECAUSE IN DALLAS, ONE OF OUR GREATEST CLIMATE RISKS IS VARIABLE RAINFALL AND FLOODING.
SO I WAS PROVIDED THE OPPORTUNITY TO JOIN OUR OFFICE TO LEAD THIS EFFORT.
ABOUT THREE YEARS AGO, IN TWENTY EIGHTEEN, WHEN WE CONSOLIDATED ALL OF OUR WATER OPERATIONS RELATED EFFORTS INTO DALLAS WATER UTILITIES UNDER A ONE WATER CONCEPT.
THANK YOU, SIR. AND SO NOW WE'LL GO TO DR.
JASMINE PARKER, WHO IS MY NEXT DOOR NEIGHBOR AT THE.
YES, AND THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR INVITING ME TO SERVE ON THE PANEL, AS GEORGEANN HAS NOTED, I AM THE SENIOR DIRECTOR OF DIVERSITY, EQUITY AND INCLUSION HERE AT DALLAS COLLEGE.
I RECENTLY JOINED DALLAS COLLEGE AS A PROFESSIONAL.
HOWEVER, I BEGAN TAKING COURSES FOR ENRICHMENT DURING THE SUMMER MONTHS IN MY EARLY CHILDHOOD YEARS AT THE CEDAR VALLEY CAMPUS, AS WELL AS THE MOUNTAIN VIEW CAMPUS AS A NATIVE DALLAS SITE.
BORN AND RAISED IN OAK CLIFF, I HAVE ALWAYS BEEN DRAWN TO SOCIAL IMPACTS THROUGH OUR ECOSYSTEM OF OUR ENVIRONMENT AND HOW WE'RE TREATING OUR ENVIRONMENT AND HOW OUR ENVIRONMENT IS TREATING US.
NEARLY 20 YEARS AGO, WHEN I WAS IN HIGH SCHOOL AT TOWN MAGNET CENTER, I TOOK A COURSE IN AP ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE, WHICH IN THE STATE OF TEXAS IS REALLY SIMILAR TO YOUR BIOLOGY.
ONE COURSES IN COLLEGE AND MY AP ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE TEACHER TAUGHT US SPECIFICALLY ON CFC CHLOROFLUOROCARBONS AND OUR CARBON IMPRINTS AND THE IMPACTS THAT WE'RE MAKING ON OUR CLIMATE AND HOW OUR CLIMATE IS SUBSEQUENTLY RESPONDING TO OUR NEEDS.
I STARTED DOING A DEEP DOVE AT THAT TIME BECAUSE I WAS REALLY TAKEN ABACK AND IN AWE FROM THINGS LIKE HAIRSPRAY AND AEROSOLS, AND HOW MANY TIMES WE OPEN AND CLOSE THE REFRIGERATOR AND RADIATION THROUGH MICROWAVES.
AND SO I STARTED RESEARCHING MORE ABOUT DESPERATELY IMPACTED AND HISTORICALLY UNDERSERVED AND EXCLUDED COMMUNITIES IN OUR COUNTRY AND IN OUR CITY, WHICH LED ME TO CONTINUE TO DO THAT WORK THROUGHOUT MY DOCTORAL JOURNEY AT THE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AND MY DOCTORAL DISSERTATION IS ACTUALLY ON THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT AND ERA OF DALLAS AND HOW DALLAS RESPONDED. AND I LOOK SPECIFICALLY AT THE HOUSING INFRASTRUCTURE, THE QUALITY OF HOUSES AND SHOTGUN COMMUNITIES AND OUTHOUSES AND AREAS WHERE THERE IS A LACK OF SEWAGE.
AND SO WHEN THINKING ABOUT THAT, IT IS IMPORTANT TO TIE IN THE EQUITY PIECE BECAUSE EQUITY IS SO PART AND PARCEL TO FAIRNESS, TO HAVING ACCESS TO RESOURCES AND BEING ABLE TO NOT ONLY SURVIVE BUT KNOW THAT THRIVING IS POSSIBLE.
AND YET PEOPLE WON'T BE ABLE TO THRIVE UNTIL THEY KNOW THAT THEY HAVE ALL OF THEIR BASIC NEEDS MET.
AND SO PART OF THAT BASIC NEED IS UNDERSTANDING HOW WE ENGAGE WITH OUR ENVIRONMENT AND HOW OUR ENVIRONMENT SUBSEQUENTLY ENGAGES WITHIN US, AND HOW IT IMPACTS NOT ONLY OUR HEALTH, BUT OUR OTHER DIMENSIONS OF WELL-BEING.
SO THAT IS WHAT BROUGHT ME INTO THE WORK OF SOCIAL JUSTICE AND DIVERSITY, EQUITY AND INCLUSION. AND AGAIN, I'M REALLY HAPPY TO BE HERE AND HAVE THIS CONVERSATION WITH ALL OF YOU TODAY. THANK YOU, GUYS SO MUCH.
AND SINCE I AM OFFICIALLY ON THE PANEL, I'LL GO AHEAD AND GIVE YOU A LITTLE BACKGROUND ON MYSELF AS WELL.
I'VE LED DALLAS COLLEGE'S SUSTAINABILITY TEAM SINCE 2007, BUT I'VE BEEN IN THIS POSITION SINCE 2017.
THEN, LIKE THE OTHERS, I'VE BEEN PASSIONATE ABOUT SUSTAINABILITY AND PROTECTING THE ENVIRONMENT ALL OF MY LIFE.
BUT I STARTED WORKING IN THE FIELD PROFESSIONALLY IN THE LATE 80S AND 1989, WHEN I WORKED
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FOR THE CITY OF DALLAS, DALLAS WATER UTILITIES, AND I ACTUALLY TAUGHT CONSERVATION AND WATER PROTECTION.AND SO THAT IS WHERE I BECAME TRULY PASSIONATE ABOUT IT AGAIN AND MADE SO MANY CONNECTIONS IN THE COMMUNITY BECAUSE WE WORK VERY CLOSELY WITH GRASSROOTS ENVIRONMENTALISTS. AND AND I'M SO PROUD TO SAY THAT MOST EVERYBODY WHO I KNOW WHO I WAS WORKING WITH ALL THOSE MANY YEARS AGO IS STILL IN THE FIELD, AND THEY'RE STILL WORKING DILIGENTLY TO TRY TO HAVE A POSITIVE IMPACT ON OUR ENVIRONMENT.
AND THE GOOD NEWS IS WE'VE COME A REALLY LONG WAY AND WE STILL HAVE MORE WORK TO DO.
SO WE'RE SO GLAD THAT YOU ALL HAVE JOINED US TODAY AND WE'RE GOING TO START OFF BY TALKING WITH HEATHER KING ABOUT SALESFORCE.
SALESFORCE IS A PARTNER WITH DALLAS COLLEGE, AND WE ARE IMPLEMENTING THEIR SOFTWARE RIGHT NOW. AND SO HEATHER SALESFORCE HAS BEEN COMMITTED TO SUSTAINABILITY SINCE 2013, AND YOUR COMPANY HAS ALREADY ACHIEVED NET ZERO EMISSIONS THROUGH A COMBINATION OF REDUCTIONS IN EMISSIONS CREDITS.
SO CAN YOU TELL US WHAT IS SALESFORCE'S COMMITMENT TO SUSTAINABILITY? THANK YOU, GEORGEANN, SO MAYBE YOU COULD YOU COULD PUT UP THAT PERFECT THAT FIRST SLIDE, SO IT'S A REALLY EXCITING TIME AT SALESFORCE TO BE INVOLVED IN SUSTAINABILITY.
WE, YOU KNOW, IS GEORGEANN SAID, WE'VE BEEN INVOLVED SINCE 2013, BUT JUST LAST MONTH WE ANNOUNCED THAT SUSTAINABILITY IS SALESFORCE FIFTH VALUE SALESFORCE.
SINCE SINCE IT WAS FOUNDED IN 2000, ERA 2000, WE'RE ABOUT 20 YEARS OLD.
WE'VE ALWAYS BEEN A VERY VALUES DRIVEN COMPANY.
