Climate Action News June-July 2023
Published on July 18, 2023
City of Gainesville attends Alachua County Climate Fair
June 2, 2023
Alachua County hosted the first countywide Climate Fair at Cuscowilla Nature and Retreat Center on June 2. More than 30 booths and vendors were at the event, including Zero Waste Gainesville, the Repurpose Project and Life Unplastic.
Alachua County Poet Laureate E. Stanley Richardson opened the climate fair with a poem. A countywide climate vulnerability analysis presentation, a public workshop, and family friendly games and interactions followed. The City of Gainesville’s Commissioner Casey Willits, Chief Climate Officer Dr. Dan Zhu, Environmental Coordinator Jennie Ford, and Transit Community Services Specialist Thomas Idoyaga were at the event to represent our city.
Our representatives shared recent climate news and participated with the attendees. Upon learning about Gainesville’s electric buses, one neighbor excitedly said, “I can’t believe the electric bus — this is happening right around our daily life. I took this bus to work every day and I didn’t know it was actually an electric bus! It is so quiet and feels great.”
The event was live-streamed by the Alachua County Public Schools and is available on their YouTube channel. The next climate fair is planned for October 2024.
Seminar at United Church of Gainesville
June 4, 2023
The City’s Chief Climate Officer, Dr. Dan Zhu, held a seminar in the United Church of Gainesville on Sunday, June 4th after the church service. Dr. Zhu shared the city's adoption of the net zero greenhouse gas emission goal and actions the city has taken since then.
Questions discussed included: How is climate change related to daily life? What are the challenges and solutions? Dr. Zhu shared the city's climate action plan timeline. This was followed by an interactive discussion. Residents provided input on what they would like to see. Suggestions and topics included waste and recycling collection in multi-family housing, rooftop solar implementation, open space and wildlife, and public engagement. 85% of the audience had filled out the climate action survey.
The United Church of Gainesville seminar is available on YouTube.
Carbon reduction through planting trees
June 10, 2023
17 new tree saplings were planted at a native tree-planting event on June 10. Tree species included Live Oaks, Southern Magnolia, and Bald Cypress.
Alachua County, City of Gainesville, Court Services, Gainesville High School, Keep Alachua County Beautiful, and UF Imagining Climate Change collaborated on this event, contributing to the mitigation of carbon emissions and enhancing local green spaces. Volunteers and staff met at the Alachua Villas Apartment Complex located at 14000 NW 154th Ave, Alachua FL.
This initiative highlighted the collective efforts of these organizations in fostering a greener and more sustainable community while addressing the urgent need for climate resilience.
City of Gainesville and Alachua County participate in University of Florida sustainability tour
July 18, 2023
On July 18 a collaborative event between the city, county and UF showcased the sustainable practices and initiatives around the UF campus.
The tour, led by the UF Office of Sustainability, demonstrated different EV charging setups, sustainable buildings, large-scale compost logistics, conservation lands, micro-mobility and solar initiatives.
This tour included staff from the county and city, including representatives from GRU, UF and Alachua County Teens Work interns.
