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Politics & Government

How Does Redlands Relate to Sustainability?

More than 80 people attended a workshop hosted by the Redlands Sustainability Network to answer the question of sustainability.

More than 80 people braved torrential rain to attend the first workshop hosted by the Redlands Sustainability Network at the beautifully restored Mitten Building.

Around tables covered with paper for writing ideas, diverse individuals representing groups from Occupy Redlands to the Tea Party to the Redlands Conservancy clustered to listen, share thoughts and ideas, and develop action plans.

To promote the mission of the Network, making “…sustainability a potent force, through education and responsible action, within The City of Redlands and beyond,” the session was divided into four distinct segments.

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Roger Bell, Vice Chair Professional Trailbuilders Association, welcomed attendees and asked them to answer the question “How do I relate to sustainability?” The responses were written on the paper-covered tables. Katherine Noble-Goodman, an instructor at the University of Redlands, took over and explained there would be three break-out sessions for participants.

Redlands City Councilmember Jon Harrison continued the presentation with an explanation of the city’s Redlands Sustainable Community Action Strategy. The plan includes a junk mail opt-out program, an Orange Blossom Trail through the center of town for biking and pedestrians, LED street lights, and potential use of waste for energy generation.

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Devon Hartman and Freeman Allen from Claremont’s Sustainability Network, the model for the Redlands group, outlined the successful measures their organization has undertaken in that city, concentrating on their CHERP (Claremont Home Energy Retrofit Program) initiative and the “greening” of Pilgrim Place - which is a community for seniors who pursue careers in Christian service.

A Professor Emeritus from Pomona College stressed the necessity of sustainability for the future. Professor Monty Hempel (University of Redlands) displayed a slide presentation outlining the realities of consumption, the interdependence of economics, environment and social equity, and the goal of sustainability.

Then, after the speakers’ overviews, the real work of the session began. Participants at each table wrote answers to the question “How do we create sustainability here in Redlands?”

After about 20 minutes of discussion and documentation on the tables, people were asked to shift their seats to other tables to “backcast.”  Rather than predicting the future, as in forecasting, the aim is to project what you want to see in the future and then, ultimately, define actions to get there.

Responses of these new groups also were inscribed on the tables, each new answer relating to and benefitting from those written before. Twenty minutes later, groups again shifted. This time, however, choices of where to move were to specific areas of interest — energy efficiency, land conservation, water conservation, transportation, green building, food resources, local business, and community engagement.

These groups developed aims and priorities, predicated actions, and set a definite time for their next meeting. A spokesperson for each group then shared the information with the assembly.

The outcome of this workshop was to develop a network of people committed to changing the world around them for themselves and future generations through ideas, community building, and concrete action. Only these shared efforts will change the world and make it a better place for us now and those to come.

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