AND OUR ORIGINAL VALUES WERE TRUST, CUSTOMER SUCCESS AND INNOVATION, YOU KNOW, TYPICAL OF A TECH COMPANY.
MORE RECENTLY, WE ADDED A QUALITY TO THAT VALUE, AND JUST THIS LAST MONTH ADDED SUSTAINABILITY. AND IMPORTANTLY, OUR SUSTAINABILITY VALUES STATEMENT, WHICH YOU SEE HERE ON THE SCREEN, IS BRINGING THE FULL POWER OF SALESFORCE TO NOT ONLY ACCELERATE OUR OWN NET ZERO JOURNEY, BUT TO ACCELERATE THE WORLD'S LARGEST BUSINESS'S LARGEST COMPANIES, LARGEST ORGANIZATIONS, EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS, EVERYBODY TO NET ZERO.
SO MY JOB AS THE EDUCATION AND MOBILIZATION LEADER IS TO NOT JUST GET ALL OF OUR INTERNAL FOLKS, OUR 80000 EMPLOYEES ON BOARD FOR THIS, BUT TO DO THE OUTREACH TO ORGANIZATIONS LIKE YOURS TO HELP MAKE THIS HAPPEN AND HAPPEN NOW.
EVEN IN TERMS OF THE ARRAY OF ACTIVITIES THAT WE HAVE BEYOND NET ZERO JOURNEY, WE'RE VERY FOCUSED ON BOTH ADVANCING THE NET ZERO JOURNEY FURTHER BY REDUCING OUR DEPENDANCE AND OUR EMISSIONS. SO RIGHT NOW, IT'S A COMBINATION OF REDUCTIONS AND CARBON CREDITS, BUT WE'RE GOING TO CONTINUE ON THAT REDUCTION JOURNEY.
WE ARE VERY ACTIVE IN ENGAGING OUR SUPPLIERS.
SO TO SCOPE THREE EMISSIONS, NOT JUST THOSE THAT WE ARE IMMEDIATELY RESPONSIBLE FOR, BUT THE FOOD CHAIN AND DOWN THE FOOD CHAIN, WE'RE ACTIVE IN ADVOCATING FOR CLIMATE POLICY, WORKING WITH BOTH THE S.E.C.
AND INVESTOR LEADERSHIP GROUPS AND GOVERNMENT GROUPS TO CHANGE LEGISLATION TO HELP ADVANCE THESE NET ZERO JOURNEYS.
WE'RE ALSO VERY FOCUSED WITH BOTH IN THE NATURE BASED SOLUTIONS, WITH BOTH WORKING WITH REPLANTING OF TREES AND FOREST FORESTS AND WORKING WITH OCEAN CONSERVATION.
SO, SO IT'S A VERY BROAD SPAN.
ONE OF THE SIGNIFICANT THINGS THAT WE'VE DEVELOPED TO HELP OUR OWN JOURNEY AND TO HELP EVERYBODY ELSE WITH THEIR JOURNEY IS DEVELOP SOMETHING WE CALL NET ZERO CLOUD.
THIS IS A THIS IS A CARBON ACCOUNTING TOOL.
IT HELPS US ASSESS TRACK RECORD REPORT OUR EMISSIONS.
WE JUST ANNOUNCED A SECOND VERSION OF THAT THAT COVERS NOT JUST SCOPE ONE AND SCOPE TWO EMISSIONS, BUT SCOPE THREE.
SO ALL OF THOSE SUPPLIER EMISSIONS, AND IT HELPS FUNDAMENTALLY, IT HELPS COMPANIES KNOW
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WHERE THEY ARE, HOW TO ADVANCE AND HOW TO BE MORE TRANSPARENT IN THE SHARING OF THEIR DATA. SO NEXT SLIDE.SINCE 2013, THIS IS NOT AN EXHAUSTIVE LIST, BUT THE KIND OF THE KIND OF WINDS THAT WE'VE HAD OUT THERE.
IT'S A TEAM. IT'S BEEN A TEAM INITIALLY STARTED IN 2013 AS A TEAM OF FOUR.
WE'RE NOW A TEAM OF 30, SO WE'RE STILL PRETTY SMALL, BUT WE'RE A SMALL AND MIGHTY AND REALLY EXCITING TO SEE WHAT WE CAN MAKE HAPPEN HAPPEN FAST, NOT ONLY WITHIN OUR OWN FOUR WALLS, BUT WORKING WITH REALLY ENGAGED PARTNERS LIKE YOU ALL.
THANK YOU. WELL, THAT SO THAT THAT IS REALLY IMPRESSIVE.
AND DEFINITELY WE'RE GOING TO WANT YOU TO COME BACK AT SOME POINT AND DO A SUSTAINABLE NEW WEBINAR ON THE CARBON CLOUD THAT YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT.
BUT SO WHAT DO YOU THINK ARE THE KEY SUCCESS FACTORS IN GETTING SALESFORCE TO NET ZERO SO QUICKLY? SO REALLY GOOD QUESTION.
I THINK THAT, YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY I WASN'T ACTUALLY HANDS ON AT THAT POINT, BUT I'M, YOU KNOW, FAMILIAR THROUGH OUR CLIMATE ACTION PLAN AND I THINK IT'S A COMBINATION OF EXECUTIVE COMMITMENT.
SO MARC BENIOFF HAS BEEN A REAL CHAMPION OF THIS AND HAS REALLY DRIVEN, YOU KNOW, LEADERSHIP AT THE COMPANY FORWARD IN A VERY ENGAGED AND SORT OF ACCELERATED FASHION.
THE SECOND IS THE DEVELOPMENT OF OUR OWN NET ZERO CLOUD TOOLS.
SO THAT WAS SOMETHING THAT WE DID NOT HAVE WHEN WE STARTED AND WE DEVELOPED AS WE SAW THE NEED FOR FIGURING OUT HOW TO DO THE BEST IN CLASS KIND OF TRACKING AND REPORTING FOR OURSELVES.
AND THE THIRD IS THAT, YOU KNOW, THE TAPPING OF THE ECOSYSTEM OF PARTNERS TO REALLY UNDERSTAND AND UNDERSTAND FAST HOW WE COULD DO MORE BETTER.
SO THOSE THOSE WERE VERY IMPORTANT SUCCESS FACTORS.
WONDERFUL. AND I I TOTALLY AGREE WITH YOU, AND WE FEEL VERY BLESSED HERE AT DALLAS COLLEGE BECAUSE WE HAVE HAD EXECUTIVE SUPPORT SINCE 2007.
DR. DUSTIN LENNON HAS BEEN OUR EXECUTIVE SPONSOR OF THE SUSTAINABILITY INITIATIVE SINCE THEN. AND THEN WHEN DR.
MAE CAME ON BOARD NINE YEARS AGO, HE HAS ENHANCED OUR OUR SUSTAINABILITY INITIATIVE.
SO I AGREE WITH YOU, THAT'S VERY IMPORTANT.
SO WHAT DO YOU SEE AS THE CHALLENGES AHEAD FOR SALESFORCE? SO I THINK WE HAVE TWO SETS OF CHALLENGES, ONE IS, YOU KNOW, FURTHERING OUR OWN JOURNEY, HOW DO WE MAKE SURE THAT WE HOLD OURSELVES ACCOUNTABLE AND GET BUY MORE BUY IN ACROSS, YOU KNOW, ACROSS THE COMPANY TO CONTINUE TO REDUCE, CONTINUE TO DO A GOOD JOB AT MEETING ALL THE SDG GOALS.
THE LARGER CHALLENGE IS OUR MISSION.
IT'S NOT JUST TO OPERATE WITHIN SALESFORCE FOR WALLS, IT'S NOT JUST TO GET OUR OWN NET ZERO JOURNEY TO SETI NET ZERO, BUT IT'S TO GET EVERY ORGANIZATION IN THE WORLD TO LEARN FROM THAT BLUEPRINT, TO ENGAGE AND GET TO NET ZERO, NOT BY 2050, BUT NOW.
SO THAT URGENCY AND THE DELTA BETWEEN WHERE WE ARE AND WHERE WE NEED TO BE FROM BOTH A SCIENCE BASED IMPERATIVE AND A BUSINESS BASED IMPERATIVE IS VERY HUGE.
