Our Purpose and Vision and Strategic Plan

                       NC-CAN STRATEGIC PLAN 2022-2024

Our Mission:

Expanding Nevada County citizen understanding of and engagement on climate change mitigation and adaptation issues.

Our Values:

~ Educating with scientific, peer-reviewed information

~ Building partnerships with civic and governmental organizations

~ Embracing respectful communication and collaboration

Our Vision:

NC-CAN looks forward to the day when clean and renewable energy fulfills the energy requirements of local, state, federal and world entities and the soil, water, plants, and animals are protected from the effects of our industrial culture. The result will be:

~ Sustainable, regenerative, and equitable communities (physically, economically, and socially healthy communities that contribute to a livable world)

~ An unpolluted earth that supports a diversity of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems and provide habitat to support viable fish, wildlife, and plant communities

Our History:

Formed in 2013, NC-CAN has been active in public education through community meetings and children/ youth summer camps, organizing participation in demonstrations to stop climate change, letter writing on climate change subjects, and active support for local governments to implement 100% renewable energy policies.

NCCAN Committees - Objectives with proposed ongoing and next year actions  

Steering Committee

Purpose: Coordinate NCCAN activities

• Review and approve finances

• Hold monthly meetings to coordinate and approve other committee actions

• Yearly, review and produce strategic plan

Education Committee

Purpose: Educate Nevada County citizens on climate related topics

Objective 1: Provide Youth summer's Climate Change Agent camp

• Present an educational camp that prepares youth for their role as collaborative climate change agents

• Adapt each summer's Climate Change Agent curriculum to the current community needs, integrating character, community service, conflict resolution, sustainable development concepts, social justice, and specific service/advocacy goals, to nurture altruistic identities, especially among high potential and underserved youth

• Agents to participate at farmers market and other community hubs

• Gather evidence of students' outreach and service to the community (in newspaper articles, camp reports, photos or exhibits, creative works, writing samples, global wisdom exchanges, artifacts, and/or testimonials from presenters, parents, teachers, and students)

• Report of any needed improvements

Objective 2: Community Education.

• Present timely educational climate events with current research on topics relevant to Nevada County

• Collaborate with other organizations, to present events and public opportunities for engagement (film series, forums, etcetera)

Communication Committee

Purpose: Present NCCAN to the public

Objective 1:

• Maintain website (library and events), Facebook, Twitter, and newsletter (Constant Contact) platforms including any updates or changes to the platforms

• Maintain email list of NCCAN participants

• Coordinate outreach to the press and public

• Review and respond to input from visitors to platforms, events, and other outreach

• Schedule monthly Climate Connections articles and KVMR spots

Carbon Action Committee

Purpose: Promote initiatives that divert funds from fossil fuels 

Objective 1:  Address carbon reduction through fossil fuel and deforestation divestment and “green” investment.

Government - Nevada County, Nevada City, Grass Valley, and Nevada Irrigation District examination. Focus on employee retirement funds and government bond and cash holdings.

• Identify how funds are currently invested - Example: NID employee retirement funds are held by theLocal Agency Investment Fund” under the California State Treasurer’s Office.

• Identify and examine successful California city and county divestments.

• Develop local county strategy in consultation and collaboration with As You Sow, Fossil Free California, Sierra Club and other local and State organizations concerned with divestment/investment.

• Implement target divest/invest local campaign strategy.

Individual Retirement Divestment/Investment.

• Maintain and expand website on invest/divest and carbon screening organizations.

• Plan KVMR program on subject. Write one or two 3-minute editorial news pieces.

• Write opinion piece for Union.

• Utilize CAN mailing list for info pieces on 529s, Banking and Personal carbon screening

State 529 education ESG investment alternatives

• Account holder letters to State investment committees requesting ESG alternatives and expanded options

• Seek out national education opinion writers to address ESG 529 investments.

Banking and Individual Investments

• Move Your Values campaign: Leaflet local residents to move funds from large bank carbon funders to local banks and make known reasons.

