Sustainability panel spurs interest.

Byline: Edward Russo The Register-Guard

If the phone calls and e-mails are a sign, Felicity Fahy should have no problem recruiting members for Eugene's first sustainability com- mission.

The 13-member committee will advise the City Council and the city manager on how to make Eugene a hotbed of environmentally friendly practices used by city government, businesses and residents.

Fahy is the city's first sustain- ability manager. She has been contacted by several people who are interested in serving on the advisory committee or who know of others who might be.

Fahy is pleased but not surprised, given Eugene's environmental awareness. "A lot of people are following this with interest and want to be involved," she said.

Eager to respond and get the new committee appointed by the early fall, Fahy has begun accepting applications - two weeks before the start of the city's official annual effort to attract applicants to other boards and committees.

Recruiting for open positions on the police, planning and human rights commissions, as well as the toxics board, budget committee and other advisory groups, will begin July 16. The deadline to apply for all city committees is Sept. 7.

"It's a great way to get involved, learn about what goes on in the city and local government," said Mary Walston, council, government and public affairs manager.

The idea for the sustainability commission and Fahy's position came from Mayor Kitty Piercy's Sustainable Business Initiative, a 16-person committee that studied ways for Eugene to nurture environmentally friendly, profitable businesses that treat employees well.

Among its 22 recommendations, the group urged the city to set an example by stopping to send waste to landfills or incinerators by 2020 and to dramatically reduce carbon dioxide emissions so city operations become "carbon neutral" by the same year.

Fahy said she'll work with the sustainability commission to follow the recommendations, provide a forum for residents to be involved in the topic, and "help develop sustainability policies and practices that reflect community values."

After moving from New Zealand, Fahy started work on May 30. Fahy most recently worked as a community education facilitator for Environment Wakato in Hamilton, New Zealand. She has 20 years of experience in environmental education, policy, planning and research.

The city has committed $197,000 for its various sustainability efforts, including forming the commission and paying Fahy's first-year salary of $59,900.

Fahy said she's seeking a "diverse pool of applicants" for the 12 unpaid citizen spots on the 13-member commission, including people with backgrounds in business, the environment and social equity - the three legs of the "sustainability stool."

"We are looking for people who aren't single-issue focused but who are willing to look at the big picture and make the connection to the different initiatives" that comprise sustainability, she said.

The City Council by Nov. 1 is to appoint four at-large members to the commission. The eight councilors will appoint one member apiece. The mayor will appoint a city councilor to the commission, making it a 13-person committee.

The first appointees will serve different length terms - two, three or four years apiece. Applicants must either live or own a business within the city's urban growth boundary, Fahy said. "I would encourage anyone interested to apply," she said.

ADVISORY COMMITTEE

Applications are being taken for the first appointments to Eugene's sustainability commission.

Recruitment for other city commissions and boards will start July 16. The deadline for applying for all commissions and boards is Sept. 7.

Application forms: Available at www.eugene-or.gov, or by calling the city manager's office, 682-5010.

For information on sustainability commission: Call Felicity Fahy at 682-5017.