SO IT'S IT'S DAUNTING IN SOME WAYS, BUT IT'S ALSO REALLY INSPIRING AS TO WHAT WE CAN DO WHEN WE HAVE THE COLLECTIVE WILL AND WE WHEN WE HAVE ORGANIZATIONS THAT ARE COMMITTED AND HAVE THE RIGHT TOOLS IN THEIR HANDS.
AND I HAVE ONE MORE FOLLOW UP QUESTION THAT I'D LIKE TO ASK.
AND THAT IS YOU MENTIONED JUST NOW WHEN YOU WERE SPEAKING ABOUT GETTING THE BUY IN INTERNALLY FROM YOUR INTERNAL AUDIENCES.
CAN YOU SHARE ANY INSIGHT WITH US ABOUT THAT? SO SALESFORCE STARTED, AS WITH THE SALES CLOUD, WE'VE EXPANDED OUR SUITE OF PRODUCTS TO BE A CUSTOMER 360.
THE FOCUS IS ON HELPING ORGANIZATIONS BE MORE CUSTOMER RESPONSIVE ACROSS THE BOARD.
NET ZERO CLOUD IS NOW PART OF THAT CUSTOMER 360.
AND YET THE THE PEOPLE THAT ARE INVOLVED IN THE CARBON SIDE OF THE EQUATION AND THE
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UNDERSTANDING FOR HOW THAT FITS INTO THE OVERALL OPERATION OF A COMPANY IS BOTH NEW TO OUR TEAMS AND MANY OF OUR CUSTOMERS.SO THE UNDERSTANDING REALLY UNDERSTANDING THE SCIENCE IMPERATIVE, THE BUSINESS IMPERATIVE FOR CLIMATE, YOU KNOW, CLIMATE CONTROLS, THE HOW YOU CAN HELP ORGANIZATION TO UNDERSTAND AND BUILD OUT A CLIMATE ACTION PLAN THAT'S ALL NEW.
SO WE'RE BUILDING OUT TEAMS OF SERVICE AND STRATEGY TEAMS TO HELP OUR CUSTOMERS UNDERSTAND AND MAP OUT THAT JOURNEY.
AND MY TEAM WILL BE WORKING ON HOW WE TAKE THAT KNOWLEDGE AND CODIFY IT.
BUT THERE'S A BIG SORT OF EDUCATION GAP IN HERE THAT WE NEED TO ADDRESS AND MY JOB TO TRY TO FIGURE OUT HOW DO WE DO THAT AND HOW DO WE DO THAT FAST? YEAH. BUT THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU.
OKAY, NOW WE'RE GOING OVER TO SUSAN ALVAREZ WITH THE CITY OF DALLAS.
SUSAN, YOU RECENTLY OVERSAW THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE CITY OF DALLAS COMPREHENSIVE ENVIRONMENTAL AND CLIMATE ACTION.
WHY THE CITY CHOSE TO UNDERTAKE THIS PROJECT AND WHAT ALL IT ENTAILS.
WELL, THAT IS THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION, AND FORTUNATELY, IT'S NOT A SHORT ANSWER.
OUR JOURNEY ACTUALLY BEGAN SEVERAL YEARS AGO BACK IN 2015, WHEN WE WENT FROM LEVEL THREE DROUGHT AND WATER RESTRICTIONS IN APRIL TO RECEIVING OUR ANNUAL RAINFALL DURING THE MONTH OF MAY. AND YET TWO MORE ONE HUNDRED YEAR FREQUENCY STORMS IN JULY AND NOVEMBER OF THAT YEAR. ALL FOUR LARGE WATER RESERVOIRS UPSTREAM OF THE DFW AREA WENT FROM ABOUT TWENTY FIVE PERCENT OF CAPACITY TO UNCONTROLLED OVERFLOW IN JUST A MONTH.
WE SAW A LONG PERIOD OF FLOODING THAT YEAR AS THIS WATER MADE ITS WAY THROUGH THE TRINITY RIVER SYSTEM.
MANY SEASONED LOCAL HYDROLOGIST WEATHER SCIENTISTS AND ENGINEERS INDICATED TO THE CITY MANAGEMENT THAT THIS YEAR'S HYDRO CYCLE FELL WELL OUTSIDE OF THEIR EXPERIENCE AND WELL OUTSIDE OF THE PROBABILITIES USED IN THEIR PROBABLE MAXIMUM FLOOD DESIGN.
MAYOR RAWLINGS COMMITTED THE CITY TO JOIN THE U.S.
CLIMATE MAYOR'S PLEDGE TO MEET THE GOALS OF THE PARIS CLIMATE AGREEMENT, THIS FIRST SLIDE SHOWS OUR JOURNEY FROM THERE ON.
WE HELD OUR FIRST NORTH TEXAS CLIMATE SYMPOSIUM IN THE SPRING OF TWENTY EIGHTEEN.
AND LO AND BEHOLD, DURING THE LATE SUMMER BUDGET TOWN HALLS, IN ADDITION TO PROPONENTS OF PARKS, ARTS AND LIBRARIES, THERE WERE COMMUNITY MEMBERS DEMANDING THAT THE CITY MAKE VIABLE EFFORTS TOWARDS THE PLANNING NECESSARY TO MEET THAT COMMITMENT.
SO WE BEGAN THE EFFORT IN THE SPRING OF TWENTY NINETEEN AND THEN BROUGHT FORWARD THE INITIAL DRAFT IN FALL OF THAT YEAR WITH UNANIMOUS ADOPTION BY CITY COUNCIL IN MAY OF 2020. WE HAD HOPED FOR ADOPTION ON EARTH DAY, BUT DELAYED A MONTH BECAUSE WE WERE IN THE FIRST PART OF THE PANDEMIC SO THAT WE COULD MAKE SURE THAT THE COMMUNITY HAD HAD ADEQUATE TIME TO REVIEW.
I WOULD NOTE THAT THE CITY COUNCIL RECEIVED OVER 50 LETTERS OF SUPPORT FROM BUSINESSES, COMMUNITY ENVIRONMENTAL ADVOCACIES AND YES, EVEN DALLAS COLLEGE.
OKAY. WELL, I WAS GOING TO SAY, DID THE CITY DEVELOPED THIS PLAN INDEPENDENTLY OR DID YOU HAVE ANY ASSISTANCE? AND WHAT IS THE STATUS OF THE PLAN AND HOW MUCH HAS BEEN IMPLEMENTED? SO I WOULD SAY WE HAD A WHOLE LOT OF HELP, AND FOR THAT, WE WERE THANKFUL AND GRATEFUL.
WE WORKED WITH A CONSULTANT WHO HAD EXPERTIZE IN BOTH DEVELOPING CLIMATE PLANS AND ALSO IN DOING THE MODELING NECESSARY TO ASSESS OVERALL EFFECTIVENESS TOWARDS MEETING OUR GOALS. WE HAD A LOT OF ASSISTANCE FROM A LOT OF DIFFERENT, VERY IMPORTANT PARTNERS, BOTH INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL TO THE CITY.
WE CONVENED AN INTERNAL COMMITTEE OF DEPARTMENTS WHO ULTIMATELY WOULD BE RESPONSIBLE FOR IMPLEMENTATION. AND THEN ALSO AN EXTERNAL STAKEHOLDER ADVISORY COMMITTEE THAT WAS FORMED OF EDUCATORS, AGENCY PERSONNEL, COMMUNITY ADVOCATES, BUSINESS ORGANIZATIONS AND, OF COURSE, OUR ENVIRONMENTAL ADVOCATES THAT REQUESTED THAT COUNCIL TAKE THIS ACTION IN THE
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FIRST PLACE. AND THEN WE MADE THEM ALL SIT TOGETHER ON ONE HAPPY ROOM SO THAT EVERYONE COULD BUILD CONSENSUS TOWARDS THIS PLAN.WE STARTED WITH ABOUT 60 PEOPLE, AND I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S BECAUSE WE HAD TACOS OR WHAT, BUT THE GROUP GREW AS WE WENT FORWARD IN THE PROCESS.