• Research banks, carbon investments, and local banking alternatives to draw up materials for campaign in consultation with Net Zero Banking Alliance, Stop The Money Pipeline, Fossil Free California, Bankfwd, Bank.Green, and related organizations

• Target initial campaign on one bank.

Expand and build local Invest/Divest Climate Action Now committee

Possible members – Lew Sitzer, Steven Elias, Sam

Objective 2: Lobby for National Carbon Tax and Dividend Legislation

• Endorse and advocate for a carbon fee and dividend in National Legislation. Align efforts with Citizen Climate Lobby.

• Educate CAN membership and public about pending carbon legislation.

• Use CAN membership list to encourage and support citizen action and voice.

Clean Energy Committee

Purpose: Nevada County to eliminate fossil fuels as an energy source

Objective 1: Assist municipalities to obtain their Energy Action Plan goals of reduced electricity use.

• Participate in EAP Community Working Groups to implement EAP goals

• Inform our supporters and the community of progress in reaching the goals

• Help initiate and foster a countywide Energy Action Plan Committee to coordinate efforts of the Energy Action Plan Working Groups

• Participate in countywide Energy Committee meetings with the other organizations as they confirm tangible goals for various energy use sectors, and plans for implementation and timelines

Objective 2: Help the county and its cities to join a Community Choice Aggregation

• Foster meetings with current CCAs to elicit proposals

• Help educate public on CCAs

• Support councils and Boards for passage of CCA ordinances

Objective 3: Adopt and help implement 100% renewable energy resolutions for Grass Valley and Nevada County

• Prepare and help pass resolutions for 100% Renewable Energy, including goals and timelines

• Identify sectors of the community who will be needed to participate to meet the resolution goals

• Committee completes a countywide 100% renewable energy plan that will foster coordination of efforts to encourage lighting improvements, sprawl reduction, forest carbon sequestration, electric vehicles, local food consumption - while creating and sustaining new jobs and improving public health

Waste Not Committee

Purpose: Promote waste reduction and regenerative strategies for a Circular Economy

Objective 1: Inform and educate the community on the “new R’s” for all recyclable categories to reduce material and ensure reprocessing

• Delineate the “new R’s” of Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Refill, Repair, Repurpose, Renew, Rethink, Remake, Regift.

• Provide guidance to businesses and multi-family dwellings, in addition to residential, on recycling right and reducing contamination

• Teach Sustainable Regenerative practices

• Explain waste stream diversion reasoning

• Update WM Facebook page and NextDoor consistently

• Update WasteNOT webpages

Objective 2: Create Plastic reduction campaign for all sectors

• Do proof of concept for projects like Rotary/NexTrex that demonstrate to WM the possibility, profitability, and cost effectiveness of recycling flexible plastics

• Create and implement a marketing strategy for businesses to reduce non-recyclable single-use packaging with County business organizations, like Chambers of Commerce, Economic Resource Council, SBI

• Offer alternative sources for single-use plastics for personal use, restaurants, and take-out facilities

• Launch advocacy campaign on important bills and initiatives

Objective 3: Promote solutions to recycle green and food waste and retain in Western Nevada County as climate friendly bioresources

Green waste

• Facilitate GHG and smoke-reducing solutions for recycling of green waste removed for fire safety and forest restoration initiatives in the county.

• Conduct an awareness campaign to increase residential use of firesafe or local landscaping chipping services to reduce reliance on burn piles through education and/or incentives.

• Assist Firesafe Council and/or County in procuring more resources to provide affordable alternatives to residential pile burns, like regular (6 times a year) free green waste drop-off events, increased use of subsidized chipping services, and secure central locations for green waste drop off.

• Collaborate with local stakeholders (e.g. Firesafe Council, NRD, County, etc.) to create local processing capacity of green waste into mulch, compost or bioenergy.

Food Waste

• Provide Alternative ideas, like composting, and collaborate with other groups to help single family residences comply with new law to remove food from trash

• Explore providing education for multi-unit residences for food waste collection and composting