Location
San Jose
Team Mentors
Esther Duong
Dashiell Leeds
Monica Mallon
David Poeschel
Hoi Poon
Student Leaders
Danica Kubota
Mani Bekele
Vaishali Ravikumar
Impact
San Jose City Council Carbon Neutrality Plan effectively brought deadline to be carbon neutral to 2030
Organized members to work with elected officials and city staff as well as to give public comment at City Council and other public meetings to:
Support city staff recommending to City Council a Multifamily Housing EV Charging Reach Code to require access to basic EV charging for all newly constructed apartment units in the city
Sunset the Distributed Energy Resources (DER) exemption to San Jose’s natural gas ban at multiple past City Council meetings, and continuing into the future
Support the creation of the municipal utility SJ Power
Help maintain funding for Viva Calle and Viva Parks, programs which are particularly important in leading the city toward a less car-dependent future
Successfully blocked two proposals to cut critical funding to the Climate Smart San Jose program
Urged Mayor Mahan to include climate and sustainability in his priority list of city policy areas
Delivered interactive presentations to almost 200 elementary and middle school students on the basic science of climate change and empowered them toward individual action, civic engagement, and advocacy into their future.
What we’re working on:
Sustainable Public Transit Options
VTA (Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority) used to have a much better bus network and much better ridership in the early 2000s when they invested more money in transit operations. They can have a strong network again if they reallocate Measure B funds from highways to transit operations, including bus service.
Building Electrification Reach Codes
Establish aggressive building reach codes including wiring for electric vehicle charging so that new buildings in San Jose can run on carbon-free electricity.
Natural Gas Phase-Out
Prohibiting Natural Gas Infrastructure in New Buildings in San Jose.
Additional Projects
Working towards implementation of systematic climate literacy curricula in public school districts, accelerating the adoption of drought-tolerant native gardens, and potentially hosting a future forum of city council candidates to bring attention to their positions on climate action.
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