CLIMATE JUSTICE
By adopting the Climate Ready Oak Park plan, the Village Board committed to taking meaningful action to reduce our impact on climate change, and to make our community more resilient to its impact. The incoming Trustees must prioritize meeting the goals set out in this plan with the urgency that the climate crisis demands.
Our community has expressed deep concern about the climate crisis and wants us to act: When asked about the impacts of climate change, 46% of respondents reported currently or already having faced negative impacts of climate change, while 47% reported feeling unprepared or extremely unprepared to face the impacts of climate change.
Reducing greenhouse gas emissions and transitioning to energy efficient buildings and transportation will require Village leadership to ensure that all policy and budgeting decisions are made with sustainability in mind. We can envision a safe natural and built environment for community members to enjoy, but it will take a tenacious board of Trustees to hold staff, and each other, accountable to the implementation of this vision.
Climate change will impact us all, but not all of us equally.
Our approach to a sustainable future must be equitable. At least 40% of the public climate and sustainability investment must address the most vulnerable to the impact of the climate crises. And all sustainability programming needs to happen in partnership with those most affected in our community. This can look like investing in green infrastructure like native plants and rain gardens where there is the greatest risk of flooding, and increasing forestry and tree canopy cover in high vulnerability areas.
One suggestion that came out of the IPLAN that particularly excited me was to pilot publicly accessible community gardens. Beginning in 2021, and in partnership with NeighborSpace and Mothers OnA Mission 28, I helped develop The Mercy Garden for Peace and Healing in the Austin neighborhood on the West Side of Chicago. This project aims to provide survivors of gun violence a safe space to grieve, heal, and memorialize their loved ones. It became a beautiful, productive garden where native plants and organic food is grown in a previously-abandoned lot adjacent to the Mercy Housing apartments. Given the food apartheid in Austin, lack of green space and safe places for families to gather, this garden addresses some of the greatest sustainability challenges in the community. It has taught me so much about the transformative power of community gardens as significant contributions to our health, safety and well-being.