BY THE END, WE HAD OVER A HUNDRED PEOPLE SHOWING UP TO THE STAKEHOLDER MEETINGS, WHICH IS A GREAT THING.
ONE OTHER THING THAT WAS PRETTY CRITICAL IS THAT WHILE WE CONVENE 12 FORMAL COMMUNITY MEETINGS THROUGHOUT THE CITY AS A PART OF OUR PLAN DEVELOPMENT CONTRACT, WE ATTENDED OVER 200 MEETINGS WITH DIFFERENT COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS AS PART OF THEIR AGENCIES AGENDAS WHEREVER THEY WERE.
EVERYTHING FROM THE DALLAS CHAMBER TO THE DALLAS ECO SOCIALIST TO CHURCHES.
ONE OTHER THING THAT I THINK WAS REALLY CRITICAL IS EARLY ON WE RECOGNIZED THAT WE HAD SOMETHING THAT I CALL THE ICE EFFECT, WHERE WE KNEW THAT THERE WERE SOME COMMUNITIES THAT WERE NOT COMFORTABLE GOING TO A GOVERNMENT SPONSORED MEETING.
AND SO WE ENLISTED STUDENTS FROM LOCAL COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES TO WORK WITH A MEETING IN A BOX SO THAT WE COULD GET INPUT INTO THE PLAN FROM FRIENDS, NEIGHBORS, CHURCH MEMBERS, ET CETERA, IN PARTICULAR FOCUSING ON THESE AREAS WHERE THE COMMUNITY MIGHT NOT BE INCLINED TO PARTICIPATE TO HELP GET INPUT INTO THE PLAN.
AND YES, DALLAS COLLEGE STUDENTS HELPED WITH THIS, AND WE ARE THANKFUL AND GRATEFUL FOR THAT HELP. THIS, I THINK, WAS IMPORTANT BECAUSE IT REALLY HELPED ENSURE THAT IN ADDITION TO SCIENCE BASED GOALS, WE ALSO HAD THE ROBUST INPUT NECESSARY TO MAKE SURE THAT AT THE END OF THE DAY, A COMMUNITY BASED PLAN.
SO. GO AHEAD AND ADVANCE TO THE NEXT SLIDE.
SO THE PLAN IS COMPREHENSIVE AND THAT IT INCLUDES THE MITIGATION MEASURES TO REDUCE EMISSIONS. ADAPTATION MEASURES FOR OUR INFRASTRUCTURE TO HELP US DEAL WITH CLIMATE UNCERTAIN FUTURE.
AND THEN AS WE LOOKED AT CO-BENEFITS UNDER MITIGATION AND ADAPTATION, WE REALIZED THAT IT WAS REALLY IMPORTANT TO ALSO MAKE SURE THAT WE INCLUDED NATURE BASED SOLUTIONS TO ADDRESS ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY AS WELL.
THIS LED TO A VERY COMPREHENSIVE PLAN, WITH NINETY SEVEN ACTIONS IN EIGHT SECTORS COVERING EVERYTHING FROM A TO Z, LITERALLY AIR QUALITY TO ZERO WASTE WITH BUILDINGS, ENERGY, TRANSPORTATION, FOOD, GREEN SPACE AND WATER RESOURCES IN BETWEEN.
WE STARTED WITH ABOUT 400 DRAFT ACTIONS AND SCREENED FOR CO-BENEFITS LIKE JOB CREATION, TRAINING, EMISSIONS REDUCTION, ET CETERA.
MORE CRITICALLY, WE ALSO SCREENED FOR EQUITY CONCERNS.
WHAT CAN WE DO TO ENSURE ACCESS FOR FRONT LINE COMMUNITIES TO THE ACTIONS IN THE PLAN? AND WHAT CAN WE DO TO REDUCE POTENTIAL IMPACTS FROM IMPLEMENTATION? SO STATUS OF THE PLAN, WE ARE IN YEAR TWO OF A 30 YEAR PLAN.
WE ARE IN OUR SECOND FULL YEAR OF IMPLEMENTATION OVERALL.
WE HAVE INITIATED ACTION ON IN SEVENTY SIX OF THE NINETY SEVEN PLANNED ACTIONS IN OUR C CAP. WE HAVE OVER TWO HUNDRED IDENTIFIED MILESTONES IN THIS YEAR'S IMPLEMENTATION PLAN AND I WOULD NOTE NEXT SLIDE PROBABLY THE ORIGINAL C CAP AND BOTH LAST YEAR'S REPORT ON PROGRESS AND THIS YEAR'S WORK PLAN CAN BE FOUND AT DALLAS CLIMATE ACTION.
ALSO, I WANT TO NOTE THAT WE ARE CURRENTLY UPDATING THE ORIGINAL GREENHOUSE GAS INVENTORY THAT WAS USED TO DEVELOP THIS PLAN.
AND SO WE WILL BE TAKING A LOOK THIS SPRING ON IF WE NEED TO RATCHET UP ACTIONS UNDER THE PLAN. THANK YOU, SUSAN.
THAT IS ABSOLUTELY AMAZING WHAT THE CITY OF DALLAS HAS ACCOMPLISHED AND AND I LOVE THAT YOU SAY YOU'RE ON A JOURNEY TO SUSTAINABILITY BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT IT IS, YOU KNOW, IT'S NOT A ONE AND DONE, OH, WE'VE ACCOMPLISHED THAT.
SO THIS IS AN ONGOING PROCESS.
AND AS YOU SO ABLY DEMONSTRATED, IT REQUIRES FEEDBACK AND INPUT AND BUY IN FROM NOT ONLY PEOPLE IN YOUR ORGANIZATION, BUT IN THE COMMUNITY AS WELL.
SO, SO THANK THANK YOU AND CONGRATULATIONS ON THE AWARD THAT YOU GUYS HAVE RECEIVED.
NEXT, WE'LL GO OVER TO JASMINE PARKER.
[00:30:03]
WHO IS I MENTIONED NEXT DOOR TO ME AT THE ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICES DOWNTOWN, AND SHE IS THE SENIOR DIRECTOR OF DIVERSITY, EQUITY AND INCLUSION FOR DALLAS COLLEGE.AND SO, YES, PLEASE TELL US, WHY DOES DALLAS COLLEGE? I'M SORRY. WHAT IS THE CONNECTION BETWEEN SUSTAINABILITY AND DIVERSITY, EQUITY AND INCLUSION? THAT'S A REALLY GREAT QUESTION.
GEORGEANN AND OFTEN TIME PEOPLE CAN'T SEE THE FOREST FOR THE TREES, RIGHT? AND PUN INTENDED, PEOPLE THINK SUSTAINABILITY AND THEY MAY THINK AIR QUALITY, SOIL WATER, AND IT'S ALSO A HUGE PART OF EQUITY MINDEDNESS.
I'M AT DALLAS COLLEGE FOR OUR DIVERSITY EQUITY INCLUSION WORK.
WE ARE GUIDED AND WE'RE ENGAGING IN THIS WORK THROUGH THE LENS OF BEING EMPATHETIC AND CONSCIENTIOUS ABOUT OUR DEMOGRAPHICS, RIGHT? THAT EVERY HUMAN BEING SHOULD TAKE UP SPACE, THAT THEIR LIVED EXPERIENCES MATTER.
THAT INCLUDES THE ENVIRONMENT IN WHICH THEY HAVE NAVIGATED THROUGHOUT THEIR TIME IN SPACE, GEOGRAPHICALLY ACROSS THE COUNTRY AND WHAT BROUGHT THEM TO DALLAS COLLEGE, OR IF THEY ARE NATIVE DALLAS.
IT'S IMPORTANT FOR US TO HAVE THAT TIME TO ENGAGE PEOPLE IN HONORING WHO THEY ARE AND ALSO RECOGNIZING THAT JUSTICE, SOCIAL JUSTICE, WORK, DIVERSITY, EQUITY, INCLUSION WORK IS ABOUT THE NAMING AND THE ACKNOWLEDGMENT THAT THEY ARE MANY DIFFERENT METHODS OF HEALTH OF WELLNESS, AND THAT WE SHOULD BE TALKING ABOUT THE DISTRIBUTION OF OPPORTUNITIES IN A FAIR AND JUST MANNER.
