Climate Action and Adaptation Plan

Pinole's First Climate Action and Adaptation Plan (CAAP) Released for Public Review!

We're excited to hear from you! After a year and a half of engaging with the community, the CAAP is now ready for your input. Here's how you can participate:

Visit Pinole Speaks: Explore the City's new engagement site, Pinole Speaks, where you can find information about the CAAP and share your thoughts.
Check Out the draft CAAP: Download a copy of the draft CAAP from the website. Taking a look at the plan will give you a good idea of what it's all about.
Provide Feedback: Share your comments directly on Pinole Speaks. Look for prompts related to specific aspects of the CAAP, and let us know what you think.
Attend the May 7th Council Meeting: Join us at the upcoming Council meeting on May 7th to learn more about the CAAP and engage in further discussions. This is an excellent opportunity to ask questions and gain a deeper understanding of the plan's objectives and implementation.

What is a CAAP?

A Climate Action and Adaptation Plan (CAAP) is a strategic framework that establishes a specific pathway for how the City will reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and help the community prepare to adapt and become more resilient to the effects of climate change.

Through this purpose, a CAAP addresses two key elements:

1.Climate Mitigation - Reducing GHG emissions (e.g., by reducing fossil fuels used in energy and transportation, reducing waste generated, and reducing water use) to keep climate change from getting worse.

2.Climate Adaptation - The process of adjusting to actual or expected climate and its effects (e.g., reducing urban heat island effect by planting shade trees in parking lots or installing “green infrastructure” around buildings to manage storm water). In human systems, adaptation seeks to moderate or avoid harm and exploit beneficial opportunities for positive outcomes.

Our CAAP will be founded in science and build on the City’s past successes.

Mitigation and Adaptation Venn

Why is it important?

On October 19th, 2021, our City Council adopted a resolution that declared a Climate Emergency. This resolution acknowledges the disastrous effects that climate change threatens to have on our City’s public health, economy, infrastructure, and overall wellbeing. A CAAP will reduce these effects and prepare the community for flooding, sea level rise, water scarcity, extreme heat events, and wildfires.

A CAAP will also bring the City into compliance with the state’s GHG reduction targets. The CAAP will aim to reduce GHG emissions at least 40% below 1990 levels by 2030, as established by Senate Bill 32, and strive to achieve carbon neutrality by no later than 2045, as established by Executive Order B-55-18. This alignment will better position the City to apply for grant funds to address climate change and connected issues such as social equity and sustainability.

What will it look like?

To address climate mitigation, a CAAP usually begins with an inventory of GHG emissions in the community, which was completed in Spring of 2022 (see Resources section below for GHG inventory reports). This inventory allows Pinole to identify where GHG emissions are being generated and then establish GHG emission reduction targets (goals) as well as policies and strategies to achieve the reduction targets.

To address climate adaptation and resilience, a CAAP usually begins with or, in this case, builds off of a climate vulnerability assessment being completed for the Safety Element to identify the projected climate impacts in the community and the groups of people and physical assets most vulnerable to them. Pinole will then develop policies and strategies to increase the City’s adaptive capacity.

The next phase in both processes is to identify funding and implementation measures, and a means of reporting and monitoring the effectiveness of the plan. Ongoing monitoring and tracking ensures that the plan remains on track to reach the City’s targets and ultimately the state’s goals.

What's the timeline?

What has been done so far?

Open House Held January 26, 2023

Thank you to everyone who joined us in-person and virtually for the first of two Climate Action and Adaptation Plan (CAAP) Open House events on January 26. The evening was filled with great discussion over delicious food and drinks on how the City can develop our Climate Action and Adaptation Plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and be more resilient to extreme climate events. The main hall of the Senior Center transformed into a climate action think tank. Watch a recap video of the event!

We appreciate all the public agencies who were in attendance to help get our green juices flowing: 511 Contra Costa, EBMUD, Republic Services, BayREN, and MCE. We learned more about their different sustainability programs and incentives, which inspired conversations on how we can create an implementable CAAP. Our Vision and Voting boards reflected the public in the form of colorful post-its and dot stickers with comments, concerns and ideas. We greatly appreciate all the feedback we have received! Thanks again to all for an eventful evening!

For those who could not make it, we are continuing the evening’s events and conversations in different forms. See the links below to participate, and mark your calendar for our next review workshop on Thursday, October 26!

Watch a recording about the CAAP from the January 26 Open House and learn about how you can add your voice to this conversation.
Pinole's Greenhouse Gas Emissions Poster
CAAP Schedule Poster ***Please note, due to weather, we will be tabling at the Farmer's Market on March 17 and April 8***

Let us know how concerned you are about the impacts of climate change. Weigh in on what programs and policies you'd like to see the City focus on.

Visit us at City Hall!

Let’s continue the conversation! Our Vision and Voting Boards from our Climate Action and Adaptation Open House have been set up at the main entrance of City Hall (2131 Pear Street). Please stop by and add your voice in the form of ideas, concerns, or questions to help develop the City of Pinole’s Climate Action and Adaptation Plan. The boards will be up through February 23.

Prefer to participate Remotely?

Vote for your top CAAP priorities, using Mural. Visit the virtual Top Priorities Mural Board to vote today! What's your vision for more sustainable and resilient Pinole? Visit the virtual Visioning Mural Board to weigh in today! View a short tutorial on how to use Mural Board. Voting will be available through February 23.

City Hall

On January 26 five public agency partners were in attendance to share important information about their programs, rebates and and incentives. Learn more about these agencies and their offerings:

Agency/Website	Resources/Rebates/Incentives
511 Contra Costa	Clean Air Programs, Resources & Incentives
BayREN	See the resources section below for energy efficiency and electrification offerings for homes and businesses!
EBMUD	Indoors: Landscape rebate program virtual office hours: Customers can jump onto one of these virtual meetings to get rebate program questions answered. Lawn Conversion Rebates: EBMUD offers rebates up to $2,000 for residential properties and $15,000 for businesses. Irrigation Equipment Rebates: Additional rebates are available for irrigation equipment, including smart irrigation controllers. Mulch and Compost Coupons: Download and print coupons to local nurseries and soil providers. Lawntogarden.org: Your go to place for sheet mulching. Includes step-by-step instructions and a marketplace for locating materials. Water Savings Calculator: See how much water your new garden can save. Irrigation Schedule: Refer to this schedule for specific details on irrigation timing (in Spanish). Plant and Design Resources: Low water use plants and design templates. Drip irrigation layout: A couple of drip irrigation layouts. Firescaping booklet: Helpful tips to reduce impact of wildfires. EBMUD Watersmart Gardens YouTube Channel: Videos and past EBMUD webinars including fall and spring maintenance, irrigation tips, sheet mulching etc. Outdoors: Detect and fix a toilet leak Home water use survey kit: Order a kit and get free water efficient devices Sign up for My Water Report: Get leak alerts and water use data
MCE	Get Help Lowering or Catching Up on Bills MCE Customer Programs and Offerings MCE Blog and News
Republic Services	Comprehensive Recycling Guide Eating Out? Sustainable Packaging Guide

How can I get involved?

The development of this plan will require input from the community to ensure that it is a dynamic and implementable strategy that aligns with the City’s goals and initiatives. Sign-up for regular updates today! We have developed an engagement schedule to develop this CAAP in an iterative process with your input. The schedule of workshops, public meetings, and public reviews will soon be provided on this page. Please watch this website and look out for other City announcements to participate in the process and sign up for regular updates using the survey link above!

Pinole's Climate Action and Adaptation Plan