On Sunday, May 1st, Montclair Presbyterian Chuch’s SPLASH Team hosted a Community Forum on Climate Change with Mayor Jean Quan and Oakland Climate Action Coalition (OCAC) chair Emily Kirsch.
The OCAC is made up of representatives from many grassroots organizations, which came together to create an Oakland Climate Action Plan. This plan is a comprehensive set of recommendations for the city, ranging from transportation, clean energy, composting programs, and urban agriculture, to green jobs, community engagement, and climate-change-related disaster preparation. OCAC was instrumental in the advocacy which led, this March, to Oakland passing some of the strongest green house gas reduction goals of any city in the country.
Oakland Mayor Jean Quan is the first Asian woman elected mayor in a major US City. Addressing the forum she reflected upon her family’s long history as Oakland residents and linked this experience to the experience of Oakland’s diverse population. She spoke movingly about the city’s commitment to creating a just and sustainable living environment and the progress that is being made.