ENTER SUSTAINABILITY WORK WITHIN THAT.
AS WE THINK ABOUT EQUITY MINDEDNESS, WE MUST INTERROGATE OUR STRUCTURES TO ENSURE THAT EVERY PERSON, REGARDLESS OF THEIR IDENTITY, THEIR GEOGRAPHIC POSITION.
THERE ARE MANY DIFFERENT LAYERS OF LIVED EXPERIENCES THAT IN SPITE OF ALL OF THAT, EVERYONE SHOULD HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE THEIR BASIC NEEDS MET, RIGHT? WHEN WE THINK ABOUT THE SUSTAINABILITY GOAL NUMBER THREE, ENSURING GOOD HEALTH AND WELL-BEING THAT IS A PART OF EQUITY MINDED BASE WORK TO ENSURE THAT ALL PEOPLE HAVE THE FUNDAMENTALS TO THRIVE.
I ENGAGE IN THIS WORK AND WE'RE LEADING THIS CHARGE OF INFUSING EQUITY, CONSCIENTIOUS, ACTION ORIENTED EQUITY BASED WORK AND AN EMPATHETIC LENS AT DALLAS COLLEGE REALLY HONING IN ON THE UNITED NATIONS DEFINITION OF HUMAN RIGHTS.
AND THAT IS BECAUSE AND I'M GOING TO READ THE DEFINITION HERE.
THAT'S BECAUSE EVERY PERSON HAS THE RIGHT TO ACCESSING OR THEY SHOULD HAVE THE RIGHT TO ACCESSING BASIC NEEDS LIKE CLEAN AIR, CLEAN WATER, HOUSING, FOOD AND NOT NECESSARILY JUST FOOD, RIGHT? NOT THE HIGHLY PROCESSED AND SATURATED FOODS WITH GMOS, BUT HAVING FRESH PRODUCE AND VEGETABLES MADE ACCESSIBLE FOR PEOPLE.
WE HAVE CONTINUED IN OAK, CLIFF AND OTHER PARTS OF OUR CITY FOOD DESERTS, SO PART OF THIS EQUITY MINDED WORK IS BRINGING KNOWLEDGE AROUND THAT THROUGH LEARNING AND DEVELOPMENT TO ENSURE THAT WE'RE ENGAGING OUR COMMUNITY TO ENHANCE INCLUSION WHERE WE SEE IT AND THEN ALSO AMPLIFY IT WHERE IT NEEDS AMPLIFYING.
SO THINKING ABOUT THE UNITED NATIONS DEFINITION OF HUMAN RIGHTS, IT TRULY IS ABOUT INCLUDING THE RIGHT TO LIFE, RIGHT.
WE CANNOT HAVE A SUSTAINING CULTURE.
WE CAN'T FOSTER INCLUSION AND BELONGING FOR ALL PEOPLE UNTIL EVERYONE HAS THE RIGHT TO LIFE, UNTIL EVERYONE HAS THE RIGHT TO HAVING CLEAN OXYGEN.
HAVING ADAPTABLE RESOURCES TO MEET THEIR SPECIFIC NEEDS, WE MUST HAVE THE RIGHT TO LIFE AND PROPERTY.
FREEDOM, FREEDOM OF OPINION AND EXPRESSION.
AND ALSO ENSURING THAT IN ALIGNMENT TO OUR INTERNATIONAL COVENANT ON ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL AND CULTURAL RIGHTS, THAT WE ARE PROMOTING THE RIGHT TO WORK IN FAVORABLE AND JUST CONDITIONS. SOCIAL PROTECTIONS THAT INCLUDE STANDARD OF LIVING, RIGHT FOOD, CLOTHING, SHELTER, THINKING OF MASLOW'S HIERARCHY OF NEEDS AND THE QUALITY OF THOSE RESOURCES, AND BEING ABLE TO HAVE POSITIVE MENTAL HEALTH AND WELLNESS PROTECTIONS AND RESOURCES AND AND SUPPORT SYSTEMS. SO WHEN WE THINK ABOUT THE SUSTAINABILITY GOALS OF DALLAS COLLEGE, MANY OF THESE GOALS DIRECTLY TOUCH UPON AND INTERSECT WITHIN DIVERSITY, EQUITY AND INCLUSION FROM GOAL NUMBER
[00:35:02]
THREE OF GOOD HEALTH AND WELL-BEING TO GOAL 16 OF PEACE AND JUSTICE FOR STRONG INSTITUTIONS. BECAUSE PEOPLE MAKE UP OUR INSTITUTIONAL INFRASTRUCTURE AND WE MUST HAVE HEALTHY WORKFORCES AND WORKPLACES SO THAT OUR INSTITUTIONS WILL ALSO BE ABLE TO THRIVE LIKE THE PEOPLE SHOULD.AND SO THAT IS THE BASIC INTERSECTION BETWEEN DIVERSITY, EQUITY AND.
INCLUSION IN SUSTAINABILITY WORK.
THANK YOU. NOW, IF YOU'RE PLEASE SHARE WITH US, YOU'VE ALREADY TOUCHED ON THIS, BUT IF YOU'RE GO AHEAD AND SHARE WITH US EXAMPLES OF ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES IN DALLAS COUNTY THAT ARE LINKED TO SOCIAL JUSTICE AND WHY SHOULD PEOPLE WHO ARE COMMITTED TO DTI AND SOCIAL JUSTICE BE CONCERNED ABOUT ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES? YES, YES.
DALLAS IS A WONDERFUL, BEAUTIFUL, FLOURISHING CITY, AND IT ALSO HAS SOME AREAS OF GROWTH AND OPPORTUNITY FROM A HISTORICAL LENS INTO CONTEMPORARY DALLAS.
I MEAN, I SAY THAT WITH LOVE AND HONORING THAT WE'RE ALL ON A JOURNEY.
OUR CITY IS ON A JOURNEY WHEN WE THINK ABOUT DIFFERENT AREAS AND POCKETS OF OUR CITY.
FROM OAK CLIFF, THE BOTTOM OF OAK CLIFF, WHICH IS STILL CALLED THE BOTTOM.
THAT IS A HISTORIC AREA, GEOSPATIAL AREA THAT HAS BEEN UNDERSERVED AND A MARGINALIZED COMMUNITY OF PEOPLE LIVE IN THE BOTTOM.
THE BLACK COMMUNITY SPECIFICALLY WERE RELEGATED TO SEGREGATED HOUSING COVENANTS IN THE BOTTOM OVER TIME AND WITHIN THOSE HOUSING COVENANTS THERE WAS THERE IS A LACK OF INFRASTRUCTURE OF QUALITY OF AIR AND WATER AND ALL IN ALL TYPES OF HOUSING, INFRASTRUCTURAL NEEDS.
AND SO WE CONTINUE TO SEE IMPROVEMENTS MADE IN THE BOTTOM.
AND THERE ARE ALSO STILL SOME NEEDS THAT NEED TENDING TO SIMILAR TO WEST DALLAS IN THE WEST DALLAS AREA.
NOW WE HAVE A TRAINEE GROWTH AREA THERE AND WE'VE BROUGHT IN SOME INFRASTRUCTURAL REVENUE BASED ENTITIES.
AND IN THAT WEST DALLAS COMMUNITY, WE HAVE HAD DESPERATELY IMPACTED COMMUNITIES AGAIN.
OUR BLACK COMMUNITY AND THEN ALSO OUR MEXICAN-AMERICAN COMMUNITY OF OF WEST DALLAS, HAS BEEN IMPACTED BECAUSE THE RCR CORPORATION FOR ABOUT 50 PLUS YEARS WAS ENGAGING IN SOME COMMUNITY AND SOME CLIMATE AREA WORK THROUGH THEIR CORPORATION.
BATTERIES WERE BEING DUMPED IN THOSE AREAS.
WE HAD A SUPERFUND LABELING SITE IN THE NINETEEN NINETIES THROUGH THE CLINTON ERA, AND THIS IS A NEAR 14 MILE STRETCH OF TOXIC SOIL IN LAND USE IN WEST DALLAS.
AND THIS IS THE LARGEST SUPERFUND SITE IN THE COUNTRY.
