Prairie Village inks $50K consulting deal for inexperienced efforts

The transfer goals to assist town attain its dedication to realize net-zero carbon emissions by 2040 or sooner, in keeping with metropolis paperwork.

The $50,000 settlement is funded out of the 2023 finances by means of a choice bundle, a council-requested finances merchandise that was submitted final April.

Every division will probably be audited for sustainability

• The town’s sustainability plan ought to embrace brief and long run “objectives for municipal actions,” in keeping with metropolis paperwork.
• Councilmember Greg Shelton, town’s environmental committee co-chair, mentioned step one will probably be to take a seat down with every metropolis division for an entire audit of operations to see the place adjustments may very well be made.
• This can embrace the parks and recreation division, Shelton mentioned, to see what could also be finished to make Prairie Village’s parks system extra sustainable.

A complete listing of what Prairie Village desires out of a sustainability program, which is what the partnership ought to produce, is discovered on pages 76 and 77 of the doc beneath.

This goals to be extra thorough than 2020 emissions research

• Kansas Metropolis-based agency Dynamhex tracked town’s greenhouse gasoline emissions for one yr in 2020.
• The corporate, which metropolis workers says has since been acquired by a distinct firm, created an interactive map for residents to see their particular person houshold carbon footprints.
• Councilmember Piper Reimer, one other environmental committee co-chair, mentioned the Keramida partnership is way additional reaching than what town “had ever anticipated from Dynamhex.”
• “What we hoped to get with Dynamhex once we entered that contract was information, not only for town, but additionally a device which may assist the residents [to] present them extra data to allow them to make extra knowledgeable selections,” Reimer mentioned. “What we now have contract with Keramida for is one thing far, far past, a lot additional reaching, than what we had ever anticipated with Dynamhex.”

Pupil group helps Keramida partnership

• The Prairie Elementary Inexperienced Crew, a student-led group on the Prairie Village elementary college, desires to decrease the college’s carbon footprint.
• Two Inexperienced Crew members and their dad or mum sponsor Melissa Lewis spoke in assist of the Keramida partnership on the March 6 metropolis council assembly.
• “Prairie Village’s funding to gather the information that we have to inform the choices that we should face is a sign to all Prairie Villagers, particularly my 4 favourite younger ones, that you simply’re additionally dedicated to pursuing coverage for a livable local weather and a wholesome future,” Lewis mentioned.

What occurs subsequent:

• The undertaking will begin with conferences with metropolis workers to to create objectives, duties and timelines, in keeping with metropolis paperwork.
• Keramida will then conduct a sustainability information evaluation and take stock of greenhouse gasoline emissions.
• The corporate may also create a greenhouse gasoline discount roadmap and, finally, put collectively an inventory of actions town wants “to take to advance resilience and sustainability.”