AND SO WE HAVE HAD SOME EXCAVATION WORK OVER THE DECADES PULLING OUT THAT SOIL FROM BATTERY ACID, FROM CLIMATE IMPACTS THAT HAVE DIRECTLY IMPACTED THE HEALTH AND THE WELLNESS OF RESIDENTS IN THAT COMMUNITY, RIGHT? BECAUSE PEOPLE HAVE AN INCREASED EXPOSURE TO RESPIRATORY ISSUES, TO OTHER SYSTEMIC ISSUES AND DISEASES THAT COULD BE ACCELERATED, RIGHT, INCLUDING DIFFERENT CANCERS.
AND SO OUR CITY GOVERNMENT, THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, STEPPED IN AND DID SOME SOME REALLY GOOD EXCAVATION WORK OF SOME OF THE TAINTED SOIL.
AND THEN WE ALSO SAW IN THE TWO THOUSANDS REALLY RECENTLY WITHIN THE LAST FIVE YEARS OF SOME BATTERY PACKETS ALSO COMING UP IN THE SOIL, SOME BATTERY CHIPS IN THE SOIL AND QUESTIONING WHETHER THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT DIG DEEP ENOUGH IN ORDER TO PULL OUT THAT TAINTED SOIL, RIGHT? AND SO THESE ARE JUST A FEW EXAMPLES, RIGHT? WE ALSO HAVE THE CITY THAT SPECIFICALLY DESPERATELY IMPACTS THE MEXICAN-AMERICAN COMMUNITY IN WEST DALLAS AND IN SURROUNDING OAK CLIFF AREAS AS WELL, WHICH HAS IMPACTED RESPIRATORY ISSUES OF PEOPLE.
AND SO THESE ARE SOME OF THE THE HUMAN STORIES AND NARRATIVES AND IMPACTS CLASS ACTION LAWSUITS HAVE TAKEN PLACE BECAUSE OF SYSTEMIC ENVIRONMENTAL INJUSTICE IN THESE AREAS THAT DESERVE A SPOTLIGHT BECAUSE WE DO HAVE A WAYS TO GO TO ENSURING THAT ALL OF OUR COMMUNITIES, EVERY NEIGHBORHOOD HAS ACCESS TO CLEAN AIR, WATER, SOIL, FOOD, HOUSING, ACCOMMODATIONS AND OTHER DIMENSIONS OF SUSTAINABILITY THAT TIE INTO OUR EQUITABLE TREATMENT OF OUR RESIDENTS.
[00:40:02]
YES. I SEE HEATHER WANTED TO MAKE A COMMENT.SO HEATHER, PLEASE THANKS GEORGEANN.
AND I JUST WANTED TO SECOND JASMINE COMMENT OF WHY WHY THOSE WHO CARE ABOUT THE ENVIRONMENT, WHY THEY SHOULD CARE ABOUT QUALITY.
AND WE SEE THESE AS INEXTRICABLY, INEXTRICABLY LINKED THAT AS OF NOW, MANY OF THE CLIMATE IMPACTS THAT WE SEE HAVE A DISPROPORTIONATE BURDEN ON COMMUNITIES, MARGINALIZED COMMUNITIES, PEOPLE OF COLOR.
AND GOING FORWARD, THAT'S GOING TO CONTINUE THAT TREND LINE IS GOING TO CONTINUE.
SO THIS IS NOT WE'RE NOT WORKING IN KIND OF SILOED WAYS TO ADDRESS THESE ISSUES.
WE NEED TO REALLY KNIT TOGETHER OUR EFFORTS TO MAKE THIS WORLD A BETTER, MORE SUSTAINABLE PLACE. SO THANK YOU JASMINE FOR YOUR COMMENTS.
THANK YOU. I JUST WANT TO REMIND EVERYONE BECAUSE THE PEOPLE ON THIS CALL ALREADY KNOW THAT TEXAS HAS HAD MORE BILLION DOLLAR WEATHER RELATED DISASTERS THAN ANY OTHER STATE IN THE UNION. AND SO, AND SUSAN, PLEASE JUMP IN.
SO I'M GOING TO THIRD WITH JASMINE IS SAYING, AND WE ARE WE'RE BLESSED WITH THE NEW DIRECTOR WHO FORMERLY DID ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE FOR EPA REGION SIX AND ALSO IN D.C.
AND SO WE ARE INCORPORATING ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE MEASURES INTO JUST ABOUT EVERYTHING WE DO. IN PARTICULAR, WE HAVE SEVERAL PROJECTS THAT ARE FOCUSED ON AIR QUALITY AND SUPPORTING THE NEIGHBORHOODS IN WEST DALLAS.
AND WE HAVE IDENTIFIED SOME SYSTEMIC ISSUES WITHIN OUR OWN PROCESSES THAT WE ARE TACKLING AS A PART OF THIS EFFORT.
AND SO I APPRECIATE YOUR BRINGING THIS TO LIGHT OR GREATER LIGHT, AND I WILL ASSURE YOU THAT WE AGREE WITH YOU AND WE ARE WORKING TO UNDO THE RED LINE, IF YOU WILL.
THANK YOU. SO THIS IS ACTUALLY MY TIME IN THE PANEL DISCUSSION RIGHT NOW, SO I'M JUST GOING TO TALK THROUGH MY NOTES THAT I HAD TAKEN.
AND THAT IS SOMETIMES PEOPLE SAY, WELL, WHY DO YOU USE THE WORD EQUITY, ECONOMY AND ENVIRONMENT TO DESCRIBE SUSTAINABILITY AT DALLAS COLLEGE? AND THAT IS BECAUSE SOME OF THE MORE COMMON DEFINITIONS ARE REALLY GOOD, BUT THEY DON'T REINFORCE THE INTERCONNECTIONS BETWEEN.
EQUITY, ECONOMY AND ENVIRONMENT, AND WE ALWAYS, ALWAYS TRY TO DO THAT BECAUSE SOMETIMES PEOPLE STILL IN THIS DAY AND AGE THINK THAT IF YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT THE ENVIRONMENT, YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT SOMETHING THAT'S HAPPENING WAY FAR OFF THAT REALLY DOESN'T AFFECT THEM. IT'S POLAR BEARS OR SOMETHING ELSE.
BUT BUT WHAT WE KNOW IS, YES, THOSE POLAR BEARS ARE IMPORTANT BECAUSE THEY ARE IN ESSENCE TO USE ANOTHER TERM.
THEY'RE THE CANARIES IN THE COAL MINE.
WHEN IT STARTS HAPPENING ELSEWHERE, WE KNOW IT'S GOING TO REACH US EVENTUALLY.
AND SO THAT'S WHY WE TRY TO REINFORCE TO PEOPLE THAT WHATEVER YOU DO, WHATEVER ACTION YOU TAKE, WHATEVER INITIATIVE YOU UNDERTAKE, WHATEVER SOLUTION YOU HAVE TO PROBLEMS THAT YOU'RE TRYING TO SOLVE, YOU NEED TO CONSIDER ALL THREE AREAS YOU NEED TO CONSIDER PEOPLE, IS THIS GOOD FOR PEOPLE? IS IT GOOD FOR OUR PROSPERITY? AND IS IT GOOD FOR OUR PLANET? AND SO ONE OF THE EXAMPLES THAT JAZZ MADE WAS AN EXCELLENT EXAMPLE OF IF YOU'VE GOT LEAD AND AND BAD AIR IN A PARTICULAR PART OF TOWN THAT AFFECTS PEOPLE'S HEALTH, WHICH ALSO AFFECTS THEIR ABILITY TO HAVE A GOOD JOB AND DECENT WAGES.
SO THEY'RE ALL THREE INTERCONNECTED, AND THAT'S WHY WE USE THE WORD EQUITY, ECONOMY AND ENVIRONMENT TO DESCRIBE SUSTAINABILITY.
UH, WE ALSO USE THE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS TO SHOW PEOPLE WHAT SUSTAINABILITY LOOKS LIKE AFTER YOUR ACHIEVEMENTS.
SO AGAIN, IT'S A REALLY BIG TOPIC TO WRAP YOUR HEAD AROUND.
AND SO YOU TRY TO GIVE THEM DEFINITIONS AND THEY GO, YEAH, THAT'S KIND OF ABSTRACT.
BUT WHEN YOU SHOW PEOPLE THAT THESE 17 SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS, THEY LOVE HIM, THEY IMMEDIATELY UNDERSTAND, OH, THAT'S WHAT SUSTAINABILITY LOOKS LIKE WHEN WE'VE ACHIEVED IT.
THERE'S GOING TO BE NO POVERTY.
THERE'S GOING TO BE ZERO HUNGER.
THERE'S GOING TO BE GOOD HEALTH AND WELL-BEING AND QUALITY EDUCATION.
ALL OF THOSE THINGS ON THE LIST, THEY'RE LIKE MOTHERHOOD AND APPLE PIE, AND PEOPLE WANT
[00:45:04]
THESE THINGS. AND SO THIS IS WHY WE USE THIS AS OUR PRIMARY TEACHING AND LEARNING TOOL AT DALLAS COLLEGE, NOT JUST FOR OUR STUDENTS, BUT ALSO FOR OUR EMPLOYEES AND FOR ALL THE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT WORK THAT WE DO.YOU KNOW, DALLAS COLLEGE HAS HAS SUPPORTED THE SUSTAINABILITY, THE 17 SUSTAINABILITY GOALS, EVEN BEFORE THEY WERE CREATED.
THESE WERE CREATED BY THE UNITED NATIONS IN 2015.
AND BUT YOU'LL NOTICE THAT WE HAVE BEEN ENGAGING IN PROVIDING QUALITY EDUCATION FOR OVER FIFTY FIVE YEARS.
WE'VE ALWAYS BEEN ABOUT DECENT WORK AND ECONOMIC GROWTH.
WE'VE ALWAYS BEEN ABOUT PARTNERSHIPS.
YOU KNOW, WE ESPECIALLY SINCE DR.
MAYA, CAME ON BOARD, WE'VE BEEN ABOUT NO POVERTY AND ZERO HUNGER.
WE RECENTLY SIGNED OUR FIRST EVER 100 PERCENT RENEWABLE ENERGY ELECTRICITY CONTRACT, SO WE'RE ALL ABOUT AFFORDABLE AND CLEAN ENERGY.
SO, SO WE'RE ALREADY DOING THESE THINGS, AND WE HAVE BEEN DOING THEM FOR MANY YEARS, BUT NOW WE'RE PACKAGING IT ALL UNDER THE TERM SUSTAINABILITY.
SO AT THIS POINT, WE'D LIKE TO.
GO BACK AND AND ASK OUR PANELISTS ONE FINAL QUESTION BEFORE WE TAKE QUESTIONS FROM THE AUDIENCE, AND THAT IS WHAT ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT THINGS THAT OUR VIEWERS CAN DO TO SUPPORT SUSTAINABILITY IN THEIR COMMUNITY? BUT I WILL START OFF AGAIN WITH HEATHER.
HI AGAIN. SO MOST IMPORTANT, WHAT WHAT YOU CAN DO TO ADVANCE A SOCIETY IS HELP YOUR ORGANIZATION OR YOUR COMMUNITY UNDERSTAND, FIRST OF ALL, UNDERSTAND THE IMPORTANCE OF GETTING TO NET ZERO, UNDERSTANDING THE IMPORTANCE FROM BOTH A CLIMATE STANDPOINT THAT IT'S, YOU KNOW, THE PLANET IS A STAKEHOLDER FOR ALL OF US.
AND IF WE DON'T TAKE CARE OF OUR PLANET, THERE IS NO PLANET B AND ALSO THAT IT'S NOT JUST THE STICK, IT'S NOT JUST THE THREAT, BUT THERE'S SOME REAL BUSINESS PROSPERITY, EQUALITY REASONS TO DRIVE THAT, YOU KNOW, REDUCING RISKS, MAKING SURE THAT COMMUNITIES YOU KNOW AT LARGE, NOT OUTSIDE OF DENVER, DON'T BURN TO THE GROUND OR GET FLOODED.
MAKING SURE THAT CERTAIN POPULATIONS HAVE JUST AS MUCH STABILITY IN THEIR COMMUNITY AS THE REST OF US, MAKING SURE THAT WE AS A COUNTRY, COMMUNITY, COUNTRY NATION CONTINUE ON A A GROWTH TRAJECTORY THAT IS NOT JUST CONSUMPTION BASED, BUT IT'S FULL CYCLE THAT WE'RE TAKING CARE OF WHERE THOSE RESOURCES ARE.
LIMITED RESOURCES ARE COMING FROM AND REPLENISHING WHETHER THE ENERGY FOR OCEAN AS WE GO SO THAT WE CAN ALL ENJOY A MUCH MORE HEALTHY, EQUITABLE, SUSTAINABLE FUTURE.
SO I'M GOING TO QUOTE MY FAVORITE CLIMATE SCIENTISTS, WHICH IS DR KATHARINE HAYHOE WITH TEXAS TECH AND THE NATURE CONSERVANCY, AND SHE INDICATES THAT SHE ADVOCATES THIS AS WELL.
THE MOST IMPORTANT THING YOU CAN DO ABOUT CLIMATE IS TALK ABOUT IT, AND THEN I WOULD ADD TO THAT. AND SHE ALSO ADDS, AND I THINK SHE'S GOT A WHOLE BOOK ON IT NOW, NOT ONLY ON IT AND WALK THE TALK.
YOU DON'T NECESSARILY HAVE TO TAKE BIG MEASURES, BUT EACH INDIVIDUAL CAN LOOK AT WHAT THEY CAN DO INDIVIDUALLY TOWARDS CLOSING THE CIRCLE.
ARE YOU RECYCLING? ARE YOU COMPOSTING? ARE YOU REDUCING THE ENERGY YOU USE, THE FOOD YOU WASTE, THE WATER YOU.
SO IT'S ALL ABOUT WALKING, THE TALK AND PERSONAL CHOICES.
AND THAT'S SOMETHING THAT I THINK EVERYBODY CAN DO.
I LOVE IT, I LOVE IT, I'M LOOKING AROUND BECAUSE I HAVE THE BOOK HERE IN MY OFFICE AND I WAS GOING TO HOLD IT UP, BUT OF COURSE I CAN'T.
JASMINE. ECHOING WHAT SUSAN SHARED, SOMETHING SIMPLE THAT WE ALL CAN DO IS ASSESS THE EXTENT TO WHICH WE ARE ENGAGING IN COMPOSTING AND RECYCLING, USING SUSTAINABLE GOODS, PRODUCTS, SERVICES AND AN ACTION PLAN ON HOW WE CAN INCREASE OUR SUSTAINABLE FOOTPRINT
[00:50:03]
WOULD BE IMPORTANT.WHY? AND I'M ALWAYS VERY ACTION ORIENTED, SO I DO ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO FIND CIVIC ORGANIZATIONS THAT THEY WANT TO SUPPORT, WHETHER IT'S FISCAL SUPPORT OR ROLLING UP YOUR SLEEVES AND ENGAGING IN SOME ACTIVISM BASED WORK TO FURTHER ENCOURAGE OUR FELLOW COMMUNITY MEMBERS AND GLOBAL CITIZENS TO JOIN THE SUSTAINABLE EFFORT.
THINKING ABOUT WHERE WE ARE LOCATED RIGHT WITHIN HIGHER EDUCATION AND WHO WE SERVE OUR TRADITIONAL COLLEGE AGE STUDENTS ARE A PART OF THE GEN Z GEN Z GENERATIONAL COHORT, AND ONE OF THEIR TOP PRIORITIES IS CLIMATE JUSTICE IS ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE, CLIMATE CHANGE.
AND THAT IS ONE OF THEIR PRIORITIES BECAUSE QUITE HONESTLY, WHILE WE CONTINUE TO LIVE IN TIMES OF DISARRAY AND DESPAIR, OUR WORLD IS HAVING A PLEA IN A CRYING OUT FOR US TO RECOGNIZE THAT OUR WORLD IS IN DESPAIR AND IT IS IN NEED OF REPAIR.
OUR GEN Z COHORT WANTS TO ENGAGE IN THAT THAT REFORMATION WORK IN ORDER TO RESTORE OUR CLIMATE, IN ORDER TO ENSURE THAT OUR OUR FORESTS ARE BEING WELL CARED FOR, THAT OUR AIR QUALITY IS A HIGH ENOUGH AIR QUALITY THAT WE ARE REDUCING OUR CARBON EMISSIONS, THAT WE ARE REDUCING THE EXTENT TO WHICH WE'RE ENGAGING IN FOSSIL FUEL INFRASTRUCTURE, IN FRACKING AND THINGS OF THAT NATURE THAT DISRUPT OUR ENVIRONMENT.
SO ONE THING THAT WE CAN ALL DO IS JUST ASSESS THE EXTENT TO WHICH WE ARE ENGAGING IN SOME OF OUR IMMEDIATE WORK, LIKE COMPOSTING.
AND THEN ALSO WHAT LARGER THINGS WE'RE DOING.
AND I'LL SHARE THIS PERSONAL CAVEAT BECAUSE I THINK IT DRIVES HOME THE ACCELERATION OF OUR CLIMATE CHANGE OVER THE LAST TWO DECADES.
I HAVE PERSONALLY FROM LIVING IN DIFFERENT AREAS OF OUR COUNTRY.
I HAVE PERSONALLY EXPERIENCED AND HAVE SURVIVED AN EARTHQUAKE.
I HAVE DRIVEN THROUGH A HISTORIC BLIZZARD, WHICH I DO NOT RECOMMEND.
HURRICANE KATRINA AND I HAVE ALSO WITNESSED A TORNADO FORM IN FRONT OF MY VERY EYES.
AND I SAY THAT TO SAY NONE OF THAT SHOULD BE NORMATIVE, RIGHT? THESE ARE THINGS THAT SHOULD HAPPEN EVERY SO OFTEN, EVERY OTHER OR EVERY THREE GENERATIONS. AND YET THESE THINGS ARE CONTINUOUSLY HAPPENING ON A SINGLE CYCLE AND WE MUST ASSESS WHAT WE ARE DOING TO ACCELERATE THAT IN ORDER TO START TO ENGAGE IN INFRASTRUCTURAL PLANNING TO MITIGATE THIS BECAUSE WE ARE IN A CRISIS.
THANK YOU, JACK. AND NOW I SEE HEATHER HAS HER HAND RAISED AGAIN, PLEASE, PLEASE JOIN US.
JASMINE, I I WANT TO JUST ADD TO YOUR LIST OF LIKE CLIMATE IMPACTS THAT ARE VERY PERSONAL. IN 2013, I LOST A HOME TO AN 100000 ACRE WILDFIRE AND CURIOUSLY, AT THAT TIME WHEN I CALLED MYSELF A CLIMATE REFUGEE, THAT WAS THAT DIDN'T REGISTER.
PEOPLE WERE NOT CONNECTING THE DOTS.
AND THE GOOD NEWS IS NOW THEY ARE STARTING TO CONNECT THE DOTS ANYHOW.
JUST ADD TO IT, THE FIRE WASN'T ON YOUR LIST, SO I HAD TO ADD THE FIRE GEORGEANN.
IN CLOSING, HERE I HAVE A QUOTE FROM NINETEEN SIXTY TWO FROM RACHEL CARLSON SILENT SPRING. MY MOTHER RAISED ME AS AN ENVIRONMENTALIST AND I REMEMBER GOING ON WALKS AND FINDING SORT OF WONDER OF NATURE AND HER INDOCTRINATING US IN IN THOSE KIND OF READINGS.
AND THERE'S A QUOTE FROM THAT SILENT SPRING BOOK THAT WAS VERY RELEVANT.
THEN AT THAT TIME, IT WAS MUCH MORE OF A FIGHT AGAINST DDT AND LESS AWARENESS ABOUT CLIMATE CHANGES, BUT VERY RELEVANT TODAY.
THE QUOTE GOES AS SUCH, WE STAND NOW WHERE TWO ROADS DIVERGE.
BUT UNLIKE THE ROADS IN ROBERT FROST'S FAMILIAR POEM, THEY ARE NOT EQUALLY FAIR.
THE ROAD WE HAVE LONG BEEN TRAVELING IS DECEPTIVELY EASY AS SMOOTH SUPERHIGHWAY ON WHICH WE PROGRESS WITH GREAT SPEED.
THE OTHER FORK OF THE ROAD, THE ONE LESS TRAVELED BY OFFERS OUR LAST OUR ONLY CHANCE TO REACH A DESTINATION THAT ASSURES THE PRESERVATION OF THE EARTH.
THANK YOU. THANK YOU FOR SHARING.
AND MY MOTHER ALSO HAD RACHEL.
[00:55:01]
RACHEL CARSON, IT MEANS A LOT TO ME AND I DID FIND MY BOOK OF DR.CLIMATE SCIENTIST CASE FOR HOPE AND HEALING IN A DIVIDED WORLD, AND IT IS FABULOUS, AND THAT WAS GOING TO BE MY TOP, MY TIP WAS TO TALK ABOUT IT.
AND SO I HIGHLY, HIGHLY, HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS BOOK.
AND IN FACT, WE ARE DOING A BOOK CLUB ON THIS BOOK AND I BELIEVE TOMORROW IS THE NEXT MEETING. AND SO ANYONE WHO WANTS TO JOIN IN AND ON THIS, OF COURSE, IT'S ABSOLUTELY FREE.
JUST EMAIL SUSTAINABILITY AT TRIPLE DVD, YOU AND WE WILL SEND YOU INFORMATION ABOUT HOW TO JOIN US TOMORROW.
SO WARNER, IF YOU WILL GO AHEAD AND PUT THE LAST SLIDE UP AND WE HAVE LIKE THREE MINUTES AND SAY, I'M GOING TO ASK YOU, IS IS THERE A QUESTION THAT YOU HAVE FOR US TO POSE TO ANY OF OUR PANELISTS? AND JUST GO AHEAD AND AND.
HERE'S YOUR MIKE. I GEORGEANN NO QUESTIONS, JUST A LOT OF WONDERFUL COMMENTS SAYING GOOD JOB. ALL RIGHT, WELL, WE ARE SO DELIGHTED TO HAVE JOINED YOU TODAY, AND I DO WANT TO ASK CHAIR BRAVO IF SHE WOULD LIKE TO MAKE ANY CLOSING REMARKS.
I WOULD JUST LIKE TO THANK THE PANELISTS FOR SHARING THEIR TIME WITH US AND TELLING US ABOUT THE GREAT THINGS THAT ARE GOING ON AT CITY OF DALLAS, AT SALESFORCE AND OBVIOUSLY DALLAS COLLEGE IS COMMITTED TO ALSO ACHIEVING WHAT WE CAN THROUGH OUR HELP.
SO THANK YOU TO JASMINE AND GEORGEANN FOR ALL YOUR HELP TODAY.
THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU.
AND YOU'LL NOTICE THAT WE DO HAVE SOME UPCOMING EVENTS.
DR. ROBERT BULLARD, THE FATHER OF ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE, HE SEES HOPE AMID DESPAIR.
YOU'RE NOT GOING TO WANT TO MISS THAT ON MARCH 23RD, AND THE OTHER ONE AGAIN RECOMMENDED BY DR. KATHARINE HAYHOE, IS DR.
MATT WINNING? HE IS A CLIMATE SOCIAL SCIENTIST AND HE'S A COMEDIAN.
AND HE SAID HE ACTUALLY HE STARTED DOING HIS COMEDIAN WORK BECAUSE THE WORK HE DOES IS SO HEAVY AND HE HAD TO BE ABLE TO BALANCE THAT OUT.
SO I GUESS THE LAST THING I'D LIKE TO SAY BEFORE WE CLOSE TODAY IS THAT THIS IS A JOURNEY AND AND WE NEED TO BE RESILIENT AND WE NEED TO PERSEVERE.
AND I KNOW EVERYONE ON THIS CALL TODAY WILL DO THAT.
AND THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR WORK.
UNTIL NEXT TIME.
* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.